County outline
Where Manistee County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 42.3% of Manistee County’s measured area and water for 57.7%. Its combined area converts to 3,317.1 square kilometers or approximately 819,662 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 542.325 | 1,404.615 | 347,088 |
| Water | 738.397 | 1,912.439 | 472,574.1 |
| Total | 1,280.722 | 3,317.055 | 819,662.1 |
How Manistee County compares
By original Census land area, Manistee County ranks #62 of 83 in Michigan and #1924 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.955 times the Michigan county-equivalent median of 567.8 square miles. It accounts for 1% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Michigan ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Manistee County
The Census Bureau estimates that 25,656 people lived in Manistee County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #1,649 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #57 of 83 in Michigan. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 25,035, the population has grown by 621 (+2.5%), compared with +0.5% for Michigan as a whole.
With 542.3 square miles of land, that is 47 people per square mile (18 per km²), placing Manistee County #1,608 nationally for density and #52 in Michigan. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Michigan median is 62. Put another way, there are about 14 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 25,070 | 25,344 | 25,331 | 25,516 | 25,575 | 25,656 |
| Change | — | +274 | −13 | +185 | +59 | +81 |
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 Manistee County
Manistee County is divided into 15 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 Manistee city, with 6,157 residents (24% of the county). The largest by land is Norman township, at 70.8 mi², or 13.1% of the county’s land. Among those with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Manistee township grew fastest since then (+5.9%).
| County subdivision | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manistee cityCounty seat | 6,157 | −1.9% | 3.279 | 0.6% |
| Manistee townshipCounty seat | 4,268 | +5.9% | 44.4 | 8.2% |
| Filer charter township | 2,289 | −1.2% | 15.8 | 2.9% |
| Bear Lake township | 1,806 | −0.9% | 34.7 | 6.4% |
| Norman township | 1,569 | +0.2% | 70.8 | 13.1% |
| Springdale township | 1,433 | +68.6% | 35.4 | 6.5% |
| Maple Grove township | 1,345 | +0.2% | 35.6 | 6.6% |
| Onekama township | 1,328 | −1.3% | 18.4 | 3.4% |
| Cleon township | 1,057 | −0.1% | 36.1 | 6.7% |
| Dickson township | 970 | −0.1% | 69.5 | 12.8% |
| Pleasanton township | 864 | −0.6% | 33.5 | 6.2% |
| Stronach township | 825 | −0.6% | 55.1 | 10.2% |
| Brown township | 699 | −0.9% | 35.6 | 6.6% |
| Arcadia township | 647 | −0.8% | 18.6 | 3.4% |
| Marilla township | 399 | +0.5% | 35.5 | 6.5% |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each subdivision inside Manistee County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Manistee County is not part of any metropolitan or micropolitan statistical area in the Office of Management and Budget’s July 2023 delineation; 1,306 other county equivalents are also outside one. These areas are built around an urban core of at least 10,000 people plus the counties tied to it by commuting, so counties outside them are generally rural.
ZIP codes
15 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Manistee County; 10 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
494114961349614496194962549626496344963849644496454966049668496754968349689
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 Manistee County
Manistee County shares a land border with 4 county equivalents. It has more land than 2 of them. The largest neighbor is Lake County (567.6 mi²) and the smallest is Benzie County (319.7 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Manistee County forms a block of 2,489.5 mi² of land, of which it holds 21.8%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Manistee | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake County | 567.6 | about the same | Compare |
| Wexford County | 564.9 | about the same | Compare |
| Mason County | 495 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Benzie County | 319.7 | 1.7× smaller | Compare |
How big is Manistee County compared with U.S. states?
Manistee County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 1.9 times as much. Michigan’s county land could hold about 104 areas the size of Manistee County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 23.3 miles (37.5 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 Manistee County?
Manistee County has more land than 1,298 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 Manistee County at #545 nationally by total area, 1,379 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 57.7%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 56.5 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 Manistee County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1923 | Marion County, Mississippi | 542.3 | Compare |
| #1924 | Manistee County, Michigan | 542.3 | This county |
| #1925 | Hopkins County, Kentucky | 542.3 | 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 44.244889, -86.327697. 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: 1,404,616,375 m²; AWATER: 1,912,438,857 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 Manistee County?
Manistee County, Michigan has 542.3 square miles (1,404.6 km²) of land and 738.4 square miles of water, for a total area of 1,280.7 square miles. It ranks #1924 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Manistee County the largest county in Michigan?
No. Manistee County ranks #62 of 83 in Michigan by land area. The largest is Marquette County, with 1,809.1 square miles of land.
What counties border Manistee County?
Manistee County shares a land border with Wexford County, Benzie County, Mason County, and Lake County.
What is the population of Manistee County?
The Census Bureau estimates Manistee County had 25,656 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #1,649 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 47 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Manistee County?
The county seat of Manistee County is Manistee.
What cities and towns are in Manistee County?
Manistee County has 15 county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships). The most populous five are Manistee city, Manistee township, Filer charter township, Bear Lake township, and Norman township.
Is Manistee County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Manistee County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Manistee County?
15 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Manistee County, and 10 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Manistee County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 1.9 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Manistee County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 347,088 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 819,662 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.