County outline
Where Jackson County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 99.4% of Jackson County’s measured area and water for 0.6%. Its combined area converts to 7,255.4 square kilometers or approximately 1,792,840 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 2,783.255 | 7,208.597 | 1,781,283.2 |
| Water | 18.057 | 46.767 | 11,556.5 |
| Total | 2,801.312 | 7,255.365 | 1,792,839.7 |
How Jackson County compares
By original Census land area, Jackson County ranks #13 of 36 in Oregon and #186 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.524 times the Oregon county-equivalent median of 1,826.2 square miles. It accounts for 2.9% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Oregon ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Jackson County
The Census Bureau estimates that 221,795 people lived in Jackson County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #326 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #6 of 36 in Oregon. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 223,268, the population has declined by 1,473 (−0.7%), compared with +0.9% for Oregon as a whole.
With 2,783.3 square miles of land, that is 80 people per square mile (31 per km²), placing Jackson County #1,161 nationally for density and #10 in Oregon. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Oregon median is 25. Put another way, there are about 8 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 223,753 | 224,649 | 222,097 | 221,276 | 221,347 | 221,795 |
| Change | — | +896 | −2,552 | −821 | +71 | +448 |
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 Jackson County
11 incorporated places lie at least partly in Jackson County. Together they are home to 157,653 people (71.1%); the other 64,142 (28.9%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Medford city, with 86,494 residents in the county. Among places with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Phoenix city grew fastest since then (+8.8%).
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medford cityCounty seat | 86,494 | +0.5% | 28.8 |
| Ashland city | 20,889 | −2.5% | 6.707 |
| Central Point city | 19,139 | +0.7% | 4.05 |
| Eagle Point city | 9,861 | +1.8% | 2.968 |
| Talent city | 6,296 | +0.1% | 1.336 |
| Phoenix city | 4,920 | +8.8% | 1.909 |
| Shady Cove city | 3,039 | −1.4% | 1.946 |
| Jacksonville city | 2,972 | −2.3% | 1.892 |
| Rogue River city | 2,293 | −3.7% | 0.977 |
| Gold Hill city | 1,317 | −1.6% | 0.762 |
| Butte Falls town | 433 | −2.3% | 0.428 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Jackson County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Jackson County is a central county of the Medford, OR Metropolitan Statistical Area. Jackson County is the area’s only county equivalent, so the metro area has the same 2,783.3 square miles of land. By combined land it ranks #110 of 393 metropolitan areas, and #221 by population. It belongs to the Medford-Grants Pass, OR Combined Statistical Area.
ZIP codes
18 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Jackson County; 15 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
974979750197502975039750497520975229752497525975269752797530975359753697537975399754097541
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 Jackson County
Jackson County shares a land border with 4 county equivalents, including 1 in California. It has more land than 1 of them. The largest neighbor is Siskiyou County (6,278.8 mi²) and the smallest is Josephine County (1,638.6 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Jackson County forms a block of 21,686.3 mi² of land, of which it holds 12.8%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Jackson | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Siskiyou CountyCalifornia | 6,278.8 | 2.3× larger | Compare |
| Klamath County | 5,949.9 | 2.1× larger | Compare |
| Douglas County | 5,035.8 | 1.8× larger | Compare |
| Josephine County | 1,638.6 | 1.7× smaller | Compare |
How big is Jackson County compared with U.S. states?
Jackson County has more land than 2 of the 50 states. It is about 1.4 times the land area of Delaware (1,948.6 mi²), while Connecticut, the next larger state, has 1.7 times as much land (4,842.5 mi²). Oregon’s county land could hold about 34 areas the size of Jackson County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 52.8 miles (84.9 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 Jackson County?
Jackson County has more land than 3,036 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 Jackson County at #201 nationally by total area, 15 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 Jackson County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #185 | Park County, Montana | 2,802.5 | Compare |
| #186 | Jackson County, Oregon | 2,783.3 | This county |
| #187 | Pennington County, South Dakota | 2,776.8 | 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 42.411621, -122.675611. 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: 7,208,596,383 m²; AWATER: 46,767,951 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 Jackson County?
Jackson County, Oregon has 2,783.3 square miles (7,208.6 km²) of land and 18.1 square miles of water, for a total area of 2,801.3 square miles. It ranks #186 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Jackson County the largest county in Oregon?
No. Jackson County ranks #13 of 36 in Oregon by land area. The largest is Harney County, with 10,134.5 square miles of land.
What counties border Jackson County?
Jackson County shares a land border with Klamath County, Douglas County, Josephine County, and Siskiyou County, California.
What is the population of Jackson County?
The Census Bureau estimates Jackson County had 221,795 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #326 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 80 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Jackson County?
The county seat of Jackson County is Medford.
What cities and towns are in Jackson County?
Jackson County has 11 incorporated places. The most populous five are Medford city, Ashland city, Central Point city, Eagle Point city, and Talent city; 64,142 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Jackson County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Medford, OR Metropolitan Statistical Area.
How many ZIP codes are in Jackson County?
18 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Jackson County, and 15 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Jackson County compare with U.S. states?
It has more land than 2 of the 50 states, including Delaware (1,948.6 square miles of land).
How many acres of land are in Jackson County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 1,781,283 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 1,792,840 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.