County outline
Where Tuscola County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 88.1% of Tuscola County’s measured area and water for 11.9%. Its combined area converts to 2,367 square kilometers or approximately 584,903 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 804.902 | 2,084.687 | 515,137.3 |
| Water | 109.009 | 282.332 | 69,765.8 |
| Total | 913.911 | 2,367.019 | 584,903 |
How Tuscola County compares
By original Census land area, Tuscola County ranks #20 of 83 in Michigan and #1055 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.417 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 Tuscola County
The Census Bureau estimates that 52,680 people lived in Tuscola County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #990 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #34 of 83 in Michigan. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 53,329, the population has declined by 649 (−1.2%), compared with +0.5% for Michigan as a whole.
With 804.9 square miles of land, that is 65 people per square mile (25 per km²), placing Tuscola County #1,317 nationally for density and #40 in Michigan. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Michigan median is 62. Put another way, there are about 9.8 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 53,324 | 53,065 | 52,933 | 52,880 | 52,823 | 52,680 |
| Change | — | −259 | −132 | −53 | −57 | −143 |
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 Tuscola County
Tuscola County is divided into 25 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 Caro city, with 4,258 residents (8.1% of the county). The largest by land is Akron township, at 52.8 mi², or 6.6% of the county’s land.
| County subdivision | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caro cityCounty seat | 4,258 | −1.4% | 2.944 | 0.4% |
| Millington township | 4,171 | −1.6% | 35.5 | 4.4% |
| Vassar township | 3,871 | −0.4% | 35 | 4.4% |
| Elkland township | 3,485 | −1.3% | 35 | 4.3% |
| Fremont township | 3,126 | −1.4% | 35.2 | 4.4% |
| Arbela township | 2,770 | −1.4% | 33.5 | 4.2% |
| Denmark township | 2,704 | −1.6% | 35.3 | 4.4% |
| Vassar city | 2,685 | −1.8% | 2.148 | 0.3% |
| Indianfields township | 2,463 | −0.8% | 31.4 | 3.9% |
| Watertown township | 2,074 | −1% | 32.6 | 4% |
| Almer township | 1,989 | −0.3% | 33.8 | 4.2% |
| Tuscola township | 1,921 | −2.1% | 32.8 | 4.1% |
| Dayton township | 1,901 | −1.1% | 35.6 | 4.4% |
| Wells township | 1,585 | −0.1% | 34.5 | 4.3% |
| Juniata township | 1,546 | −0.9% | 35.2 | 4.4% |
Show the other 10 subdivisions
| Name | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairgrove township | 1,528 | −1.5% | 35.3 |
| Koylton township | 1,471 | −0.8% | 35.1 |
| Kingston township | 1,462 | −0.9% | 35.2 |
| Novesta township | 1,428 | −0.9% | 35.3 |
| Akron township | 1,350 | −1.6% | 52.8 |
| Ellington township | 1,318 | −1% | 35.4 |
| Columbia township | 1,205 | −1.9% | 36 |
| Elmwood township | 1,049 | −1.4% | 35.4 |
| Gilford township | 725 | −1.9% | 34.8 |
| Wisner township | 595 | −1.5% | 19.3 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each subdivision inside Tuscola County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Tuscola 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
21 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Tuscola County; 13 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
484154842048435484534846448701487234872648727487294873348734487354874148744487464875748759487604876748768
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 Tuscola County
Tuscola County shares a land border with 6 county equivalents. It has more land than 4 of them. The largest neighbor is Sanilac County (962.6 mi²) and the smallest is Bay County (442.4 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Tuscola County forms a block of 5,131 mi² of land, of which it holds 15.7%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Tuscola | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sanilac County | 962.6 | 1.2× larger | Compare |
| Huron County | 835.9 | about the same | Compare |
| Saginaw County | 800.8 | about the same | Compare |
| Lapeer County | 647.5 | 1.2× smaller | Compare |
| Genesee County | 636.9 | 1.3× smaller | Compare |
| Bay County | 442.4 | 1.8× smaller | Compare |
How big is Tuscola County compared with U.S. states?
Tuscola 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 70 areas the size of Tuscola County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 28.4 miles (45.7 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 Tuscola County?
Tuscola County has more land than 2,167 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 Tuscola County at #920 nationally by total area, 135 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 11.9%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 10.8 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 Tuscola County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1054 | Glades County, Florida | 806.8 | Compare |
| #1055 | Tuscola County, Michigan | 804.9 | This county |
| #1056 | Hughes County, Oklahoma | 804.5 | 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 43.487902, -83.436618. 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: 2,084,685,620 m²; AWATER: 282,332,288 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 Tuscola County?
Tuscola County, Michigan has 804.9 square miles (2,084.7 km²) of land and 109 square miles of water, for a total area of 913.9 square miles. It ranks #1055 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Tuscola County the largest county in Michigan?
No. Tuscola County ranks #20 of 83 in Michigan by land area. The largest is Marquette County, with 1,809.1 square miles of land.
What counties border Tuscola County?
Tuscola County shares a land border with Sanilac County, Lapeer County, Huron County, Saginaw County, Genesee County, and Bay County.
What is the population of Tuscola County?
The Census Bureau estimates Tuscola County had 52,680 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #990 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 65 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Tuscola County?
The county seat of Tuscola County is Caro.
What cities and towns are in Tuscola County?
Tuscola County has 25 county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships). The most populous five are Caro city, Millington township, Vassar township, Elkland township, and Fremont township.
Is Tuscola County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Tuscola County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Tuscola County?
21 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Tuscola County, and 13 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Tuscola 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 Tuscola County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 515,137 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 584,903 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.