County outline
Where Cook County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 43.5% of Cook County’s measured area and water for 56.5%. Its combined area converts to 8,650.1 square kilometers or approximately 2,137,476 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 1,452.607 | 3,762.235 | 929,668.5 |
| Water | 1,887.2 | 4,887.826 | 1,207,808 |
| Total | 3,339.807 | 8,650.06 | 2,137,476.5 |
How Cook County compares
By original Census land area, Cook County ranks #12 of 87 in Minnesota and #413 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 2.153 times the Minnesota county-equivalent median of 674.6 square miles. It accounts for 1.8% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Minnesota ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Cook County
The Census Bureau estimates that 5,522 people lived in Cook County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #2,852 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #81 of 87 in Minnesota. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 5,602, the population has declined by 80 (−1.4%), compared with +2.2% for Minnesota as a whole.
With 1,452.6 square miles of land, that is 3.8 people per square mile (1.5 per km²), placing Cook County #2,920 nationally for density and #84 in Minnesota. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Minnesota median is 27. Put another way, there are about 168 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 5,598 | 5,626 | 5,718 | 5,620 | 5,537 | 5,522 |
| Change | — | +28 | +92 | −98 | −83 | −15 |
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 Cook County
Cook County is divided into 7 municipalities and townships. In Minnesota, county subdivisions are local governments, and together they cover all of the county’s land and residents.
The most populous is West Cook UT, with 1,734 residents (31.4% of the county), and it is also the largest by land at 577 mi². The county seat, Grand Marais city, has 1,290 residents.
| County subdivision | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Cook UT | 1,734 | −0.7% | 577 | 39.7% |
| Grand Marais cityCounty seat | 1,290 | −3.9% | 2.909 | 0.2% |
| East Cook UT | 900 | −0.7% | 395.1 | 27.2% |
| Grand Portage UT | 615 | −0.3% | 74.5 | 5.1% |
| Lutsen township | 536 | −0.7% | 98.4 | 6.8% |
| Tofte township | 270 | −0.4% | 154.7 | 10.7% |
| Schroeder township | 177 | −0.6% | 150 | 10.3% |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each subdivision inside Cook County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Cook 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
6 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Cook County, and each lies mostly inside the county.
556045560555606556125561355615
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Cook County
Cook County shares a land border with 1 county equivalent. Lake County has 1.5 times its land area.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Cook | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake County | 2,109.1 | 1.5× larger | Compare |
How big is Cook County compared with U.S. states?
Cook County has more land than 1 of the 50 states. It is about 1.4 times the land area of Rhode Island (1,033.9 mi²), while Delaware, the next larger state, has 1.3 times as much land (1,948.6 mi²). Minnesota’s county land could hold about 55 areas the size of Cook County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 38.1 miles (61.3 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 Cook County?
Cook County has more land than 2,809 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 Cook County at #164 nationally by total area, 249 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 56.5%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 55.3 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 Cook County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #412 | Washington County, Idaho | 1,452.9 | Compare |
| #413 | Cook County, Minnesota | 1,452.6 | This county |
| #414 | Mariposa County, California | 1,448.8 | 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 47.758556, -90.344319. 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: 3,762,233,749 m²; AWATER: 4,887,826,563 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 Cook County?
Cook County, Minnesota has 1,452.6 square miles (3,762.2 km²) of land and 1,887.2 square miles of water, for a total area of 3,339.8 square miles. It ranks #413 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Cook County the largest county in Minnesota?
No. Cook County ranks #12 of 87 in Minnesota by land area. The largest is St. Louis County, with 6,248.1 square miles of land.
What counties border Cook County?
Cook County shares a land border with Lake County.
What is the population of Cook County?
The Census Bureau estimates Cook County had 5,522 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #2,852 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 3.8 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Cook County?
The county seat of Cook County is Grand Marais.
What cities and towns are in Cook County?
Cook County has 7 county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships). The most populous five are West Cook UT, Grand Marais city, East Cook UT, Grand Portage UT, and Lutsen township.
Is Cook County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Cook County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Cook County?
6 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Cook 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 Cook County compare with U.S. states?
It has more land than 1 of the 50 states, including Rhode Island (1,033.9 square miles of land).
How many acres of land are in Cook County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 929,668 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 2,137,476 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.