County outline
Where Stevens County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 98% of Stevens County’s measured area and water for 2%. Its combined area converts to 1,490.2 square kilometers or approximately 368,240 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 563.662 | 1,459.878 | 360,743.7 |
| Water | 11.713 | 30.337 | 7,496.3 |
| Total | 575.375 | 1,490.214 | 368,240 |
How Stevens County compares
By original Census land area, Stevens County ranks #57 of 87 in Minnesota and #1825 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.836 times the Minnesota county-equivalent median of 674.6 square miles. It accounts for 0.7% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Minnesota ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Stevens County
The Census Bureau estimates that 9,747 people lived in Stevens County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #2,503 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #69 of 87 in Minnesota. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 9,677, the population has grown by 70 (+0.7%), compared with +2.2% for Minnesota as a whole.
With 563.7 square miles of land, that is 17 people per square mile (6.7 per km²), placing Stevens County #2,400 nationally for density and #60 in Minnesota. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Minnesota median is 27. Put another way, there are about 37 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 9,672 | 9,692 | 9,777 | 9,921 | 9,828 | 9,747 |
| Change | — | +20 | +85 | +144 | −93 | −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 Stevens County
Stevens County is divided into 21 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 Morris city, with 5,150 residents (52.8% of the county). The largest by land is Everglade township, at 36 mi², or 6.4% of the county’s land.
| County subdivision | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morris cityCounty seat | 5,150 | +0.7% | 4.699 | 0.8% |
| Hancock city | 846 | −0.4% | 0.903 | 0.2% |
| Chokio city | 407 | 0% | 0.438 | 0.1% |
| Morris townshipCounty seat | 387 | +0.8% | 33 | 5.9% |
| Darnen township | 352 | +0.9% | 32.9 | 5.8% |
| Framnas township | 346 | +0.6% | 33.6 | 6% |
| Hodges township | 315 | +4.3% | 34.4 | 6.1% |
| Moore township | 301 | +1% | 35.3 | 6.3% |
| Donnelly city | 222 | 0% | 2.784 | 0.5% |
| Swan Lake township | 198 | +4.8% | 33.4 | 5.9% |
| Horton township | 192 | +1.6% | 35.8 | 6.3% |
| Synnes township | 137 | +2.2% | 35.6 | 6.3% |
| Rendsville township | 127 | 0% | 34.8 | 6.2% |
| Scott township | 118 | 0% | 33.7 | 6% |
| Everglade township | 105 | 0% | 36 | 6.4% |
Show the other 6 subdivisions
| Name | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baker township | 104 | 0% | 35.5 |
| Pepperton township | 104 | 0% | 35.7 |
| Alberta city | 92 | 0% | 0.263 |
| Donnelly township | 92 | 0% | 33.2 |
| Eldorado township | 84 | 0% | 36 |
| Stevens township | 68 | 0% | 35.7 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each subdivision inside Stevens County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Stevens 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
8 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Stevens County; 5 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
5620756221562355624456248562675632356343
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 Stevens County
Stevens County shares a land border with 5 county equivalents. It has more land than 2 of them. The largest neighbor is Swift County (742 mi²) and the smallest is Big Stone County (499.1 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Stevens County forms a block of 3,601 mi² of land, of which it holds 15.7%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Stevens | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swift County | 742 | 1.3× larger | Compare |
| Pope County | 674.6 | 1.2× larger | Compare |
| Traverse County | 573.9 | about the same | Compare |
| Grant County | 547.8 | about the same | Compare |
| Big Stone County | 499.1 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
How big is Stevens County compared with U.S. states?
Stevens County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 1.8 times as much. Minnesota’s county land could hold about 141 areas the size of Stevens County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 23.7 miles (38.2 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 Stevens County?
Stevens County has more land than 1,397 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 Stevens County at #1,873 nationally by total area, 48 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%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 0.9 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 Stevens County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1824 | Palo Alto County, Iowa | 563.9 | Compare |
| #1825 | Stevens County, Minnesota | 563.7 | This county |
| #1826 | Sevier County, Arkansas | 563.6 | 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 45.593461, -95.992315. 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: 1,459,877,119 m²; AWATER: 30,336,107 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 Stevens County?
Stevens County, Minnesota has 563.7 square miles (1,459.9 km²) of land and 11.7 square miles of water, for a total area of 575.4 square miles. It ranks #1825 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Stevens County the largest county in Minnesota?
No. Stevens County ranks #57 of 87 in Minnesota by land area. The largest is St. Louis County, with 6,248.1 square miles of land.
What counties border Stevens County?
Stevens County shares a land border with Pope County, Grant County, Big Stone County, Swift County, and Traverse County.
What is the population of Stevens County?
The Census Bureau estimates Stevens County had 9,747 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #2,503 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 17 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Stevens County?
The county seat of Stevens County is Morris.
What cities and towns are in Stevens County?
Stevens County has 21 county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships). The most populous five are Morris city, Hancock city, Chokio city, Morris township, and Darnen township.
Is Stevens County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Stevens County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Stevens County?
8 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Stevens County, and 5 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Stevens County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 1.8 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Stevens County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 360,744 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 368,240 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.