County outline
Where Centre County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 99.6% of Centre County’s measured area and water for 0.4%. Its combined area converts to 2,879.2 square kilometers or approximately 711,457 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 1,107.258 | 2,867.785 | 708,645.1 |
| Water | 4.394 | 11.38 | 2,812.2 |
| Total | 1,111.652 | 2,879.165 | 711,457.3 |
How Centre County compares
By original Census land area, Centre County ranks #5 of 67 in Pennsylvania and #570 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.695 times the Pennsylvania county-equivalent median of 653.3 square miles. It accounts for 2.5% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Pennsylvania ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Centre County
The Census Bureau estimates that 157,393 people lived in Centre County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #453 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #23 of 67 in Pennsylvania. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 158,171, the population has declined by 778 (−0.5%), compared with +0.4% for Pennsylvania as a whole.
With 1,107.3 square miles of land, that is 142 people per square mile (55 per km²), placing Centre County #802 nationally for density and #33 in Pennsylvania. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Pennsylvania median is 137. Put another way, there are about 4.5 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 158,035 | 157,972 | 157,977 | 158,739 | 158,505 | 157,393 |
| Change | — | −63 | +5 | +762 | −234 | −1,112 |
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 Centre County
Centre County is divided into 35 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 State College borough, with 40,844 residents (26% of the county). The largest by land is Rush township, at 148.1 mi², or 13.4% of the county’s land. The county seat, Bellefonte borough, has 5,862 residents. Among those with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Spring township grew fastest since then (+3.3%).
| County subdivision | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State College borough | 40,844 | +0.1% | 4.578 | 0.4% |
| Ferguson township | 18,813 | −0.5% | 47.6 | 4.3% |
| Patton township | 15,623 | −0.5% | 24.6 | 2.2% |
| College township | 10,393 | −1.6% | 18.3 | 1.7% |
| Benner township | 8,995 | −0% | 28.4 | 2.6% |
| Spring township | 8,195 | +3.3% | 26.7 | 2.4% |
| Harris township | 5,882 | −0% | 31.5 | 2.8% |
| Bellefonte boroughCounty seat | 5,862 | −3.5% | 1.846 | 0.2% |
| Walker township | 4,693 | +1.2% | 38.4 | 3.5% |
| Potter township | 3,637 | +1.3% | 58.6 | 5.3% |
| Rush township | 3,556 | −3.3% | 148.1 | 13.4% |
| Halfmoon township | 2,805 | +0.4% | 23.7 | 2.1% |
| Boggs township | 2,686 | −1.3% | 53 | 4.8% |
| Philipsburg borough | 2,674 | −3.8% | 1.059 | 0.1% |
| Gregg township | 2,242 | −1% | 46.8 | 4.2% |
Show the other 20 subdivisions
| Name | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles township | 1,974 | −1.2% | 62.6 |
| Liberty township | 1,764 | −2.4% | 23.6 |
| Haines township | 1,595 | −3.2% | 57.3 |
| Snow Shoe township | 1,570 | −3.1% | 83.5 |
| Union township | 1,353 | 0% | 45.6 |
| Huston township | 1,306 | −0.8% | 25.6 |
| Centre Hall borough | 1,225 | −3.6% | 0.616 |
| Penn township | 1,194 | −0.5% | 28.2 |
| Marion township | 1,193 | +0.8% | 22 |
| Milesburg borough | 1,062 | −2.3% | 0.437 |
| Howard township | 859 | −1.2% | 17.9 |
| Taylor township | 837 | −0.5% | 30.7 |
| Millheim borough | 821 | −1.4% | 1.331 |
| Worth township | 709 | −1.4% | 21.7 |
| Howard borough | 659 | −3.7% | 0.363 |
| Snow Shoe borough | 652 | −3% | 0.594 |
| Port Matilda borough | 571 | −3.2% | 0.6 |
| Curtin township | 484 | −2.4% | 42.1 |
| Burnside township | 406 | −2.2% | 88.9 |
| Unionville borough | 259 | −3.7% | 0.244 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each subdivision inside Centre County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Centre County is a central county of the State College, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Centre County is the area’s only county equivalent, so the metro area has the same 1,107.3 square miles of land. By combined land it ranks #270 of 393 metropolitan areas, and #282 by population. It belongs to the State College-DuBois, PA Combined Statistical Area.
ZIP codes
35 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Centre County; 31 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
1666616677166861680116802168031682016822168231682616827168281682916832168351684116844168451685116852168531685416856168591686016864168651686616868168701687216874168751687716882
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 Centre County
Centre County shares a land border with 6 county equivalents. It has more land than 5 of them. The largest neighbor is Clearfield County (1,144.9 mi²) and the smallest is Union County (316 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Centre County forms a block of 5,268.6 mi² of land, of which it holds 21%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Centre | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clearfield County | 1,144.9 | about the same | Compare |
| Clinton County | 889.8 | 1.2× smaller | Compare |
| Huntingdon County | 874.6 | 1.3× smaller | Compare |
| Blair County | 525.1 | 2.1× smaller | Compare |
| Mifflin County | 411 | 2.7× smaller | Compare |
| Union County | 316 | 3.5× smaller | Compare |
How big is Centre County compared with U.S. states?
Centre County has more land than 1 of the 50 states. It is about 1.1 times the land area of Rhode Island (1,033.9 mi²), while Delaware, the next larger state, has 1.8 times as much land (1,948.6 mi²). Pennsylvania’s county land could hold about 40 areas the size of Centre County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 33.3 miles (53.6 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 Centre County?
Centre County has more land than 2,652 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 Centre County at #660 nationally by total area, 90 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 0.4%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 0.8 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 Centre County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #569 | Knox County, Nebraska | 1,108.2 | Compare |
| #570 | Centre County, Pennsylvania | 1,107.3 | This county |
| #571 | Orangeburg County, South Carolina | 1,106.4 | 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 40.909322, -77.847667. 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: 2,867,784,412 m²; AWATER: 11,379,989 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 Centre County?
Centre County, Pennsylvania has 1,107.3 square miles (2,867.8 km²) of land and 4.394 square miles of water, for a total area of 1,111.7 square miles. It ranks #570 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Centre County the largest county in Pennsylvania?
No. Centre County ranks #5 of 67 in Pennsylvania by land area. The largest is Lycoming County, with 1,228.9 square miles of land.
What counties border Centre County?
Centre County shares a land border with Clinton County, Clearfield County, Huntingdon County, Mifflin County, Union County, and Blair County.
What is the population of Centre County?
The Census Bureau estimates Centre County had 157,393 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #453 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 142 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Centre County?
The county seat of Centre County is Bellefonte.
What cities and towns are in Centre County?
Centre County has 35 county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships). The most populous five are State College borough, Ferguson township, Patton township, College township, and Benner township.
Is Centre County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the State College, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area.
How many ZIP codes are in Centre County?
35 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Centre County, and 31 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Centre County compare with U.S. states?
It has more land than 1 of the 50 states, including Rhode Island (1,033.9 square miles of land).
How many acres of land are in Centre County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 708,645 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 711,457 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.