County outline
Where Fulton County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 99.9% of Fulton County’s measured area and water for 0.1%. Its combined area converts to 1,134.6 square kilometers or approximately 280,355 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 437.551 | 1,133.252 | 280,032.6 |
| Water | 0.504 | 1.305 | 322.6 |
| Total | 438.055 | 1,134.557 | 280,355.2 |
How Fulton County compares
By original Census land area, Fulton County ranks #51 of 67 in Pennsylvania and #2313 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.67 times the Pennsylvania county-equivalent median of 653.3 square miles. It accounts for 1% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Pennsylvania ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Fulton County
The Census Bureau estimates that 14,483 people lived in Fulton County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #2,190 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #64 of 67 in Pennsylvania. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 14,562, the population has declined by 79 (−0.5%), compared with +0.4% for Pennsylvania as a whole.
With 437.6 square miles of land, that is 33 people per square mile (13 per km²), placing Fulton County #1,916 nationally for density and #63 in Pennsylvania. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Pennsylvania median is 137. Put another way, there are about 19 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 14,578 | 14,566 | 14,566 | 14,534 | 14,490 | 14,483 |
| Change | — | −12 | 0 | −32 | −44 | −7 |
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 Fulton County
Fulton County is divided into 13 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 Ayr township, with 1,995 residents (13.8% of the county). The largest by land is Brush Creek township, at 54.3 mi², or 12.4% of the county’s land. The county seat, McConnellsburg borough, has 1,112 residents. Among those with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Licking Creek township grew fastest since then (+1.5%).
| County subdivision | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ayr township | 1,995 | −1.9% | 46.3 | 10.6% |
| Todd township | 1,617 | −0.6% | 28.9 | 6.6% |
| Licking Creek township | 1,607 | +1.5% | 44.7 | 10.2% |
| Bethel township | 1,564 | +0.9% | 37.1 | 8.5% |
| Belfast township | 1,344 | −1% | 50.1 | 11.5% |
| Dublin township | 1,173 | −1.7% | 36.9 | 8.4% |
| McConnellsburg boroughCounty seat | 1,112 | −2.8% | 0.347 | 0.1% |
| Taylor township | 1,055 | −0.4% | 32.6 | 7.5% |
| Thompson township | 1,039 | +1% | 37.9 | 8.7% |
| Union township | 749 | +0.8% | 30.5 | 7% |
| Brush Creek township | 731 | −1.1% | 54.3 | 12.4% |
| Wells township | 492 | −1.6% | 37.4 | 8.5% |
| Valley-Hi borough | 5 | 0% | 0.504 | 0.1% |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each subdivision inside Fulton County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Fulton 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
17 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Fulton County; 10 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
1553315536166891669116694172121721517223172241722817229172331723617238172551726417267
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 Fulton County
Fulton County shares a land border with 5 county equivalents, including 2 in Maryland. It has more land than 1 of them. The largest neighbor is Bedford County (1,012 mi²) and the smallest is Allegany County (422.2 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Fulton County forms a block of 3,976.4 mi² of land, of which it holds 11%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Fulton | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bedford County | 1,012 | 2.3× larger | Compare |
| Huntingdon County | 874.6 | 2× larger | Compare |
| Franklin County | 772.3 | 1.8× larger | Compare |
| Washington CountyMaryland | 457.8 | about the same | Compare |
| Allegany CountyMaryland | 422.2 | about the same | Compare |
How big is Fulton County compared with U.S. states?
Fulton County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 2.4 times as much. Pennsylvania’s county land could hold about 102 areas the size of Fulton County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 20.9 miles (33.7 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 Fulton County?
Fulton County has more land than 909 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 Fulton County at #2,394 nationally by total area, 81 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 0.1%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 1.1 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 Fulton County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2312 | Bryan County, Georgia | 437.6 | Compare |
| #2313 | Fulton County, Pennsylvania | 437.6 | This county |
| #2314 | Muscatine County, Iowa | 437.4 | 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 39.910750, -78.122617. 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: 1,133,252,787 m²; AWATER: 1,305,486 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 Fulton County?
Fulton County, Pennsylvania has 437.6 square miles (1,133.3 km²) of land and 0.504 square miles of water, for a total area of 438.1 square miles. It ranks #2313 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Fulton County the largest county in Pennsylvania?
No. Fulton County ranks #51 of 67 in Pennsylvania by land area. The largest is Lycoming County, with 1,228.9 square miles of land.
What counties border Fulton County?
Fulton County shares a land border with Bedford County, Franklin County, Huntingdon County, Washington County, Maryland, and Allegany County, Maryland.
What is the population of Fulton County?
The Census Bureau estimates Fulton County had 14,483 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #2,190 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 33 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Fulton County?
The county seat of Fulton County is McConnellsburg.
What cities and towns are in Fulton County?
Fulton County has 13 county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships). The most populous five are Ayr township, Todd township, Licking Creek township, Bethel township, and Belfast township.
Is Fulton County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Fulton County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Fulton County?
17 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Fulton County, and 10 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Fulton County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 2.4 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Fulton County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 280,033 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 280,355 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.