County outline
Where El Paso County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 99.8% of El Paso County’s measured area and water for 0.2%. Its combined area converts to 2,629.6 square kilometers or approximately 649,780 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 1,013.525 | 2,625.018 | 648,656 |
| Water | 1.756 | 4.548 | 1,123.8 |
| Total | 1,015.281 | 2,629.566 | 649,779.8 |
How El Paso County compares
By original Census land area, El Paso County ranks #70 of 254 in Texas and #663 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.115 times the Texas county-equivalent median of 908.7 square miles. It accounts for 0.4% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Texas ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of El Paso County
The Census Bureau estimates that 877,858 people lived in El Paso County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #70 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #10 of 254 in Texas. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 865,715, the population has grown by 12,143 (+1.4%), compared with +8.8% for Texas as a whole.
With 1,013.5 square miles of land, that is 866 people per square mile (334 per km²), placing El Paso County #211 nationally for density and #11 in Texas. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Texas median is 22. Put another way, there are about 0.739 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 866,582 | 867,558 | 868,332 | 873,242 | 879,894 | 877,858 |
| Change | — | +976 | +774 | +4,910 | +6,652 | −2,036 |
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 El Paso County
7 incorporated places lie at least partly in El Paso County. Together they are home to 765,100 people (87.2%); the other 112,758 (12.8%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is El Paso city, with 683,012 residents in the county. Among places with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Vinton village grew fastest since then (+33.3%).
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Paso cityCounty seat | 683,012 | +0.6% | 258.9 |
| Socorro city | 38,787 | +13.1% | 22 |
| Horizon City city | 25,118 | +11.8% | 8.714 |
| San Elizario city | 10,138 | +0.1% | 6.9 |
| Anthony town | 4,539 | +0.2% | 6.392 |
| Vinton village | 2,446 | +33.3% | 2.741 |
| Clint town | 1,060 | +15.8% | 1.964 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside El Paso County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
El Paso County is a central county of the El Paso, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its 2 county equivalents have 881,291 residents on 5,584 square miles of land; El Paso County accounts for 18.2% of the land and 99.6% of the residents. By combined land it ranks #40 of 393 metropolitan areas, and #71 by population. It belongs to the El Paso-Las Cruces, TX-NM Combined Statistical Area.
| County equivalent | Population 2025 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|
| El Paso County | 877,858 | 1,013.5 |
| Hudspeth County | 3,433 | 4,570.5 |
ZIP codes
31 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in El Paso County, and each lies mostly inside the county.
79821798357983679838798497985379901799027990379904799057990679907799087991179912799157991679918799207992279924799257992779928799307993279934799357993679938
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering El Paso County
El Paso County shares a land border with 3 county equivalents, including 2 in New Mexico. Each of them has more land than El Paso County. The largest neighbor is Otero County (6,612.6 mi²) and the smallest is Doña Ana County (3,808.2 mi²). Together with its neighbors, El Paso County forms a block of 16,004.8 mi² of land, of which it holds 6.3%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. El Paso | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Otero CountyNew Mexico | 6,612.6 | 6.5× larger | Compare |
| Hudspeth County | 4,570.5 | 4.5× larger | Compare |
| Doña Ana CountyNew Mexico | 3,808.2 | 3.8× larger | Compare |
How big is El Paso County compared with U.S. states?
El Paso County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 1 times as much. Texas’s county land could hold about 258 areas the size of El Paso County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 31.8 miles (51.2 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 El Paso County?
El Paso County has more land than 2,559 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 El Paso County at #756 nationally by total area, 93 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 0.2%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 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 El Paso County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #662 | Dawson County, Nebraska | 1,013.8 | Compare |
| #663 | El Paso County, Texas | 1,013.5 | This county |
| #664 | Chaffee County, Colorado | 1,013.4 | 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 31.762200, -106.241374. 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: 2,625,018,762 m²; AWATER: 4,548,528 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 El Paso County?
El Paso County, Texas has 1,013.5 square miles (2,625 km²) of land and 1.756 square miles of water, for a total area of 1,015.3 square miles. It ranks #663 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is El Paso County the largest county in Texas?
No. El Paso County ranks #70 of 254 in Texas by land area. The largest is Brewster County, with 6,183.8 square miles of land.
What counties border El Paso County?
El Paso County shares a land border with Hudspeth County, Doña Ana County, New Mexico, and Otero County, New Mexico.
What is the population of El Paso County?
The Census Bureau estimates El Paso County had 877,858 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #70 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 866 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of El Paso County?
The county seat of El Paso County is El Paso.
What cities and towns are in El Paso County?
El Paso County has 7 incorporated places. The most populous five are El Paso city, Socorro city, Horizon City city, San Elizario city, and Anthony town; 112,758 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is El Paso County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the El Paso, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has 2 county equivalents and 881,291 residents.
How many ZIP codes are in El Paso County?
31 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in El Paso 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 El Paso County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 1 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in El Paso County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 648,656 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 649,780 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.