County outline
Where Potter County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 100% of Potter County’s measured area and water for 0%. Its combined area converts to 2,801 square kilometers or approximately 692,138 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 1,081.249 | 2,800.422 | 691,999.4 |
| Water | 0.216 | 0.559 | 138.2 |
| Total | 1,081.465 | 2,800.981 | 692,137.6 |
How Potter County compares
By original Census land area, Potter County ranks #6 of 67 in Pennsylvania and #589 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.655 times the Pennsylvania county-equivalent median of 653.3 square miles. It accounts for 2.4% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Pennsylvania ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Potter County
The Census Bureau estimates that 15,897 people lived in Potter County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #2,108 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #63 of 67 in Pennsylvania. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 16,403, the population has declined by 506 (−3.1%), compared with +0.4% for Pennsylvania as a whole.
With 1,081.2 square miles of land, that is 15 people per square mile (5.7 per km²), placing Potter County #2,483 nationally for density and #65 in Pennsylvania. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Pennsylvania median is 137. Put another way, there are about 44 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 16,389 | 16,325 | 16,205 | 16,050 | 16,010 | 15,897 |
| Change | — | −64 | −120 | −155 | −40 | −113 |
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 Potter County
Potter County is divided into 30 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 Coudersport borough, with 2,281 residents (14.3% of the county). The largest by land is Wharton township, at 113.2 mi², or 10.5% of the county’s land.
| County subdivision | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coudersport boroughCounty seat | 2,281 | −3.9% | 5.634 | 0.5% |
| Shinglehouse borough | 1,060 | −4% | 2.079 | 0.2% |
| Roulette township | 1,055 | −3.8% | 32.6 | 3% |
| Harrison township | 1,003 | −2.1% | 36.4 | 3.4% |
| Galeton borough | 947 | −3.8% | 1.271 | 0.1% |
| Eulalia township | 880 | −3.2% | 31.1 | 2.9% |
| Sweden township | 839 | −3.3% | 33.8 | 3.1% |
| Sharon township | 767 | −2.7% | 34 | 3.1% |
| Genesee township | 698 | −3.5% | 35.7 | 3.3% |
| Ulysses township | 636 | −1.5% | 75.5 | 7% |
| Bingham township | 607 | −1.9% | 35.7 | 3.3% |
| Ulysses borough | 583 | −2.5% | 4.054 | 0.4% |
| Hebron township | 572 | −3.1% | 43.7 | 4% |
| Austin borough | 463 | −3.7% | 4.041 | 0.4% |
| Homer township | 427 | −3.8% | 32 | 3% |
Show the other 15 subdivisions
| Name | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Branch township | 394 | −1% | 62.1 |
| Allegany township | 390 | −1.8% | 40.5 |
| Hector township | 336 | −2% | 41.1 |
| Pike township | 326 | −2.7% | 36.6 |
| Keating township | 284 | −2.7% | 41.5 |
| Abbott township | 221 | −2.6% | 70 |
| Oswayo township | 221 | −1.8% | 37.6 |
| Clara township | 172 | −1.7% | 19.6 |
| Portage township | 154 | −3.8% | 37.6 |
| Oswayo borough | 127 | −3.8% | 1.081 |
| Summit township | 125 | −3.1% | 49.2 |
| Wharton township | 115 | −3.4% | 113.2 |
| Pleasant Valley township | 77 | −1.3% | 19.7 |
| Sylvania township | 73 | −3.9% | 29.7 |
| Stewardson township | 64 | −4.5% | 74.1 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each subdivision inside Potter County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Potter 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 Potter County; 12 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
167201674316746167481691516921169221692316927169371694116943169481695017729
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 Potter County
Potter County shares a land border with 7 county equivalents, including 2 in New York. It has more land than 4 of them. The largest neighbor is Steuben County (1,390.5 mi²) and the smallest is Cameron County (396.1 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Potter County forms a block of 8,129.7 mi² of land, of which it holds 13.3%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Potter | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steuben CountyNew York | 1,390.5 | 1.3× larger | Compare |
| Lycoming County | 1,228.9 | 1.1× larger | Compare |
| Tioga County | 1,133.9 | about the same | Compare |
| Allegany CountyNew York | 1,029.5 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| McKean County | 979.7 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Clinton County | 889.8 | 1.2× smaller | Compare |
| Cameron County | 396.1 | 2.7× smaller | Compare |
How big is Potter County compared with U.S. states?
Potter County has more land than 1 of the 50 states. It is about 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 41 areas the size of Potter County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 32.9 miles (52.9 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 Potter County?
Potter County has more land than 2,633 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 Potter County at #686 nationally by total area, 97 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%, 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 Potter County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #588 | Erath County, Texas | 1,083.2 | Compare |
| #589 | Potter County, Pennsylvania | 1,081.2 | This county |
| #590 | Washington County, Alabama | 1,080.3 | 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 41.748587, -77.894436. 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: 2,800,422,662 m²; AWATER: 558,970 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 Potter County?
Potter County, Pennsylvania has 1,081.2 square miles (2,800.4 km²) of land and 0.216 square miles of water, for a total area of 1,081.5 square miles. It ranks #589 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Potter County the largest county in Pennsylvania?
No. Potter County ranks #6 of 67 in Pennsylvania by land area. The largest is Lycoming County, with 1,228.9 square miles of land.
What counties border Potter County?
Potter County shares a land border with Tioga County, McKean County, Allegany County, New York, Clinton County, Cameron County, Steuben County, New York, and Lycoming County.
What is the population of Potter County?
The Census Bureau estimates Potter County had 15,897 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #2,108 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 15 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Potter County?
The county seat of Potter County is Coudersport.
What cities and towns are in Potter County?
Potter County has 30 county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships). The most populous five are Coudersport borough, Shinglehouse borough, Roulette township, Harrison township, and Galeton borough.
Is Potter County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Potter County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Potter County?
15 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Potter County, and 12 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Potter 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 Potter County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 691,999 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 692,138 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.