County outline
Where Itasca County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 91.1% of Itasca County’s measured area and water for 8.9%. Its combined area converts to 7,582.9 square kilometers or approximately 1,873,785 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 2,667.474 | 6,908.726 | 1,707,183.4 |
| Water | 260.315 | 674.213 | 166,601.6 |
| Total | 2,927.789 | 7,582.939 | 1,873,785 |
How Itasca County compares
By original Census land area, Itasca County ranks #3 of 87 in Minnesota and #197 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 3.954 times the Minnesota county-equivalent median of 674.6 square miles. It accounts for 3.3% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Minnesota ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Itasca County
The Census Bureau estimates that 45,404 people lived in Itasca County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #1,105 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #22 of 87 in Minnesota. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 44,996, the population has grown by 408 (+0.9%), compared with +2.2% for Minnesota as a whole.
With 2,667.5 square miles of land, that is 17 people per square mile (6.6 per km²), placing Itasca County #2,410 nationally for density and #61 in Minnesota. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Minnesota median is 27. Put another way, there are about 38 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 45,022 | 45,112 | 45,296 | 45,487 | 45,452 | 45,404 |
| Change | — | +90 | +184 | +191 | −35 | −48 |
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 Itasca County
Itasca County is divided into 59 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 Grand Rapids city, with 11,181 residents (24.6% of the county). The largest by land is Northeast Itasca UT, at 398.8 mi², or 15% of the county’s land. Among those with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Trout Lake township grew fastest since then (+1.7%).
| County subdivision | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Rapids cityCounty seat | 11,181 | +0.9% | 22.4 | 0.8% |
| Deer Lake UT | 3,696 | +1.5% | 182.3 | 6.8% |
| Harris township | 3,364 | +1.3% | 32.3 | 1.2% |
| Cohasset city | 2,728 | +1.2% | 27.7 | 1% |
| Coleraine city | 1,998 | −0.4% | 15.4 | 0.6% |
| Greenway township | 1,794 | −0.3% | 33.5 | 1.3% |
| Nashwauk township | 1,657 | −0.2% | 66.1 | 2.5% |
| Northeast Itasca UT | 1,290 | +1.3% | 398.8 | 15% |
| Bowstring Lake UT | 1,201 | +1.5% | 214.6 | 8% |
| Trout Lake township | 1,084 | +1.7% | 30.3 | 1.1% |
| Keewatin city | 965 | −1.6% | 2.622 | 0.1% |
| Deer River city | 926 | +1.6% | 1.517 | 0.1% |
| Arbo township | 862 | +1.3% | 33.6 | 1.3% |
| Blackberry township | 844 | +2.2% | 35.4 | 1.3% |
| Bovey city | 805 | −1.9% | 2.298 | 0.1% |
Show the other 44 subdivisions
| Name | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Prairie city | 661 | +0.5% | 1.652 |
| Deer River township | 653 | +1.4% | 33.1 |
| Taconite city | 646 | −0.6% | 28 |
| Balsam township | 585 | +1.4% | 72.5 |
| Morse township | 583 | +1.4% | 36.2 |
| Wabana township | 512 | +1.4% | 29 |
| Lawrence township | 490 | +1.4% | 33.8 |
| Goodland township | 477 | +1.3% | 69.4 |
| Marcell township | 474 | +1.5% | 48 |
| Lone Pine township | 415 | +1.5% | 32.9 |
| Bigfork city | 405 | −0.2% | 1.859 |
| Little Sand Lake UT | 346 | +0.9% | 34.8 |
| Bigfork township | 318 | +1.6% | 47.5 |
| Oteneagen township | 308 | +1.7% | 36.3 |
| Feeley township | 300 | +1.4% | 31.5 |
| Lake Jessie township | 252 | +1.6% | 33.4 |
| Spang township | 252 | +1.2% | 52.3 |
| Splithand township | 227 | +1.8% | 32.7 |
| Bearville township | 213 | +1.4% | 71.8 |
| Bowstring township | 213 | +1.4% | 26.5 |
| Effie UT | 210 | +1.4% | 81.6 |
| Stokes township | 208 | +1.5% | 52.5 |
| Sand Lake township | 187 | +1.6% | 29.5 |
| Sago township | 183 | +2.2% | 33.8 |
| Wildwood township | 182 | +1.1% | 30.3 |
| Warba city | 181 | +1.1% | 3.226 |
| Carpenter township | 150 | +1.4% | 100.8 |
| Ardenhurst township | 146 | +0.7% | 29.5 |
| Max township | 145 | +1.4% | 29.2 |
| Good Hope township | 122 | +1.7% | 30.8 |
| Kinghurst township | 118 | +1.7% | 33.5 |
| Effie city | 106 | −1.9% | 3.725 |
| Squaw Lake city | 102 | +3% | 0.81 |
| Wirt township | 94 | +2.2% | 34.1 |
| Wawina township | 85 | +1.2% | 36.6 |
| Zemple city | 77 | +1.3% | 0.651 |
| Moose Park township | 71 | +1.4% | 36.5 |
| Nore township | 70 | +2.9% | 36.3 |
| Third River township | 53 | +1.9% | 34.9 |
| Alvwood township | 47 | 0% | 35 |
| Grattan township | 45 | +2.3% | 34.7 |
| 14925 UT | 39 | +2.6% | 34.7 |
