County outline
Where Saginaw County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 98.1% of Saginaw County’s measured area and water for 1.9%. Its combined area converts to 2,113.3 square kilometers or approximately 522,218 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 800.807 | 2,074.081 | 512,516.5 |
| Water | 15.159 | 39.262 | 9,701.8 |
| Total | 815.966 | 2,113.342 | 522,218.2 |
How Saginaw County compares
By original Census land area, Saginaw County ranks #21 of 83 in Michigan and #1064 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.41 times the Michigan county-equivalent median of 567.8 square miles. It accounts for 1.4% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Michigan ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Saginaw County
The Census Bureau estimates that 187,688 people lived in Saginaw County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #377 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #11 of 83 in Michigan. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 190,140, the population has declined by 2,452 (−1.3%), compared with +0.5% for Michigan as a whole.
With 800.8 square miles of land, that is 234 people per square mile (90 per km²), placing Saginaw County #593 nationally for density and #14 in Michigan. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Michigan median is 62. Put another way, there are about 2.7 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 189,853 | 189,479 | 188,392 | 187,758 | 187,762 | 187,688 |
| Change | — | −374 | −1,087 | −634 | +4 | −74 |
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 Saginaw County
Saginaw County is divided into 30 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 Saginaw city, with 42,863 residents (22.8% of the county). The largest by land is Brant township, at 36.8 mi², or 4.6% of the county’s land. Among those with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Kochville township grew fastest since then (+5.2%).
| County subdivision | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saginaw cityCounty seat | 42,863 | −3% | 17.4 | 2.2% |
| Saginaw charter townshipCounty seat | 40,962 | −1.7% | 24.5 | 3.1% |
| Thomas township | 11,900 | −0.3% | 30.8 | 3.9% |
| Tittabawassee township | 11,007 | +3.8% | 35.2 | 4.4% |
| Bridgeport charter township | 9,874 | −2.3% | 34.6 | 4.3% |
| Buena Vista charter township | 7,473 | −2.4% | 35.5 | 4.4% |
| Birch Run township | 5,853 | −0.6% | 35.5 | 4.4% |
| Carrollton township | 5,585 | −2.8% | 3.346 | 0.4% |
| Frankenmuth city | 5,197 | +3.8% | 3.172 | 0.4% |
| Kochville township | 5,166 | +5.2% | 18.6 | 2.3% |
| Chesaning township | 4,654 | −2% | 34.3 | 4.3% |
| Taymouth township | 4,037 | −0.9% | 35.4 | 4.4% |
| Richland township | 3,902 | −1.4% | 36.8 | 4.6% |
| St. Charles township | 3,115 | −2.1% | 36.5 | 4.6% |
| Maple Grove township | 2,646 | −1.2% | 35.8 | 4.5% |
Show the other 15 subdivisions
| Name | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swan Creek township | 2,409 | −0.3% | 23 |
| Brady township | 2,138 | −0.2% | 36.8 |
| Albee township | 2,023 | −1.2% | 36 |
| Fremont township | 1,971 | −1.5% | 36.7 |
| Spaulding township | 1,914 | −3% | 25.6 |
| Frankenmuth township | 1,872 | −0.3% | 32.1 |
| Blumfield township | 1,848 | −1.6% | 35.6 |
| Brant township | 1,814 | −1.4% | 36.8 |
| James township | 1,746 | −2.7% | 16.7 |
| Jonesfield township | 1,593 | −1.5% | 25.2 |
| Zilwaukee city | 1,489 | −2.9% | 2.211 |
| Chapin township | 926 | −0.1% | 24.6 |
| Lakefield township | 877 | −1.8% | 24.1 |
| Marion township | 773 | +1.2% | 24.4 |
| Zilwaukee township | 61 | −1.6% | 3.579 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each subdivision inside Saginaw County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Saginaw County is a central county of the Saginaw, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area. Saginaw County is the area’s only county equivalent, so the metro area has the same 800.8 square miles of land. By combined land it ranks #304 of 393 metropolitan areas, and #245 by population. It belongs to the Saginaw-Midland-Bay City, MI Combined Statistical Area.
ZIP codes
28 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Saginaw County; 19 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
48415484174842048457484604860148602486034860448607486094861448616486234862648637486384864948655487084872248724487344874748757488074883148841
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 Saginaw County
Saginaw County shares a land border with 6 county equivalents. It has more land than 5 of them. The largest neighbor is Tuscola County (804.9 mi²) and the smallest is Bay County (442.4 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Saginaw County forms a block of 4,303 mi² of land, of which it holds 18.6%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Saginaw | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuscola County | 804.9 | about the same | Compare |
| Genesee County | 636.9 | 1.3× smaller | Compare |
| Gratiot County | 568.4 | 1.4× smaller | Compare |
| Shiawassee County | 531.1 | 1.5× smaller | Compare |
| Midland County | 518.4 | 1.5× smaller | Compare |
| Bay County | 442.4 | 1.8× smaller | Compare |
How big is Saginaw County compared with U.S. states?
Saginaw County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 1.3 times as much. Michigan’s county land could hold about 71 areas the size of Saginaw County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 28.3 miles (45.5 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 Saginaw County?
Saginaw County has more land than 2,158 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 Saginaw County at #1,142 nationally by total area, 78 places farther from the top than its land rank. Other county equivalents gain more area when their water measurements are included.
Its water share is 1.9%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 0.7 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 Saginaw County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1063 | Portage County, Wisconsin | 800.9 | Compare |
| #1064 | Saginaw County, Michigan | 800.8 | This county |
| #1065 | Florence County, South Carolina | 800.5 | 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 43.328267, -84.055410. 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: 2,074,080,707 m²; AWATER: 39,260,627 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 Saginaw County?
Saginaw County, Michigan has 800.8 square miles (2,074.1 km²) of land and 15.2 square miles of water, for a total area of 816 square miles. It ranks #1064 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Saginaw County the largest county in Michigan?
No. Saginaw County ranks #21 of 83 in Michigan by land area. The largest is Marquette County, with 1,809.1 square miles of land.
What counties border Saginaw County?
Saginaw County shares a land border with Bay County, Gratiot County, Shiawassee County, Genesee County, Tuscola County, and Midland County.
What is the population of Saginaw County?
The Census Bureau estimates Saginaw County had 187,688 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #377 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 234 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Saginaw County?
The county seat of Saginaw County is Saginaw.
What cities and towns are in Saginaw County?
Saginaw County has 30 county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships). The most populous five are Saginaw city, Saginaw charter township, Thomas township, Tittabawassee township, and Bridgeport charter township.
Is Saginaw County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Saginaw, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area.
How many ZIP codes are in Saginaw County?
28 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Saginaw County, and 19 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Saginaw County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 1.3 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Saginaw County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 512,516 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 522,218 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.