County outline
Where Fillmore County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 99.9% of Fillmore County’s measured area and water for 0.1%. Its combined area converts to 2,232.9 square kilometers or approximately 551,761 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 861.333 | 2,230.842 | 551,253.1 |
| Water | 0.794 | 2.056 | 508.2 |
| Total | 862.127 | 2,232.899 | 551,761.3 |
How Fillmore County compares
By original Census land area, Fillmore County ranks #27 of 87 in Minnesota and #962 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.277 times the Minnesota county-equivalent median of 674.6 square miles. It accounts for 1.1% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Minnesota ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Fillmore County
The Census Bureau estimates that 21,540 people lived in Fillmore County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #1,804 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #46 of 87 in Minnesota. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 21,224, the population has grown by 316 (+1.5%), compared with +2.2% for Minnesota as a whole.
With 861.3 square miles of land, that is 25 people per square mile (9.7 per km²), placing Fillmore County #2,145 nationally for density and #49 in Minnesota. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Minnesota median is 27. Put another way, there are about 26 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 21,235 | 21,333 | 21,467 | 21,497 | 21,488 | 21,540 |
| Change | — | +98 | +134 | +30 | −9 | +52 |
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 Fillmore County
Fillmore County is divided into 37 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 Spring Valley city, with 2,431 residents (11.3% of the county). The largest by land is Carrolton township, at 37.8 mi², or 4.4% of the county’s land. The county seat, Preston city, has 1,318 residents. Among those with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Chatfield city grew fastest since then (+1.7%).
| County subdivision | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring Valley city | 2,431 | −0.9% | 2.958 | 0.3% |
| Chatfield city | 1,866 | +1.7% | 1.676 | 0.2% |
| Rushford city | 1,849 | −0.9% | 1.65 | 0.2% |
| Preston cityCounty seat | 1,318 | −0.3% | 2.465 | 0.3% |
| Harmony city | 1,028 | −2.1% | 1.115 | 0.1% |
| Rushford Village city | 796 | +0.5% | 33.5 | 3.9% |
| Lanesboro city | 712 | −2.1% | 1.515 | 0.2% |
| Mabel city | 700 | −2.2% | 0.481 | 0.1% |
| Canton township | 693 | +4.5% | 35 | 4.1% |
| Spring Valley township | 568 | +4.6% | 31.6 | 3.7% |
| Chatfield township | 555 | +4.7% | 34.1 | 4% |
| Fillmore township | 506 | +4.5% | 34.9 | 4% |
| Sumner township | 503 | +4.4% | 37.5 | 4.4% |
| Bristol township | 449 | +4.2% | 36 | 4.2% |
| Newburg township | 438 | +4.3% | 35.4 | 4.1% |
Show the other 22 subdivisions
| Name | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wykoff city | 437 | +0.9% | 0.933 |
| Amherst township | 423 | +4.4% | 35.9 |
| Fountain city | 400 | −1.7% | 0.994 |
| Harmony township | 400 | +4.7% | 34.8 |
| Jordan township | 400 | +4.4% | 36 |
| Carrolton township | 389 | +4.6% | 37.8 |
| Pilot Mound township | 384 | +4.3% | 34.2 |
| Preston townshipCounty seat | 384 | +4.3% | 34.5 |
| Norway township | 380 | +4.1% | 35.8 |
| Forestville township | 377 | +4.4% | 36.1 |
| York township | 368 | +4.2% | 36.1 |
| Bloomfield township | 335 | +4% | 35.5 |
| Arendahl township | 319 | +4.2% | 35.7 |
| Canton city | 313 | +0.6% | 1.031 |
| Fountain township | 312 | +4.7% | 34.7 |
| Carimona township | 304 | +4.5% | 35.6 |
| Holt township | 247 | +4.2% | 32.4 |
| Peterson city | 226 | −2.6% | 0.475 |
| Ostrander city | 224 | −2.6% | 0.475 |
| Beaver township | 219 | +4.3% | 36.2 |
| Preble township | 218 | +3.8% | 35.7 |
| Whalan city | 69 | +4.5% | 0.43 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each subdivision inside Fillmore County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Fillmore County is an outlying county of the Rochester, MN Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its 4 county equivalents have 231,184 residents on 2,477.2 square miles of land; Fillmore County accounts for 34.8% of the land and 9.3% of the residents. By combined land it ranks #132 of 393 metropolitan areas, and #210 by population. It belongs to the Rochester-Austin-Winona, MN Combined Statistical Area.
| County equivalent | Population 2025 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|
| Olmsted County | 166,731 | 653.5 |
| Fillmore County | 21,540 | 861.3 |
| Wabasha County | 21,537 | 523 |
| Dodge County | 21,376 | 439.4 |
ZIP codes
16 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Fillmore County; 10 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
55922559235593555939559495595155954559615596255965559715597455975559765597955990
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 Fillmore County
Fillmore County shares a land border with 6 county equivalents, including 2 in Iowa. It has more land than every one of them. The largest neighbor is Mower County (711.3 mi²) and the smallest is Howard County (473.2 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Fillmore County forms a block of 4,567.5 mi² of land, of which it holds 18.9%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Fillmore | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mower County | 711.3 | 1.2× smaller | Compare |
| Winneshiek CountyIowa | 689.8 | 1.2× smaller | Compare |
| Olmsted County | 653.5 | 1.3× smaller | Compare |
| Winona County | 626.2 | 1.4× smaller | Compare |
| Houston County | 552.1 | 1.6× smaller | Compare |
| Howard CountyIowa | 473.2 | 1.8× smaller | Compare |
How big is Fillmore County compared with U.S. states?
Fillmore County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 1.2 times as much. Minnesota’s county land could hold about 92 areas the size of Fillmore County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 29.3 miles (47.2 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 Fillmore County?
Fillmore County has more land than 2,260 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 Fillmore County at #1,064 nationally by total area, 102 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 0.1%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 1.1 percentage points lower. 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 Fillmore County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #961 | Traill County, North Dakota | 861.9 | Compare |
| #962 | Fillmore County, Minnesota | 861.3 | This county |
| #963 | Carlton County, Minnesota | 861.2 | 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 43.678861, -92.093807. 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: 2,230,843,180 m²; AWATER: 2,055,818 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 Fillmore County?
Fillmore County, Minnesota has 861.3 square miles (2,230.8 km²) of land and 0.794 square miles of water, for a total area of 862.1 square miles. It ranks #962 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Fillmore County the largest county in Minnesota?
No. Fillmore County ranks #27 of 87 in Minnesota by land area. The largest is St. Louis County, with 6,248.1 square miles of land.
What counties border Fillmore County?
Fillmore County shares a land border with Houston County, Mower County, Howard County, Iowa, Olmsted County, Winneshiek County, Iowa, and Winona County.
What is the population of Fillmore County?
The Census Bureau estimates Fillmore County had 21,540 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #1,804 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 25 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Fillmore County?
The county seat of Fillmore County is Preston.
What cities and towns are in Fillmore County?
Fillmore County has 37 county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships). The most populous five are Spring Valley city, Chatfield city, Rushford city, Preston city, and Harmony city.
Is Fillmore County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is an outlying county of the Rochester, MN Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has 4 county equivalents and 231,184 residents.
How many ZIP codes are in Fillmore County?
16 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Fillmore County, and 10 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Fillmore County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 1.2 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Fillmore County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 551,253 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 551,761 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.