County outline
Where Wayne County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 91% of Wayne County’s measured area and water for 9%. Its combined area converts to 1,741.5 square kilometers or approximately 430,330 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 611.843 | 1,584.666 | 391,579.5 |
| Water | 60.548 | 156.819 | 38,750.7 |
| Total | 672.391 | 1,741.485 | 430,330.2 |
How Wayne County compares
By original Census land area, Wayne County ranks #34 of 83 in Michigan and #1580 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.077 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 Wayne County
The Census Bureau estimates that 1,769,038 people lived in Wayne County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #19 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #1 of 83 in Michigan. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 1,793,908, the population has declined by 24,870 (−1.4%), compared with +0.5% for Michigan as a whole.
With 611.8 square miles of land, that is 2,891 people per square mile (1,116 per km²), placing Wayne County #49 nationally for density and #1 in Michigan. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Michigan median is 62. Put another way, there are about 0.221 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 1,789,634 | 1,775,403 | 1,761,595 | 1,758,381 | 1,765,534 | 1,769,038 |
| Change | — | −14,231 | −13,808 | −3,214 | +7,153 | +3,504 |
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 Wayne County
Wayne County is divided into 43 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 Detroit city, with 649,095 residents (36.7% of the county), and it is also the largest by land at 138.7 mi². Among those with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Sumpter township grew fastest since then (+17.9%).
| County subdivision | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit cityCounty seat | 649,095 | +1.5% | 138.7 | 22.7% |
| Dearborn city | 105,611 | −4% | 24.2 | 4% |
| Canton charter township | 99,714 | +1.1% | 36.1 | 5.9% |
| Livonia city | 92,603 | −3.1% | 35.7 | 5.8% |
| Westland city | 82,333 | −3.6% | 20.4 | 3.3% |
| Taylor city | 61,279 | −3.3% | 23.6 | 3.9% |
| Dearborn Heights city | 60,664 | −4.1% | 11.7 | 1.9% |
| Redford charter township | 47,432 | −4.1% | 11.2 | 1.8% |
| Lincoln Park city | 38,529 | −4.3% | 5.836 | 1% |
| Brownstown charter township | 32,680 | −1.5% | 22 | 3.6% |
| Northville township | 31,399 | −1.2% | 16.2 | 2.6% |
| Van Buren charter township | 29,770 | −2% | 34 | 5.6% |
| Southgate city | 28,931 | −3.6% | 6.875 | 1.1% |
| Allen Park city | 27,445 | −4.2% | 6.995 | 1.1% |
| Hamtramck city | 27,261 | −4.1% | 2.09 | 0.3% |
Show the other 28 subdivisions
| Name | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plymouth charter township | 27,130 | −2.9% | 15.9 |
| Garden City city | 26,280 | −4.1% | 5.863 |
| Inkster city | 24,959 | −4.3% | 6.253 |
| Romulus city | 24,547 | −2.5% | 35.6 |
| Wyandotte city | 24,072 | −3.9% | 5.292 |
| Trenton city | 17,849 | −3.7% | 7.244 |
| Wayne city | 17,065 | −3.7% | 6.02 |
| Huron charter township | 16,556 | −2.4% | 35.4 |
| Grosse Pointe Woods city | 15,792 | −4.2% | 3.241 |
| Harper Woods city | 14,860 | −4.2% | 2.629 |
| Woodhaven city | 12,503 | −3.3% | 6.388 |
| Melvindale city | 12,325 | −4.1% | 2.727 |
| Riverview city | 11,947 | −4.4% | 4.574 |
| Sumpter township | 11,384 | +17.9% | 37.4 |
| Grosse Pointe Park city | 11,095 | −4.4% | 2.166 |
| Grosse Ile township | 10,409 | −3.5% | 8.983 |
| Flat Rock city | 10,218 | −3.1% | 6.566 |
| Grosse Pointe Farms city | 9,735 | −4.1% | 2.733 |
| Plymouth city | 9,164 | −2.1% | 2.212 |
| Ecorse city | 8,893 | −4.7% | 2.837 |
| Highland Park city | 8,248 | −8.2% | 2.971 |
| River Rouge city | 6,814 | −5.5% | 2.668 |
| Grosse Pointe city | 5,490 | −3.2% | 1.062 |
| Gibraltar city | 4,792 | −4.2% | 3.687 |
| Belleville city | 3,851 | −3.9% | 1.132 |
| Rockwood city | 3,132 | −3.4% | 2.522 |
| Northville city | 2,728 | −2% | 1.041 |
| Village of Grosse Pointe Shores city | 2,454 | −4.5% | 0.962 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each subdivision inside Wayne County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Wayne County is a central county of the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area, in the Detroit-Dearborn-Livonia, MI metropolitan division. Its 6 county equivalents have 4,390,913 residents on 3,892.9 square miles of land; Wayne County accounts for 15.7% of the land and 40.3% of the residents. By combined land it ranks #75 of 393 metropolitan areas, and #14 by population. It belongs to the Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI Combined Statistical Area.
