County outline
Where Vinton County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 99.4% of Vinton County’s measured area and water for 0.6%. Its combined area converts to 1,074.7 square kilometers or approximately 265,576 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 412.345 | 1,067.969 | 263,900.8 |
| Water | 2.618 | 6.781 | 1,675.5 |
| Total | 414.963 | 1,074.749 | 265,576.3 |
How Vinton County compares
By original Census land area, Vinton County ranks #60 of 88 in Ohio and #2453 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.946 times the Ohio county-equivalent median of 436 square miles. It accounts for 1% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Ohio ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Vinton County
The Census Bureau estimates that 12,645 people lived in Vinton County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #2,311 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #88 of 88 in Ohio. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 12,804, the population has declined by 159 (−1.2%), compared with +0.9% for Ohio as a whole.
With 412.3 square miles of land, that is 31 people per square mile (12 per km²), placing Vinton County #1,988 nationally for density and #87 in Ohio. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Ohio median is 120. Put another way, there are about 21 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 12,803 | 12,709 | 12,556 | 12,466 | 12,557 | 12,645 |
| Change | — | −94 | −153 | −90 | +91 | +88 |
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 Vinton County
4 incorporated places lie at least partly in Vinton County. Together they are home to 2,836 people (22.4%); the other 9,809 (77.6%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is McArthur village, with 1,764 residents in the county.
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| McArthur villageCounty seat | 1,764 | −1.3% | 1.687 |
| Hamden village | 734 | +1.1% | 0.549 |
| Zaleski village | 228 | −0.9% | 0.404 |
| Wilkesville village | 110 | −1.8% | 0.259 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Vinton County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Vinton 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
15 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Vinton County; 8 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
431354313843152456224563445647456514565445672456864569245695456984571045766
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 Vinton County
Vinton County shares a land border with 6 county equivalents. Each of them has more land than Vinton County. The largest neighbor is Ross County (689.2 mi²) and the smallest is Jackson County (420.3 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Vinton County forms a block of 3,343.3 mi² of land, of which it holds 12.3%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Vinton | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ross County | 689.2 | 1.7× larger | Compare |
| Athens County | 504.1 | 1.2× larger | Compare |
| Gallia County | 466.5 | 1.1× larger | Compare |
| Meigs County | 429.5 | about the same | Compare |
| Hocking County | 421.4 | about the same | Compare |
| Jackson County | 420.3 | about the same | Compare |
How big is Vinton County compared with U.S. states?
Vinton County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 2.5 times as much. Ohio’s county land could hold about 99 areas the size of Vinton County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 20.3 miles (32.7 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 Vinton County?
Vinton County has more land than 769 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 Vinton County at #2,515 nationally by total area, 62 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 Vinton County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2452 | Wabash County, Indiana | 412.5 | Compare |
| #2453 | Vinton County, Ohio | 412.3 | This county |
| #2454 | Cass County, Indiana | 412.1 | 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 39.252858, -82.486204. 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: 1,067,968,603 m²; AWATER: 6,781,752 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 Vinton County?
Vinton County, Ohio has 412.3 square miles (1,068 km²) of land and 2.618 square miles of water, for a total area of 415 square miles. It ranks #2453 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Vinton County the largest county in Ohio?
No. Vinton County ranks #60 of 88 in Ohio by land area. The largest is Ashtabula County, with 702.4 square miles of land.
What counties border Vinton County?
Vinton County shares a land border with Jackson County, Hocking County, Meigs County, Athens County, Ross County, and Gallia County.
What is the population of Vinton County?
The Census Bureau estimates Vinton County had 12,645 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #2,311 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 31 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Vinton County?
The county seat of Vinton County is McArthur.
What cities and towns are in Vinton County?
Vinton County has 4 incorporated places. The most populous are McArthur village, Hamden village, Zaleski village, and Wilkesville village; 9,809 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Vinton County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Vinton County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Vinton County?
15 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Vinton County, and 8 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Vinton County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 2.5 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Vinton County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 263,901 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 265,576 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.