County outline
Where Ross County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 99.4% of Ross County’s measured area and water for 0.6%. Its combined area converts to 1,794.9 square kilometers or approximately 443,536 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 689.166 | 1,784.932 | 441,066.2 |
| Water | 3.859 | 9.995 | 2,469.8 |
| Total | 693.025 | 1,794.927 | 443,536 |
How Ross County compares
By original Census land area, Ross County ranks #2 of 88 in Ohio and #1359 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.581 times the Ohio county-equivalent median of 436 square miles. It accounts for 1.7% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Ohio ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Ross County
The Census Bureau estimates that 76,429 people lived in Ross County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #755 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #32 of 88 in Ohio. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 77,094, the population has declined by 665 (−0.9%), compared with +0.9% for Ohio as a whole.
With 689.2 square miles of land, that is 111 people per square mile (43 per km²), placing Ross County #924 nationally for density and #49 in Ohio. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Ohio median is 120. Put another way, there are about 5.8 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 77,067 | 76,493 | 76,365 | 76,276 | 75,998 | 76,429 |
| Change | — | −574 | −128 | −89 | −278 | +431 |
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 Ross County
8 incorporated places lie at least partly in Ross County. Together they are home to 25,802 people (33.8%); the other 50,627 (66.2%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Chillicothe city, with 21,815 residents in the county.
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chillicothe cityCounty seat | 21,815 | −1% | 10.5 |
| Kingston village | 1,236 | −1.7% | 0.37 |
| Frankfort village | 1,094 | −2.1% | 0.502 |
| Bainbridge village | 737 | −3.3% | 0.509 |
| Clarksburg village | 400 | −1.7% | 0.159 |
| Adelphi village | 313 | −1.6% | 0.274 |
| South Salem village | 207 | −2.4% | 0.18 |
| Greenfield villageAlso in 1 other county | 0 | — | 2.082 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Ross County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Ross County is a central county of the Chillicothe, OH Micropolitan Statistical Area. Ross County is the area’s only county equivalent, so the micro area has the same 689.2 square miles of land. By combined land it ranks #311 of 542 micropolitan areas, and #84 by population. It belongs to the Columbus-Marion-Zanesville, OH Combined Statistical Area.
ZIP codes
16 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Ross County; 9 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
43101431154313543160431644512345601456124561745628456444564745672456734568145690
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 Ross County
Ross County shares a land border with 7 county equivalents. It has more land than every one of them. The largest neighbor is Highland County (553.1 mi²) and the smallest is Fayette County (406.4 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Ross County forms a block of 3,844.2 mi² of land, of which it holds 17.9%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Ross | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highland County | 553.1 | 1.2× smaller | Compare |
| Pickaway County | 501.3 | 1.4× smaller | Compare |
| Pike County | 440.3 | 1.6× smaller | Compare |
| Hocking County | 421.4 | 1.6× smaller | Compare |
| Jackson County | 420.3 | 1.6× smaller | Compare |
| Vinton County | 412.3 | 1.7× smaller | Compare |
| Fayette County | 406.4 | 1.7× smaller | Compare |
How big is Ross County compared with U.S. states?
Ross County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 1.5 times as much. Ohio’s county land could hold about 59 areas the size of Ross County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 26.3 miles (42.2 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 Ross County?
Ross County has more land than 1,863 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 Ross County at #1,457 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 0.6%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 0.6 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 Ross County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1358 | Winneshiek County, Iowa | 689.8 | Compare |
| #1359 | Ross County, Ohio | 689.2 | This county |
| #1360 | Suwannee County, Florida | 688.6 | 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 39.322542, -83.058728. 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: 1,784,931,095 m²; AWATER: 9,994,412 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 Ross County?
Ross County, Ohio has 689.2 square miles (1,784.9 km²) of land and 3.859 square miles of water, for a total area of 693 square miles. It ranks #1359 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Ross County the largest county in Ohio?
No. Ross County ranks #2 of 88 in Ohio by land area. The largest is Ashtabula County, with 702.4 square miles of land.
What counties border Ross County?
Ross County shares a land border with Pike County, Pickaway County, Highland County, Vinton County, Fayette County, Hocking County, and Jackson County.
What is the population of Ross County?
The Census Bureau estimates Ross County had 76,429 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #755 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 111 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Ross County?
The county seat of Ross County is Chillicothe.
What cities and towns are in Ross County?
Ross County has 8 incorporated places. The most populous five are Chillicothe city, Kingston village, Frankfort village, Bainbridge village, and Clarksburg village; 50,627 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Ross County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Chillicothe, OH Micropolitan Statistical Area.
How many ZIP codes are in Ross County?
16 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Ross County, and 9 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Ross County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 1.5 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Ross County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 441,066 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 443,536 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.