| County equivalent | Population 2025 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|
| Wayne County | 1,769,038 | 611.8 |
| Oakland County | 1,288,337 | 867.4 |
| Macomb County | 886,221 | 479.4 |
| Livingston County | 197,315 | 565.3 |
| St. Clair County | 160,486 | 721.5 |
| Lapeer County | 89,516 | 647.5 |
ZIP codes
71 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Wayne County; 69 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
4810148111481174812048122481244812548126481274812848134481354813848141481464815048152481544816448167481684817048173481744818048183481844818548186481874818848192481934819548201482024820348204482054820648207482084820948210482114821248213482144821548216482174821848219482214822348224482254822648227482284822948230482334823448235482364823848239482404824248243
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 Wayne County
Wayne County shares a land border with 4 county equivalents. It has more land than 2 of them. The largest neighbor is Oakland County (867.4 mi²) and the smallest is Macomb County (479.4 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Wayne County forms a block of 3,214 mi² of land, of which it holds 19%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Wayne | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland County | 867.4 | 1.4× larger | Compare |
| Washtenaw County | 706 | 1.2× larger | Compare |
| Monroe County | 549.4 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Macomb County | 479.4 | 1.3× smaller | Compare |
How big is Wayne County compared with U.S. states?
Wayne 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 Wayne County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 24.7 miles (39.8 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 Wayne County?
Wayne County has more land than 1,642 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 Wayne County at #1,516 nationally by total area, 64 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 9%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 7.8 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 Wayne County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1579 | Hyde County, North Carolina | 612.3 | Compare |
| #1580 | Wayne County, Michigan | 611.8 | This county |
| #1581 | Crittenden County, Arkansas | 611.8 | 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 42.284664, -83.261953. 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: 1,584,666,045 m²; AWATER: 156,818,729 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 Wayne County?
Wayne County, Michigan has 611.8 square miles (1,584.7 km²) of land and 60.5 square miles of water, for a total area of 672.4 square miles. It ranks #1580 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Wayne County the largest county in Michigan?
No. Wayne County ranks #34 of 83 in Michigan by land area. The largest is Marquette County, with 1,809.1 square miles of land.
What counties border Wayne County?
Wayne County shares a land border with Washtenaw County, Oakland County, Monroe County, and Macomb County.
What is the population of Wayne County?
The Census Bureau estimates Wayne County had 1,769,038 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #19 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 2,891 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Wayne County?
The county seat of Wayne County is Detroit.
What cities and towns are in Wayne County?
Wayne County has 43 county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships). The most populous five are Detroit city, Dearborn city, Canton charter township, Livonia city, and Westland city.
Is Wayne County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has 6 county equivalents and 4,390,913 residents.
How many ZIP codes are in Wayne County?
71 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Wayne County, and 69 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Wayne 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 Wayne County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 391,580 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 430,330 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.