County outline
Where Somerset County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 99.4% of Somerset County’s measured area and water for 0.6%. Its combined area converts to 2,801.5 square kilometers or approximately 692,256 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 1,075.047 | 2,784.359 | 688,030.1 |
| Water | 6.603 | 17.102 | 4,225.9 |
| Total | 1,081.65 | 2,801.461 | 692,256 |
How Somerset County compares
By original Census land area, Somerset County ranks #7 of 67 in Pennsylvania and #594 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.646 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 Somerset County
The Census Bureau estimates that 72,004 people lived in Somerset County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #780 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #37 of 67 in Pennsylvania. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 74,124, the population has declined by 2,120 (−2.9%), compared with +0.4% for Pennsylvania as a whole.
With 1,075 square miles of land, that is 67 people per square mile (26 per km²), placing Somerset County #1,297 nationally for density and #48 in Pennsylvania. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Pennsylvania median is 137. Put another way, there are about 9.6 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 73,994 | 72,973 | 72,570 | 72,270 | 72,209 | 72,004 |
| Change | — | −1,021 | −403 | −300 | −61 | −205 |
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 Somerset County
Somerset County is divided into 50 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 Somerset township, with 11,645 residents (16.2% of the county). The largest by land is Shade township, at 68.7 mi², or 6.4% of the county’s land.
| County subdivision | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Somerset townshipCounty seat | 11,645 | −3.6% | 64.2 | 6% |
| Conemaugh township | 6,563 | −2.9% | 41.3 | 3.8% |
| Somerset boroughCounty seat | 5,815 | −3.7% | 2.729 | 0.3% |
| Windber borough | 3,780 | −3.9% | 1.968 | 0.2% |
| Jenner township | 3,570 | −3.7% | 64.6 | 6% |
| Paint township | 2,999 | −1.5% | 32.3 | 3% |
| Shade township | 2,374 | −3.5% | 68.7 | 6.4% |
| Brothersvalley township | 2,319 | −2% | 62.6 | 5.8% |
| Elk Lick township | 2,197 | −2.7% | 57.1 | 5.3% |
| Summit township | 2,099 | −2.8% | 45.2 | 4.2% |
| Stonycreek township | 2,081 | −0.7% | 61.1 | 5.7% |
| Meyersdale borough | 1,986 | −3.5% | 0.816 | 0.1% |
| Berlin borough | 1,956 | −2.8% | 0.917 | 0.1% |
| Quemahoning township | 1,795 | −2.9% | 35.3 | 3.3% |
| Milford township | 1,454 | −2.4% | 29.7 | 2.8% |
Show the other 35 subdivisions
| Name | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln township | 1,423 | −2.7% | 25.7 |
| Jefferson township | 1,403 | −2.6% | 41.2 |
| Boswell borough | 1,197 | −2.4% | 0.739 |
| Upper Turkeyfoot township | 1,036 | −2.7% | 38.6 |
| Central City borough | 954 | −3.7% | 0.54 |
| Addison township | 915 | −1.8% | 61.4 |
| Black township | 903 | +0.6% | 42.7 |
| Paint borough | 875 | −3.5% | 0.345 |
| Rockwood borough | 811 | −3.7% | 0.334 |
| Middlecreek township | 801 | −3.7% | 33.4 |
| Greenville township | 752 | −0.8% | 25.1 |
| Confluence borough | 705 | −2.8% | 1.6 |
| Salisbury borough | 681 | −3.8% | 0.383 |
| Jennerstown borough | 657 | −3% | 1.923 |
| Allegheny township | 614 | −1% | 51.1 |
| Hooversville borough | 605 | −3.8% | 0.611 |
| Southampton township | 585 | −2.8% | 29.3 |
| Lower Turkeyfoot township | 540 | −1.8% | 36.3 |
| Larimer township | 532 | −2.2% | 21.2 |
| Ogle township | 472 | −1% | 34.8 |
| Garrett borough | 408 | −2.6% | 0.506 |
| Indian Lake borough | 377 | −0.8% | 3.563 |
| Northampton township | 292 | −4.3% | 35.9 |
| Stoystown borough | 286 | −4% | 0.19 |
| Ursina borough | 228 | −3.8% | 0.9 |
| Addison borough | 215 | +28.7% | 0.544 |
| Wellersburg borough | 206 | −3.7% | 0.81 |
| Shanksville borough | 189 | −3.6% | 0.197 |
| Benson borough | 177 | −3.8% | 0.354 |
| New Baltimore borough | 134 | −3.6% | 0.347 |
| New Centerville borough | 121 | −4% | 0.142 |
| Casselman borough | 119 | +14.4% | 0.201 |
| Fairhope township | 99 | −2.9% | 14.6 |
| Callimont borough | 48 | −4% | — |
