County outline
Where Macomb County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 84% of Macomb County’s measured area and water for 16%. Its combined area converts to 1,478.7 square kilometers or approximately 365,389 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 479.355 | 1,241.524 | 306,787.2 |
| Water | 91.566 | 237.155 | 58,602.2 |
| Total | 570.921 | 1,478.679 | 365,389.4 |
How Macomb County compares
By original Census land area, Macomb County ranks #75 of 83 in Michigan and #2157 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.844 times the Michigan county-equivalent median of 567.8 square miles. It accounts for 0.8% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Michigan ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Macomb County
The Census Bureau estimates that 886,221 people lived in Macomb County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #68 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #3 of 83 in Michigan. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 881,224, the population has grown by 4,997 (+0.6%), compared with +0.5% for Michigan as a whole.
With 479.4 square miles of land, that is 1,849 people per square mile (714 per km²), placing Macomb County #88 nationally for density and #2 in Michigan. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Michigan median is 62. Put another way, there are about 0.346 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 880,240 | 877,873 | 875,065 | 877,396 | 882,497 | 886,221 |
| Change | — | −2,367 | −2,808 | +2,331 | +5,101 | +3,724 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Macomb County
Macomb County is divided into 24 municipalities and townships. In Michigan, county subdivisions are local governments, and together they cover all of the county’s land and residents.
The most populous is Warren city, with 137,138 residents (15.5% of the county). The largest by land is Lenox township, at 38.7 mi², or 8.1% of the county’s land. The county seat, Mount Clemens city, has 15,419 residents. Among those with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Lenox township grew fastest since then (+9.3%).
| County subdivision | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warren city | 137,138 | −1.6% | 34.4 | 7.2% |
| Sterling Heights city | 133,931 | −0.3% | 36.4 | 7.6% |
| Clinton charter township | 101,374 | +0.8% | 28 | 5.8% |
| Macomb township | 95,099 | +3.8% | 36.3 | 7.6% |
| Shelby charter township | 80,415 | +1.3% | 34.4 | 7.2% |
| St. Clair Shores city | 57,872 | −1.7% | 11.7 | 2.4% |
| Chesterfield township | 47,770 | +5.3% | 27.6 | 5.8% |
| Roseville city | 46,863 | −1.8% | 9.836 | 2.1% |
| Eastpointe city | 33,814 | −1.5% | 5.158 | 1.1% |
| Washington charter township | 29,229 | +3.8% | 35.6 | 7.4% |
| Harrison charter township | 23,984 | −1.4% | 14.2 | 3% |
| Mount Clemens cityCounty seat | 15,419 | −1.8% | 4.093 | 0.9% |
| Fraser city | 14,496 | −1.6% | 4.141 | 0.9% |
| Lenox township | 13,251 | +9.3% | 38.7 | 8.1% |
| New Baltimore city | 12,123 | +0.1% | 4.605 | 1% |
Show the other 9 subdivisions
| Name | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bruce township | 10,175 | +9.2% | 36.7 |
| Center Line city | 8,503 | −0.5% | 1.752 |
| Richmond city | 5,926 | +0.9% | 2.671 |
| Armada township | 5,384 | +1.3% | 36.5 |
| Utica city | 5,114 | −2.3% | 1.759 |
| Ray township | 3,848 | +1.9% | 36.5 |
| Richmond township | 3,632 | +2.4% | 37.4 |
| Memphis city | 782 | +2.2% | 0.637 |
| Village of Grosse Pointe Shores city | 79 | −2.5% | 0.151 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each subdivision inside Macomb County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Macomb County is a central county of the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area, in the Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, MI metropolitan division. Its 6 county equivalents have 4,390,913 residents on 3,892.9 square miles of land; Macomb County accounts for 12.3% of the land and 20.2% of the residents. By combined land it ranks #75 of 393 metropolitan areas, and #14 by population. It belongs to the Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI Combined Statistical Area.
| County equivalent | Population 2025 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|
| Wayne County | 1,769,038 | 611.8 |
| Oakland County | 1,288,337 | 867.4 |
| Macomb County | 886,221 | 479.4 |
| Livingston County | 197,315 | 565.3 |
| St. Clair County | 160,486 | 721.5 |
| Lapeer County | 89,516 | 647.5 |
ZIP codes
39 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Macomb County; 36 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
480054801548021480264803548036480384804148042480434804448045480474804848050480514806248065480664808048081480824808848089480914809248093480944809548096482364830648310483124831348314483154831648317
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Lighter codes have less than half of their land in this county. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Macomb County
Macomb County shares a land border with 4 county equivalents. Each of them has more land than Macomb County. The largest neighbor is Oakland County (867.4 mi²) and the smallest is Wayne County (611.8 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Macomb County forms a block of 3,327.6 mi² of land, of which it holds 14.4%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Macomb | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland County | 867.4 | 1.8× larger | Compare |
| St. Clair County | 721.5 | 1.5× larger | Compare |
| Lapeer County | 647.5 | 1.4× larger | Compare |
| Wayne County | 611.8 | 1.3× larger | Compare |
How big is Macomb County compared with U.S. states?
Macomb County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 2.2 times as much. Michigan’s county land could hold about 118 areas the size of Macomb County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 21.9 miles (35.2 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Macomb County?
Macomb County has more land than 1,065 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Macomb County at #1,921 nationally by total area, 236 places closer to the top than its land rank. The water assigned to this geography moves it ahead of some county equivalents with more land.
Its water share is 16%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 14.9 percentage points higher. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Macomb County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2156 | Marlboro County, South Carolina | 479.9 | Compare |
| #2157 | Macomb County, Michigan | 479.4 | This county |
| #2158 | Effingham County, Georgia | 478.9 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 42.671553, -82.911456. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 1,241,524,021 m²; AWATER: 237,154,387 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Macomb County?
Macomb County, Michigan has 479.4 square miles (1,241.5 km²) of land and 91.6 square miles of water, for a total area of 570.9 square miles. It ranks #2157 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Macomb County the largest county in Michigan?
No. Macomb County ranks #75 of 83 in Michigan by land area. The largest is Marquette County, with 1,809.1 square miles of land.
What counties border Macomb County?
Macomb County shares a land border with Oakland County, St. Clair County, Wayne County, and Lapeer County.
What is the population of Macomb County?
The Census Bureau estimates Macomb County had 886,221 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #68 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 1,849 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Macomb County?
The county seat of Macomb County is Mount Clemens.
What cities and towns are in Macomb County?
Macomb County has 24 county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships). The most populous five are Warren city, Sterling Heights city, Clinton charter township, Macomb township, and Shelby charter township.
Is Macomb County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has 6 county equivalents and 4,390,913 residents.
How many ZIP codes are in Macomb County?
39 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Macomb County, and 36 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Macomb County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 2.2 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Macomb County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 306,787 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 365,389 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.