| Pomroy township | 33 | 0% | 36.8 |
| 15025 UT | 25 | +4.2% | 36.2 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each subdivision inside Itasca County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Itasca County is a central county of the Grand Rapids, MN Micropolitan Statistical Area. Itasca County is the area’s only county equivalent, so the micro area has the same 2,667.5 square miles of land. By combined land it ranks #58 of 542 micropolitan areas, and #269 by population. It belongs to the Duluth-Grand Rapids, MN-WI Combined Statistical Area.
ZIP codes
30 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Itasca County; 23 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
557095571655721557225572355736557425574455746557485575255753557645576955775557815578455786557935662856630566365663756639566575665956661566805668156688
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 Itasca County
Itasca County shares a land border with 5 county equivalents. It has more land than 3 of them. The largest neighbor is St. Louis County (6,248.1 mi²) and the smallest is Aitkin County (1,821.3 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Itasca County forms a block of 18,367.7 mi² of land, of which it holds 14.5%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Itasca | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis County | 6,248.1 | 2.3× larger | Compare |
| Koochiching County | 3,104.7 | 1.2× larger | Compare |
| Beltrami County | 2,504.7 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Cass County | 2,021.5 | 1.3× smaller | Compare |
| Aitkin County | 1,821.3 | 1.5× smaller | Compare |
How big is Itasca County compared with U.S. states?
Itasca County has more land than 2 of the 50 states. It is about 1.4 times the land area of Delaware (1,948.6 mi²), while Connecticut, the next larger state, has 1.8 times as much land (4,842.5 mi²). Minnesota’s county land could hold about 30 areas the size of Itasca County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 51.6 miles (83.1 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 Itasca County?
Itasca County has more land than 3,025 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 Itasca County at #192 nationally by total area, 5 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 8.9%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 7.7 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 Itasca County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #196 | Harding County, South Dakota | 2,671.6 | Compare |
| #197 | Itasca County, Minnesota | 2,667.5 | This county |
| #198 | McCone County, Montana | 2,642.2 | 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 47.490817, -93.611102. 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: 6,908,725,793 m²; AWATER: 674,212,527 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 Itasca County?
Itasca County, Minnesota has 2,667.5 square miles (6,908.7 km²) of land and 260.3 square miles of water, for a total area of 2,927.8 square miles. It ranks #197 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Itasca County the largest county in Minnesota?
No. Itasca County ranks #3 of 87 in Minnesota by land area. The largest is St. Louis County, with 6,248.1 square miles of land.
What counties border Itasca County?
Itasca County shares a land border with Koochiching County, St. Louis County, Cass County, Aitkin County, and Beltrami County.
What is the population of Itasca County?
The Census Bureau estimates Itasca County had 45,404 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #1,105 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 17 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Itasca County?
The county seat of Itasca County is Grand Rapids.
What cities and towns are in Itasca County?
Itasca County has 59 county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships). The most populous five are Grand Rapids city, Deer Lake UT, Harris township, Cohasset city, and Coleraine city.
Is Itasca County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Grand Rapids, MN Micropolitan Statistical Area.
How many ZIP codes are in Itasca County?
30 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Itasca County, and 23 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Itasca County compare with U.S. states?
It has more land than 2 of the 50 states, including Delaware (1,948.6 square miles of land).
How many acres of land are in Itasca County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 1,707,183 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 1,873,785 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.