County outline
Where Grundy County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 99.4% of Grundy County’s measured area and water for 0.6%. Its combined area converts to 1,134.5 square kilometers or approximately 280,346 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 435.293 | 1,127.404 | 278,587.5 |
| Water | 2.748 | 7.117 | 1,758.7 |
| Total | 438.041 | 1,134.521 | 280,346.2 |
How Grundy County compares
By original Census land area, Grundy County ranks #99 of 115 in Missouri and #2329 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.735 times the Missouri county-equivalent median of 592 square miles. It accounts for 0.6% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Missouri ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Grundy County
The Census Bureau estimates that 9,744 people lived in Grundy County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #2,504 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #88 of 115 in Missouri. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 9,815, the population has declined by 71 (−0.7%), compared with +1.9% for Missouri as a whole.
With 435.3 square miles of land, that is 22 people per square mile (8.6 per km²), placing Grundy County #2,229 nationally for density and #73 in Missouri. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Missouri median is 31. Put another way, there are about 29 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 9,764 | 9,765 | 9,823 | 9,808 | 9,749 | 9,744 |
| Change | — | +1 | +58 | −15 | −59 | −5 |
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 Grundy County
6 incorporated places lie at least partly in Grundy County. Together they are home to 6,195 people (63.6%); the other 3,549 (36.4%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Trenton city, with 5,557 residents in the county.
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trenton cityCounty seat | 5,557 | −0.7% | 6.447 |
| Spickard city | 220 | −1.3% | 0.631 |
| Galt city | 167 | −0.6% | 0.286 |
| Laredo city | 154 | −1.9% | 0.275 |
| Tindall town | 49 | 0% | 0.132 |
| Brimson village | 48 | 0% | 0.087 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Grundy County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Grundy 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
7 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Grundy County; 4 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
64635646416464264648646526467964683
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 Grundy County
Grundy County shares a land border with 6 county equivalents. Each of them has more land than Grundy County. The largest neighbor is Harrison County (722.5 mi²) and the smallest is Mercer County (453.8 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Grundy County forms a block of 3,970.8 mi² of land, of which it holds 11%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Grundy | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harrison County | 722.5 | 1.7× larger | Compare |
| Sullivan County | 648 | 1.5× larger | Compare |
| Linn County | 615.6 | 1.4× larger | Compare |
| Daviess County | 563.3 | 1.3× larger | Compare |
| Livingston County | 532.3 | 1.2× larger | Compare |
| Mercer County | 453.8 | about the same | Compare |
How big is Grundy County compared with U.S. states?
Grundy County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 2.4 times as much. Missouri’s county land could hold about 158 areas the size of Grundy County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 20.9 miles (33.6 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 Grundy County?
Grundy County has more land than 893 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 Grundy County at #2,395 nationally by total area, 66 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 0.6%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 0.5 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 Grundy County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2328 | Lee County, Virginia | 435.4 | Compare |
| #2329 | Grundy County, Missouri | 435.3 | This county |
| #2330 | Watonwan County, Minnesota | 435 | 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 40.112540, -93.565054. 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: 1,127,403,252 m²; AWATER: 7,116,081 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 Grundy County?
Grundy County, Missouri has 435.3 square miles (1,127.4 km²) of land and 2.748 square miles of water, for a total area of 438 square miles. It ranks #2329 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Grundy County the largest county in Missouri?
No. Grundy County ranks #99 of 115 in Missouri by land area. The largest is Texas County, with 1,177.3 square miles of land.
What counties border Grundy County?
Grundy County shares a land border with Livingston County, Mercer County, Sullivan County, Daviess County, Harrison County, and Linn County.
What is the population of Grundy County?
The Census Bureau estimates Grundy County had 9,744 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #2,504 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 22 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Grundy County?
The county seat of Grundy County is Trenton.
What cities and towns are in Grundy County?
Grundy County has 6 incorporated places. The most populous five are Trenton city, Spickard city, Galt city, Laredo city, and Tindall town; 3,549 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Grundy County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Grundy County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Grundy County?
7 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Grundy County, and 4 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Grundy County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 2.4 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Grundy County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 278,588 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 280,346 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.