| Seven Springs borough | 11 | 0% | 0.966 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each subdivision inside Somerset County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Somerset County is a central county of the Somerset, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area. Somerset County is the area’s only county equivalent, so the micro area has the same 1,075 square miles of land. By combined land it ranks #164 of 542 micropolitan areas, and #98 by population. It belongs to the Johnstown-Somerset, PA Combined Statistical Area.
ZIP codes
41 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Somerset County; 35 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
1541115424155011550215510155201553015531155321553415538155401554115542155441554515546155471555115552155551555715558155591556015561155621556315564155651562215904159051592415926159281593515936159371595315963
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 Somerset County
Somerset County shares a land border with 6 county equivalents, including 2 in Maryland. It has more land than every one of them. The largest neighbor is Westmoreland County (1,027.7 mi²) and the smallest is Allegany County (422.2 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Somerset County forms a block of 5,664.7 mi² of land, of which it holds 19%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Somerset | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westmoreland County | 1,027.7 | about the same | Compare |
| Bedford County | 1,012 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Fayette County | 790.8 | 1.4× smaller | Compare |
| Cambria County | 688 | 1.6× smaller | Compare |
| Garrett CountyMaryland | 649.1 | 1.7× smaller | Compare |
| Allegany CountyMaryland | 422.2 | 2.5× smaller | Compare |
How big is Somerset County compared with U.S. states?
Somerset 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 42 areas the size of Somerset County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 32.8 miles (52.8 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 Somerset County?
Somerset County has more land than 2,628 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 Somerset County at #685 nationally by total area, 91 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% — 0.6 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 Somerset County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #593 | Box Butte County, Nebraska | 1,075.2 | Compare |
| #594 | Somerset County, Pennsylvania | 1,075 | This county |
| #595 | Ness County, Kansas | 1,074.7 | 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 39.981299, -79.028534. 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: 2,784,359,441 m²; AWATER: 17,101,194 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 Somerset County?
Somerset County, Pennsylvania has 1,075 square miles (2,784.4 km²) of land and 6.603 square miles of water, for a total area of 1,081.7 square miles. It ranks #594 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Somerset County the largest county in Pennsylvania?
No. Somerset County ranks #7 of 67 in Pennsylvania by land area. The largest is Lycoming County, with 1,228.9 square miles of land.
What counties border Somerset County?
Somerset County shares a land border with Bedford County, Garrett County, Maryland, Fayette County, Cambria County, Westmoreland County, and Allegany County, Maryland.
What is the population of Somerset County?
The Census Bureau estimates Somerset County had 72,004 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #780 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 67 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Somerset County?
The county seat of Somerset County is Somerset.
What cities and towns are in Somerset County?
Somerset County has 50 county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships). The most populous five are Somerset township, Conemaugh township, Somerset borough, Windber borough, and Jenner township.
Is Somerset County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Somerset, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area.
How many ZIP codes are in Somerset County?
41 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Somerset County, and 35 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Somerset 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 Somerset County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 688,030 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 692,256 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.