County outline
Where Roscommon County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 89.6% of Roscommon County’s measured area and water for 10.4%. Its combined area converts to 1,502.3 square kilometers or approximately 371,214 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 519.897 | 1,346.527 | 332,734.1 |
| Water | 60.125 | 155.723 | 38,480 |
| Total | 580.022 | 1,502.25 | 371,214.1 |
How Roscommon County compares
By original Census land area, Roscommon County ranks #66 of 83 in Michigan and #2007 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.916 times the Michigan county-equivalent median of 567.8 square miles. It accounts for 0.9% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Michigan ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Roscommon County
The Census Bureau estimates that 23,914 people lived in Roscommon County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #1,702 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #60 of 83 in Michigan. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 23,457, the population has grown by 457 (+1.9%), compared with +0.5% for Michigan as a whole.
With 519.9 square miles of land, that is 46 people per square mile (18 per km²), placing Roscommon County #1,631 nationally for density and #53 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 | 23,476 | 23,674 | 23,730 | 23,940 | 23,951 | 23,914 |
| Change | — | +198 | +56 | +210 | +11 | −37 |
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 Roscommon County
Roscommon County is divided into 11 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 Denton township, with 5,411 residents (22.6% of the county). The largest by land is Roscommon township, at 103.6 mi², or 19.9% of the county’s land. The county seat, Roscommon township, has 4,520 residents. Among those with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Roscommon township grew fastest since then (+3%).
| County subdivision | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denton township | 5,411 | +2.2% | 26.2 | 5% |
| Roscommon townshipCounty seat | 4,520 | +3% | 103.6 | 19.9% |
| Richfield township | 3,575 | +0.7% | 69 | 13.3% |
| Gerrish township | 2,839 | +2% | 27.6 | 5.3% |
| Markey township | 2,452 | +2.3% | 28.7 | 5.5% |
| Higgins township | 1,892 | +1% | 70.4 | 13.5% |
| Lyon township | 1,279 | +1.3% | 30 | 5.8% |
| Lake township | 1,137 | +1.4% | 23.1 | 4.4% |
| Backus township | 299 | +3.8% | 34.4 | 6.6% |
| Nester township | 270 | +3.4% | 71.3 | 13.7% |
| Au Sable township | 240 | +1.7% | 35.7 | 6.9% |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each subdivision inside Roscommon County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Roscommon 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
7 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Roscommon County; 6 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
48624486274862948630486514865348656
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 Roscommon County
Roscommon County shares a land border with 5 county equivalents. It has more land than 1 of them. The largest neighbor is Missaukee County (564.8 mi²) and the smallest is Gladwin County (501.8 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Roscommon County forms a block of 3,270.8 mi² of land, of which it holds 15.9%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Roscommon | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Missaukee County | 564.8 | 1.1× larger | Compare |
| Clare County | 564.4 | 1.1× larger | Compare |
| Ogemaw County | 563.5 | 1.1× larger | Compare |
| Crawford County | 556.4 | 1.1× larger | Compare |
| Gladwin County | 501.8 | about the same | Compare |
How big is Roscommon County compared with U.S. states?
Roscommon 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 times as much. Michigan’s county land could hold about 109 areas the size of Roscommon County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 22.8 miles (36.7 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 Roscommon County?
Roscommon County has more land than 1,215 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 Roscommon County at #1,833 nationally by total area, 174 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 10.4%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 9.2 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 Roscommon County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2006 | Jefferson County, Mississippi | 519.9 | Compare |
| #2007 | Roscommon County, Michigan | 519.9 | This county |
| #2008 | Moody County, South Dakota | 519.4 | 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 44.339517, -84.611271. 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: 1,346,526,223 m²; AWATER: 155,723,123 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 Roscommon County?
Roscommon County, Michigan has 519.9 square miles (1,346.5 km²) of land and 60.1 square miles of water, for a total area of 580 square miles. It ranks #2007 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Roscommon County the largest county in Michigan?
No. Roscommon County ranks #66 of 83 in Michigan by land area. The largest is Marquette County, with 1,809.1 square miles of land.
What counties border Roscommon County?
Roscommon County shares a land border with Missaukee County, Ogemaw County, Crawford County, Clare County, and Gladwin County.
What is the population of Roscommon County?
The Census Bureau estimates Roscommon County had 23,914 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #1,702 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 46 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Roscommon County?
The county seat of Roscommon County is Roscommon.
What cities and towns are in Roscommon County?
Roscommon County has 11 county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships). The most populous five are Denton township, Roscommon township, Richfield township, Gerrish township, and Markey township.
Is Roscommon County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Roscommon County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Roscommon County?
7 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Roscommon County, and 6 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Roscommon County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 2 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Roscommon County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 332,734 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 371,214 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.