County outline
Where Monroe County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 99.1% of Monroe County’s measured area and water for 0.9%. Its combined area converts to 1,999.6 square kilometers or approximately 494,118 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 765.128 | 1,981.672 | 489,681.9 |
| Water | 6.932 | 17.954 | 4,436.5 |
| Total | 772.06 | 1,999.626 | 494,118.4 |
How Monroe County compares
By original Census land area, Monroe County ranks #9 of 82 in Mississippi and #1138 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.349 times the Mississippi county-equivalent median of 567 square miles. It accounts for 1.6% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Mississippi ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Monroe County
The Census Bureau estimates that 33,318 people lived in Monroe County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #1,399 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #23 of 82 in Mississippi. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 34,175, the population has declined by 857 (−2.5%), compared with −0.2% for Mississippi as a whole.
With 765.1 square miles of land, that is 44 people per square mile (17 per km²), placing Monroe County #1,675 nationally for density and #39 in Mississippi. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Mississippi median is 43. Put another way, there are about 15 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 34,136 | 33,929 | 33,569 | 33,642 | 33,453 | 33,318 |
| Change | — | −207 | −360 | +73 | −189 | −135 |
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 Monroe County
6 incorporated places lie at least partly in Monroe County. Together they are home to 13,313 people (40%); the other 20,005 (60%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Amory city, with 6,386 residents in the county. The county seat, Aberdeen city, has 4,799 residents.
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amory city | 6,386 | −4.3% | 12.5 |
| Aberdeen cityCounty seat | 4,799 | −3.1% | 12.1 |
| Nettleton cityAlso in 1 other county | 1,058 | −3% | 4.022 |
| Smithville town | 502 | −1.4% | 1.484 |
| Hatley town | 483 | −2.4% | 1.366 |
| Gattman village | 85 | +7.6% | 0.562 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Monroe County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Monroe 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
12 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Monroe County; 6 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
388213884438848388583886038868388703973039740397463975639773
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 Monroe County
Monroe County shares a land border with 7 county equivalents, including 2 in Alabama. It has more land than every one of them. The largest neighbor is Marion County (742.3 mi²) and the smallest is Clay County (410 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Monroe County forms a block of 4,512.9 mi² of land, of which it holds 17%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Monroe | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marion CountyAlabama | 742.3 | about the same | Compare |
| Lamar CountyAlabama | 604.8 | 1.3× smaller | Compare |
| Itawamba County | 532.8 | 1.4× smaller | Compare |
| Lowndes County | 506.1 | 1.5× smaller | Compare |
| Chickasaw County | 501.8 | 1.5× smaller | Compare |
| Lee County | 450 | 1.7× smaller | Compare |
| Clay County | 410 | 1.9× smaller | Compare |
How big is Monroe County compared with U.S. states?
Monroe County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 1.4 times as much. Mississippi’s county land could hold about 61 areas the size of Monroe County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 27.7 miles (44.5 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 Monroe County?
Monroe County has more land than 2,084 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 Monroe County at #1,236 nationally by total area, 98 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 0.9%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 0.3 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 Monroe County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1137 | Falls County, Texas | 765.5 | Compare |
| #1138 | Monroe County, Mississippi | 765.1 | This county |
| #1139 | Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota | 765 | 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 33.890030, -88.485038. 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: 1,981,673,397 m²; AWATER: 17,953,926 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 Monroe County?
Monroe County, Mississippi has 765.1 square miles (1,981.7 km²) of land and 6.932 square miles of water, for a total area of 772.1 square miles. It ranks #1138 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Monroe County the largest county in Mississippi?
No. Monroe County ranks #9 of 82 in Mississippi by land area. The largest is Yazoo County, with 922.3 square miles of land.
What counties border Monroe County?
Monroe County shares a land border with Lamar County, Alabama, Clay County, Itawamba County, Chickasaw County, Lowndes County, Lee County, and Marion County, Alabama.
What is the population of Monroe County?
The Census Bureau estimates Monroe County had 33,318 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #1,399 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 44 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Monroe County?
The county seat of Monroe County is Aberdeen.
What cities and towns are in Monroe County?
Monroe County has 6 incorporated places. The most populous five are Amory city, Aberdeen city, Nettleton city, Smithville town, and Hatley town; 20,005 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Monroe County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Monroe County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Monroe County?
12 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Monroe County, and 6 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Monroe County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 1.4 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Monroe County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 489,682 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 494,118 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.