County outline
Where Cameron County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 99.5% of Cameron County’s measured area and water for 0.5%. Its combined area converts to 1,031.5 square kilometers or approximately 254,893 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 396.088 | 1,025.863 | 253,496.3 |
| Water | 2.183 | 5.654 | 1,397.1 |
| Total | 398.271 | 1,031.517 | 254,893.4 |
How Cameron County compares
By original Census land area, Cameron County ranks #56 of 67 in Pennsylvania and #2543 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.606 times the Pennsylvania county-equivalent median of 653.3 square miles. It accounts for 0.9% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Pennsylvania ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Cameron County
The Census Bureau estimates that 4,211 people lived in Cameron County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #2,945 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #67 of 67 in Pennsylvania. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 4,544, the population has declined by 333 (−7.3%), compared with +0.4% for Pennsylvania as a whole.
With 396.1 square miles of land, that is 11 people per square mile (4.1 per km²), placing Cameron County #2,625 nationally for density and #67 in Pennsylvania. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Pennsylvania median is 137. Put another way, there are about 60 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 4,529 | 4,463 | 4,403 | 4,381 | 4,332 | 4,211 |
| Change | — | −66 | −60 | −22 | −49 | −121 |
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 Cameron County
Cameron County is divided into 7 municipalities and townships. In Pennsylvania, county subdivisions are local governments, and together they cover all of the county’s land and residents.
The most populous is Shippen township, with 1,805 residents (42.9% of the county), and it is also the largest by land at 156.6 mi². The county seat, Emporium borough, has 1,781 residents.
| County subdivision | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shippen township | 1,805 | −7.3% | 156.6 | 39.5% |
| Emporium boroughCounty seat | 1,781 | −7.4% | 0.71 | 0.2% |
| Gibson township | 167 | −7.2% | 94 | 23.7% |
| Lumber township | 167 | −7.2% | 54.9 | 13.9% |
| Portage township | 154 | −7.2% | 14.4 | 3.6% |
| Grove township | 102 | −7.3% | 73 | 18.4% |
| Driftwood borough | 35 | −5.4% | 2.489 | 0.6% |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each subdivision inside Cameron County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Cameron 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
4 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Cameron County; 3 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
15832158341586116720
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 Cameron County
Cameron County shares a land border with 5 county equivalents. Each of them has more land than Cameron County. The largest neighbor is Clearfield County (1,144.9 mi²) and the smallest is Elk County (827 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Cameron County forms a block of 5,318.8 mi² of land, of which it holds 7.4%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Cameron | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clearfield County | 1,144.9 | 2.9× larger | Compare |
| Potter County | 1,081.2 | 2.7× larger | Compare |
| McKean County | 979.7 | 2.5× larger | Compare |
| Clinton County | 889.8 | 2.2× larger | Compare |
| Elk County | 827 | 2.1× larger | Compare |
How big is Cameron County compared with U.S. states?
Cameron County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 2.6 times as much. Pennsylvania’s county land could hold about 113 areas the size of Cameron County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 19.9 miles (32 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 Cameron County?
Cameron County has more land than 679 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 Cameron County at #2,610 nationally by total area, 67 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 0.5%, 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 Cameron County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2542 | Monroe County, Georgia | 396.1 | Compare |
| #2543 | Cameron County, Pennsylvania | 396.1 | This county |
| #2544 | Marion County, Indiana | 396 | 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 41.438316, -78.198262. 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: 1,025,862,878 m²; AWATER: 5,652,701 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 Cameron County?
Cameron County, Pennsylvania has 396.1 square miles (1,025.9 km²) of land and 2.183 square miles of water, for a total area of 398.3 square miles. It ranks #2543 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Cameron County the largest county in Pennsylvania?
No. Cameron County ranks #56 of 67 in Pennsylvania by land area. The largest is Lycoming County, with 1,228.9 square miles of land.
What counties border Cameron County?
Cameron County shares a land border with Elk County, Clinton County, Potter County, McKean County, and Clearfield County.
What is the population of Cameron County?
The Census Bureau estimates Cameron County had 4,211 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #2,945 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 11 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Cameron County?
The county seat of Cameron County is Emporium.
What cities and towns are in Cameron County?
Cameron County has 7 county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships). The most populous five are Shippen township, Emporium borough, Gibson township, Lumber township, and Portage township.
Is Cameron County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Cameron County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Cameron County?
4 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Cameron 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 Cameron County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 2.6 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Cameron County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 253,496 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 254,893 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.