County outline
Where Van Buren County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 55.8% of Van Buren County’s measured area and water for 44.2%. Its combined area converts to 2,822.8 square kilometers or approximately 697,538 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 607.797 | 1,574.187 | 388,990.1 |
| Water | 482.106 | 1,248.649 | 308,547.8 |
| Total | 1,089.903 | 2,822.836 | 697,537.9 |
How Van Buren County compares
By original Census land area, Van Buren County ranks #35 of 83 in Michigan and #1598 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.07 times the Michigan county-equivalent median of 567.8 square miles. It accounts for 1.1% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Michigan ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Van Buren County
The Census Bureau estimates that 76,071 people lived in Van Buren County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #756 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #26 of 83 in Michigan. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 75,584, the population has grown by 487 (+0.6%), compared with +0.5% for Michigan as a whole.
With 607.8 square miles of land, that is 125 people per square mile (48 per km²), placing Van Buren County #853 nationally for density and #27 in Michigan. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Michigan median is 62. Put another way, there are about 5.1 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 75,574 | 75,712 | 75,681 | 75,909 | 76,100 | 76,071 |
| Change | — | +138 | −31 | +228 | +191 | −29 |
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 Van Buren County
Van Buren County is divided into 22 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 Antwerp township, with 13,832 residents (18.2% of the county). The largest by land is Geneva township, at 35.1 mi², or 5.8% of the county’s land. The county seat, Paw Paw township, has 6,884 residents. Among those with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Bloomingdale township grew fastest since then (+4.7%).
| County subdivision | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antwerp township | 13,832 | +3.1% | 34.7 | 5.7% |
| Paw Paw townshipCounty seat | 6,884 | −0% | 35 | 5.8% |
| Almena township | 5,404 | +1.8% | 34.4 | 5.7% |
| South Haven charter township | 4,138 | +2.1% | 17.4 | 2.9% |
| South Haven city | 3,997 | +1.1% | 3.416 | 0.6% |
| Decatur township | 3,503 | −1.8% | 35.1 | 5.8% |
| Geneva township | 3,401 | −0.3% | 35.1 | 5.8% |
| Lawrence township | 3,294 | +0.2% | 34.6 | 5.7% |
| Pine Grove township | 3,083 | +3% | 34.4 | 5.7% |
| Bloomingdale township | 3,074 | +4.7% | 33.9 | 5.6% |
| Hartford township | 2,981 | −1.2% | 33.3 | 5.5% |
| Columbia township | 2,542 | −0.3% | 33.9 | 5.6% |
| Waverly township | 2,502 | +0.1% | 34.1 | 5.6% |
| Covert township | 2,499 | −0.6% | 34.9 | 5.7% |
| Porter township | 2,494 | −2.8% | 33.2 | 5.5% |
Show the other 7 subdivisions
| Name | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hartford city | 2,448 | −2.6% | 1.359 |
| Keeler township | 1,982 | +0.6% | 33.7 |
| Bangor city | 1,965 | −2.3% | 1.773 |
| Arlington township | 1,947 | −1% | 34.4 |
| Bangor township | 1,906 | −1.8% | 33.7 |
| Hamilton township | 1,365 | −0.6% | 34.2 |
| Gobles city | 830 | −2.2% | 1.033 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each subdivision inside Van Buren County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Van Buren 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
23 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Van Buren County; 14 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
4900949010490134902249026490274903849043490454904749055490564905749063490644906549067490714907849079490874909049098
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 Van Buren County
Van Buren County shares a land border with 4 county equivalents. It has more land than 3 of them. The largest neighbor is Allegan County (825.4 mi²) and the smallest is Cass County (490.1 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Van Buren County forms a block of 3,053.2 mi² of land, of which it holds 19.9%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Van Buren | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allegan County | 825.4 | 1.4× larger | Compare |
| Berrien County | 567.8 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Kalamazoo County | 562 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Cass County | 490.1 | 1.2× smaller | Compare |
How big is Van Buren County compared with U.S. states?
Van Buren County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 1.7 times as much. Michigan’s county land could hold about 93 areas the size of Van Buren County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 24.7 miles (39.7 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 Van Buren County?
Van Buren County has more land than 1,624 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 Van Buren County at #676 nationally by total area, 922 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 44.2%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 43.1 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 Van Buren County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1597 | Meeker County, Minnesota | 608 | Compare |
| #1598 | Van Buren County, Michigan | 607.8 | This county |
| #1599 | Lee County, Alabama | 607.6 | 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 42.282150, -86.306076. 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: 1,574,188,230 m²; AWATER: 1,248,649,349 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 Van Buren County?
Van Buren County, Michigan has 607.8 square miles (1,574.2 km²) of land and 482.1 square miles of water, for a total area of 1,089.9 square miles. It ranks #1598 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Van Buren County the largest county in Michigan?
No. Van Buren County ranks #35 of 83 in Michigan by land area. The largest is Marquette County, with 1,809.1 square miles of land.
What counties border Van Buren County?
Van Buren County shares a land border with Allegan County, Kalamazoo County, Cass County, and Berrien County.
What is the population of Van Buren County?
The Census Bureau estimates Van Buren County had 76,071 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #756 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 125 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Van Buren County?
The county seat of Van Buren County is Paw Paw.
What cities and towns are in Van Buren County?
Van Buren County has 22 county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships). The most populous five are Antwerp township, Paw Paw township, Almena township, South Haven charter township, and South Haven city.
Is Van Buren County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Van Buren County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Van Buren County?
23 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Van Buren County, and 14 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Van Buren County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 1.7 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Van Buren County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 388,990 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 697,538 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.