County outline
Where Morrison County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 97.5% of Morrison County’s measured area and water for 2.5%. Its combined area converts to 2,987.3 square kilometers or approximately 738,167 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 1,125.1 | 2,913.996 | 720,064 |
| Water | 28.286 | 73.26 | 18,103 |
| Total | 1,153.386 | 2,987.256 | 738,167 |
How Morrison County compares
By original Census land area, Morrison County ranks #17 of 87 in Minnesota and #559 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.668 times the Minnesota county-equivalent median of 674.6 square miles. It accounts for 1.4% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Minnesota ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Morrison County
The Census Bureau estimates that 34,620 people lived in Morrison County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #1,352 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #32 of 87 in Minnesota. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 34,003, the population has grown by 617 (+1.8%), compared with +2.2% for Minnesota as a whole.
With 1,125.1 square miles of land, that is 31 people per square mile (12 per km²), placing Morrison County #1,981 nationally for density and #42 in Minnesota. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Minnesota median is 27. Put another way, there are about 21 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 33,991 | 34,069 | 34,278 | 34,328 | 34,494 | 34,620 |
| Change | — | +78 | +209 | +50 | +166 | +126 |
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 Morrison County
Morrison County is divided into 46 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 Little Falls city, with 9,277 residents (26.8% of the county). The largest by land is Cushing township, at 77.7 mi², or 6.9% of the county’s land. Among those with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Little Falls township grew fastest since then (+2.4%).
| County subdivision | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little Falls cityCounty seat | 9,277 | +1.7% | 8.044 | 0.7% |
| Little Falls townshipCounty seat | 1,710 | +2.4% | 34.6 | 3.1% |
| Pierz city | 1,450 | +2% | 1.379 | 0.1% |
| Scandia Valley township | 1,346 | +2.3% | 69.4 | 6.2% |
| Royalton city | 1,270 | −0.5% | 1.674 | 0.1% |
| Bellevue township | 1,181 | +2.3% | 45 | 4% |
| Elmdale township | 1,003 | +2.3% | 38.7 | 3.4% |
| Pike Creek township | 978 | +2.2% | 33.6 | 3% |
| Two Rivers township | 800 | +2.4% | 27 | 2.4% |
| Cushing township | 790 | +2.7% | 77.7 | 6.9% |
| Green Prairie township | 785 | +2.3% | 16.1 | 1.4% |
| Ripley township | 758 | +2.4% | 47.7 | 4.2% |
| Buckman township | 744 | +2.1% | 54.6 | 4.8% |
| Swan River township | 731 | +2% | 37.2 | 3.3% |
| Morrill township | 713 | +2.6% | 35.3 | 3.1% |
Show the other 31 subdivisions
| Name | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belle Prairie township | 677 | +2.3% | 43 |
| Motley city | 676 | +1.5% | 1.212 |
| Randall city | 625 | +2.3% | 1.999 |
| Pierz township | 608 | +2.2% | 28.1 |
| Agram township | 574 | +2.3% | 19.7 |
| Buh township | 574 | +2.9% | 36 |
| Swanville township | 520 | +1.6% | 35.4 |
| Richardson township | 516 | +2.4% | 34.2 |
| Lakin township | 482 | +2.6% | 35.9 |
| Darling township | 481 | +1.9% | 34 |
| Granite township | 479 | +1.9% | 36.2 |
| Upsala city | 478 | −1.6% | 3.239 |
| Parker township | 474 | +2.6% | 38.4 |
| Culdrum township | 460 | +1.8% | 33.6 |
| Platte township | 367 | +3.4% | 35.7 |
| Swanville city | 332 | +1.8% | 0.47 |
| Pulaski township | 320 | +2.2% | 31.2 |
| Buckman city | 306 | −1% | 1.013 |
| Bowlus city | 269 | −2.5% | 1.279 |
| Motley township | 253 | +3.3% | 15.5 |
| Leigh township | 227 | +3.7% | 35.9 |
| Rosing township | 225 | +2.3% | 18.2 |
| Sobieski city | 217 | +1.4% | 4 |
| Flensburg city | 211 | −2.8% | 6.979 |
| Hillman township | 201 | +2% | 28.2 |
| Harding city | 124 | −0.8% | 3.102 |
| Lastrup city | 120 | −3.2% | 0.369 |
| Elmdale city | 116 | +2.7% | 3.439 |
| Mount Morris township | 79 | +2.6% | 30 |
| Genola city | 72 | +1.4% | 0.307 |
| Hillman city | 21 | 0% | 0.622 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each subdivision inside Morrison County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Morrison 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
20 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Morrison County; 10 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
5630756314563185632856329563315633856340563455634756353563645637356382563845644356449564665647356475
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 Morrison County
Morrison County shares a land border with 6 county equivalents. It has more land than 4 of them. The largest neighbor is Cass County (2,021.5 mi²) and the smallest is Benton County (408.3 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Morrison County forms a block of 7,413.6 mi² of land, of which it holds 15.2%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Morrison | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cass County | 2,021.5 | 1.8× larger | Compare |
| Stearns County | 1,342.9 | 1.2× larger | Compare |
| Crow Wing County | 998.5 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Todd County | 945.1 | 1.2× smaller | Compare |
| Mille Lacs County | 572.3 | 2× smaller | Compare |
| Benton County | 408.3 | 2.8× smaller | Compare |
How big is Morrison County compared with U.S. states?
Morrison County has more land than 1 of the 50 states. It is about 1.1 times the land area of Rhode Island (1,033.9 mi²), while Delaware, the next larger state, has 1.7 times as much land (1,948.6 mi²). Minnesota’s county land could hold about 71 areas the size of Morrison County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 33.5 miles (54 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 Morrison County?
Morrison County has more land than 2,663 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 Morrison County at #619 nationally by total area, 60 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 2.5%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 1.3 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 Morrison County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #558 | Cowley County, Kansas | 1,125.7 | Compare |
| #559 | Morrison County, Minnesota | 1,125.1 | This county |
| #560 | Ulster County, New York | 1,124.2 | 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 46.020484, -94.266619. 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: 2,913,996,449 m²; AWATER: 73,259,804 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 Morrison County?
Morrison County, Minnesota has 1,125.1 square miles (2,914 km²) of land and 28.3 square miles of water, for a total area of 1,153.4 square miles. It ranks #559 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Morrison County the largest county in Minnesota?
No. Morrison County ranks #17 of 87 in Minnesota by land area. The largest is St. Louis County, with 6,248.1 square miles of land.
What counties border Morrison County?
Morrison County shares a land border with Todd County, Crow Wing County, Benton County, Mille Lacs County, Stearns County, and Cass County.
What is the population of Morrison County?
The Census Bureau estimates Morrison County had 34,620 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #1,352 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 31 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Morrison County?
The county seat of Morrison County is Little Falls.
What cities and towns are in Morrison County?
Morrison County has 46 county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships). The most populous five are Little Falls city, Little Falls township, Pierz city, Scandia Valley township, and Royalton city.
Is Morrison County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Morrison County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Morrison County?
20 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Morrison 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 Morrison 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 Morrison County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 720,064 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 738,167 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.