County outline
Where Meeker County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 94.3% of Meeker County’s measured area and water for 5.7%. Its combined area converts to 1,669.5 square kilometers or approximately 412,553 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 607.968 | 1,574.63 | 389,099.5 |
| Water | 36.646 | 94.913 | 23,453.4 |
| Total | 644.614 | 1,669.543 | 412,553 |
How Meeker County compares
By original Census land area, Meeker County ranks #52 of 87 in Minnesota and #1597 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.901 times the Minnesota county-equivalent median of 674.6 square miles. It accounts for 0.8% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Minnesota ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Meeker County
The Census Bureau estimates that 23,603 people lived in Meeker County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #1,717 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #43 of 87 in Minnesota. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 23,396, the population has grown by 207 (+0.9%), compared with +2.2% for Minnesota as a whole.
With 608 square miles of land, that is 39 people per square mile (15 per km²), placing Meeker County #1,775 nationally for density and #35 in Minnesota. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Minnesota median is 27. Put another way, there are about 16 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 23,430 | 23,403 | 23,545 | 23,522 | 23,522 | 23,603 |
| Change | — | −27 | +142 | −23 | 0 | +81 |
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 Meeker County
Meeker County is divided into 26 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 Litchfield city, with 6,528 residents (27.7% of the county). The largest by land is Kingston township, at 51.4 mi², or 8.5% of the county’s land. Among those with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Dassel city grew fastest since then (+3.7%).
| County subdivision | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Litchfield cityCounty seat | 6,528 | −1.5% | 4.505 | 0.7% |
| Dassel township | 1,639 | +2% | 30 | 4.9% |
| Dassel city | 1,524 | +3.7% | 1.683 | 0.3% |
| Kingston township | 1,279 | +1.8% | 51.4 | 8.5% |
| Collinwood township | 1,213 | +1.8% | 31.1 | 5.1% |
| Watkins city | 1,018 | +2.5% | 0.688 | 0.1% |
| Forest Prairie township | 1,002 | +2% | 34 | 5.6% |
| Ellsworth township | 858 | +2.3% | 29.9 | 4.9% |
| Litchfield townshipCounty seat | 847 | +2% | 31.4 | 5.2% |
| Greenleaf township | 757 | +1.9% | 35.7 | 5.9% |
| Darwin township | 694 | +1.9% | 30.5 | 5% |
| Union Grove township | 691 | +1.6% | 35 | 5.8% |
| Forest City township | 651 | +2.4% | 34.3 | 5.6% |
| Grove City city | 633 | +1.6% | 0.61 | 0.1% |
| Manannah township | 589 | +1.7% | 38.1 | 6.3% |
Show the other 11 subdivisions
| Name | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eden Valley city | 560 | +1.6% | 0.708 |
| Cosmos city | 496 | −3.1% | 0.976 |
| Cedar Mills township | 430 | +1.4% | 38.7 |
| Acton township | 386 | +1.6% | 33.2 |
| Harvey township | 381 | +2.1% | 38.4 |
| Swede Grove township | 365 | +1.4% | 34.8 |
| Darwin city | 333 | −3.5% | 1.995 |
| Danielson township | 285 | +1.4% | 34.6 |
| Cosmos township | 197 | +1.5% | 34.9 |
| Kingston city | 188 | +1.6% | 0.554 |
| Cedar Mills city | 59 | +5.4% | 0.32 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each subdivision inside Meeker County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Meeker 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
13 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Meeker County; 7 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
55324553255532955342553505535355355553825538956209562285624356362
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 Meeker County
Meeker County shares a land border with 5 county equivalents. It has more land than 1 of them. The largest neighbor is Stearns County (1,342.9 mi²) and the smallest is McLeod County (491.5 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Meeker County forms a block of 4,883.8 mi² of land, of which it holds 12.4%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Meeker | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stearns County | 1,342.9 | 2.2× larger | Compare |
| Renville County | 982.9 | 1.6× larger | Compare |
| Kandiyohi County | 797.4 | 1.3× larger | Compare |
| Wright County | 661.2 | 1.1× larger | Compare |
| McLeod County | 491.5 | 1.2× smaller | Compare |
How big is Meeker County compared with U.S. states?
Meeker 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. Minnesota’s county land could hold about 131 areas the size of Meeker 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 Meeker County?
Meeker County has more land than 1,625 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 Meeker County at #1,591 nationally by total area, 6 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 5.7%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 4.5 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 Meeker County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1596 | Dubuque County, Iowa | 608.3 | Compare |
| #1597 | Meeker County, Minnesota | 608 | This county |
| #1598 | Van Buren County, Michigan | 607.8 | 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 45.123155, -94.527346. 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: 1,574,629,075 m²; AWATER: 94,913,817 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 Meeker County?
Meeker County, Minnesota has 608 square miles (1,574.6 km²) of land and 36.6 square miles of water, for a total area of 644.6 square miles. It ranks #1597 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Meeker County the largest county in Minnesota?
No. Meeker County ranks #52 of 87 in Minnesota by land area. The largest is St. Louis County, with 6,248.1 square miles of land.
What counties border Meeker County?
Meeker County shares a land border with Kandiyohi County, Stearns County, Wright County, McLeod County, and Renville County.
What is the population of Meeker County?
The Census Bureau estimates Meeker County had 23,603 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #1,717 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 39 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Meeker County?
The county seat of Meeker County is Litchfield.
What cities and towns are in Meeker County?
Meeker County has 26 county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships). The most populous five are Litchfield city, Dassel township, Dassel city, Kingston township, and Collinwood township.
Is Meeker County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Meeker County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Meeker County?
13 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Meeker County, and 7 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Meeker 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 Meeker County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 389,100 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 412,553 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.