County outline
Where Erie County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 40.2% of Erie County’s measured area and water for 59.8%. Its combined area converts to 1,620.8 square kilometers or approximately 400,502 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 251.288 | 650.833 | 160,824.3 |
| Water | 374.496 | 969.94 | 239,677.4 |
| Total | 625.784 | 1,620.773 | 400,501.8 |
How Erie County compares
By original Census land area, Erie County ranks #87 of 88 in Ohio and #2908 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.576 times the Ohio county-equivalent median of 436 square miles. It accounts for 0.6% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Ohio ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Erie County
The Census Bureau estimates that 73,296 people lived in Erie County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #773 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #35 of 88 in Ohio. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 75,616, the population has declined by 2,320 (−3.1%), compared with +0.9% for Ohio as a whole.
With 251.3 square miles of land, that is 292 people per square mile (113 per km²), placing Erie County #518 nationally for density and #21 in Ohio. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Ohio median is 120. Put another way, there are about 2.2 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 75,471 | 74,762 | 74,316 | 73,786 | 73,645 | 73,296 |
| Change | — | −709 | −446 | −530 | −141 | −349 |
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 Erie County
9 incorporated places lie at least partly in Erie County. Together they are home to 38,381 people (52.4%); the other 34,915 (47.6%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Sandusky city, with 24,001 residents in the county. By land, Vermilion city is the largest at 10.6 mi² across all its counties.
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sandusky cityCounty seat | 24,001 | −4.5% | 9.635 |
| Huron city | 6,585 | −4.6% | 4.943 |
| Vermilion cityAlso in 1 other county | 4,541 | −2% | 10.6 |
| Milan villageAlso in 1 other county | 978 | −1.9% | 1.191 |
| Castalia village | 744 | −4.1% | 1.022 |
| Berlin Heights village | 679 | +4.5% | 1.6 |
| Bay View village | 588 | −2.5% | 0.276 |
| Kelleys Island village | 263 | +1.9% | 4.348 |
| Bellevue cityAlso in 2 other counties | 2 | 0% | 6.129 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Erie County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Erie County is a central county of the Sandusky, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its 2 county equivalents have 112,777 residents on 506 square miles of land; Erie County accounts for 49.7% of the land and 65% of the residents. By combined land it ranks #359 of 393 metropolitan areas, and #347 by population. It belongs to the Cleveland-Akron-Canton, OH Combined Statistical Area.
| County equivalent | Population 2025 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|
| Erie County | 73,296 | 251.3 |
| Ottawa County | 39,481 | 254.7 |
ZIP codes
13 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Erie County; 7 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
43438434644408944811448144482444826448394484644847448574487044889
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 Erie County
Erie County shares a land border with 3 county equivalents. Each of them has more land than Erie County. The largest neighbor is Huron County (492.2 mi²) and the smallest is Sandusky County (408.2 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Erie County forms a block of 1,642.3 mi² of land, of which it holds 15.3%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Erie | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huron County | 492.2 | 2× larger | Compare |
| Lorain County | 490.5 | 2× larger | Compare |
| Sandusky County | 408.2 | 1.6× larger | Compare |
How big is Erie County compared with U.S. states?
Erie County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 4.1 times as much. Ohio’s county land could hold about 163 areas the size of Erie County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 15.9 miles (25.5 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 Erie County?
Erie County has more land than 314 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 Erie County at #1,651 nationally by total area, 1,257 places closer to the top than its land rank. The water assigned to this geography moves it ahead of some county equivalents with more land.
Its water share is 59.8%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 58.7 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 Erie County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2907 | Cape May County, New Jersey | 251.5 | Compare |
| #2908 | Erie County, Ohio | 251.3 | This county |
| #2909 | Howard County, Maryland | 251 | 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 41.394143, -82.586835. 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: 650,833,150 m²; AWATER: 969,939,849 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 Erie County?
Erie County, Ohio has 251.3 square miles (650.8 km²) of land and 374.5 square miles of water, for a total area of 625.8 square miles. It ranks #2908 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Erie County the largest county in Ohio?
No. Erie County ranks #87 of 88 in Ohio by land area. The largest is Ashtabula County, with 702.4 square miles of land.
What counties border Erie County?
Erie County shares a land border with Huron County, Sandusky County, and Lorain County.
What is the population of Erie County?
The Census Bureau estimates Erie County had 73,296 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #773 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 292 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Erie County?
The county seat of Erie County is Sandusky.
What cities and towns are in Erie County?
Erie County has 9 incorporated places. The most populous five are Sandusky city, Huron city, Vermilion city, Milan village, and Castalia village; 34,915 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Erie County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Sandusky, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has 2 county equivalents and 112,777 residents.
How many ZIP codes are in Erie County?
13 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Erie County, and 7 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Erie County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 4.1 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Erie County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 160,824 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 400,502 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.