County outline
Where Churchill County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 98.5% of Churchill County’s measured area and water for 1.5%. Its combined area converts to 13,011.6 square kilometers or approximately 3,215,234 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 4,950.157 | 12,820.848 | 3,168,100.5 |
| Water | 73.646 | 190.742 | 47,133.4 |
| Total | 5,023.803 | 13,011.59 | 3,215,233.9 |
How Churchill County compares
By original Census land area, Churchill County ranks #10 of 17 in Nevada and #80 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.897 times the Nevada county-equivalent median of 5,519.2 square miles. It accounts for 4.5% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Nevada ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Churchill County
The Census Bureau estimates that 25,851 people lived in Churchill County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #1,636 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #8 of 17 in Nevada. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 25,517, the population has grown by 334 (+1.3%), compared with +5.7% for Nevada as a whole.
With 4,950.2 square miles of land, that is 5.2 people per square mile (2 per km²), placing Churchill County #2,838 nationally for density and #7 in Nevada. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Nevada median is 3.2. Put another way, there are about 123 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 25,570 | 25,663 | 25,799 | 25,852 | 25,955 | 25,851 |
| Change | — | +93 | +136 | +53 | +103 | −104 |
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 Churchill County
1 incorporated place lies at least partly in Churchill County. Together they are home to 9,570 people (37%); the other 16,281 (63%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Fallon city, with 9,570 residents in the county.
Metropolitan area
Churchill County is a central county of the Fallon, NV Micropolitan Statistical Area. Churchill County is the area’s only county equivalent, so the micro area has the same 4,950.2 square miles of land. By combined land it ranks #21 of 542 micropolitan areas, and #474 by population. It belongs to the Reno-Carson City-Gardnerville Ranchos, NV-CA Combined Statistical Area.
ZIP codes
3 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Churchill County, and each lies mostly inside the county.
894068940889496
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Churchill County
Churchill County shares a land border with 6 county equivalents. It has more land than 2 of them. The largest neighbor is Nye County (18,181.9 mi²) and the smallest is Lyon County (2,003.1 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Churchill County forms a block of 46,758.1 mi² of land, of which it holds 10.6%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Churchill | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nye County | 18,181.9 | 3.7× larger | Compare |
| Washoe County | 6,315.9 | 1.3× larger | Compare |
| Pershing County | 6,036.6 | 1.2× larger | Compare |
| Lander County | 5,519.2 | 1.1× larger | Compare |
| Mineral County | 3,751.3 | 1.3× smaller | Compare |
| Lyon County | 2,003.1 | 2.5× smaller | Compare |
How big is Churchill County compared with U.S. states?
Churchill County has more land than 3 of the 50 states. It is about 1 times the land area of Connecticut (4,842.5 mi²), while Hawaii, the next larger state, has 1.3 times as much land (6,422.6 mi²). Nevada’s county land could hold about 22 areas the size of Churchill County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 70.4 miles (113.2 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 Churchill County?
Churchill County has more land than 3,142 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 Churchill County at #86 nationally by total area, 6 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 1.5%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 0.3 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 Churchill County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #79 | Big Horn County, Montana | 4,997.8 | Compare |
| #80 | Churchill County, Nevada | 4,950.2 | This county |
| #81 | Valley County, Montana | 4,926.1 | 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 39.537710, -118.264166. 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: 12,820,847,842 m²; AWATER: 190,742,992 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 Churchill County?
Churchill County, Nevada has 4,950.2 square miles (12,820.8 km²) of land and 73.6 square miles of water, for a total area of 5,023.8 square miles. It ranks #80 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Churchill County the largest county in Nevada?
No. Churchill County ranks #10 of 17 in Nevada by land area. The largest is Nye County, with 18,181.9 square miles of land.
What counties border Churchill County?
Churchill County shares a land border with Pershing County, Lander County, Lyon County, Mineral County, Washoe County, and Nye County.
What is the population of Churchill County?
The Census Bureau estimates Churchill County had 25,851 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #1,636 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 5.2 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Churchill County?
The county seat of Churchill County is Fallon.
Is Churchill County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Fallon, NV Micropolitan Statistical Area.
How many ZIP codes are in Churchill County?
3 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Churchill County, and 3 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Churchill County compare with U.S. states?
It has more land than 3 of the 50 states, including Connecticut (4,842.5 square miles of land).
How many acres of land are in Churchill County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 3,168,100 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 3,215,234 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.