County outline
Where Lee County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 99.2% of Lee County’s measured area and water for 0.8%. Its combined area converts to 1,642.3 square kilometers or approximately 405,828 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 629.062 | 1,629.263 | 402,599.7 |
| Water | 5.044 | 13.064 | 3,228.2 |
| Total | 634.106 | 1,642.327 | 405,827.8 |
How Lee County compares
By original Census land area, Lee County ranks #226 of 254 in Texas and #1527 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.692 times the Texas county-equivalent median of 908.7 square miles. It accounts for 0.2% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Texas ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Lee County
The Census Bureau estimates that 18,729 people lived in Lee County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #1,953 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #130 of 254 in Texas. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 17,480, the population has grown by 1,249 (+7.1%), compared with +8.8% for Texas as a whole.
With 629.1 square miles of land, that is 30 people per square mile (11 per km²), placing Lee County #2,010 nationally for density and #110 in Texas. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Texas median is 22. Put another way, there are about 21 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 17,504 | 17,685 | 17,972 | 18,259 | 18,501 | 18,729 |
| Change | — | +181 | +287 | +287 | +242 | +228 |
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 Lee County
2 incorporated places lie at least partly in Lee County. Together they are home to 6,767 people (36.1%); the other 11,962 (63.9%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Giddings city, with 5,425 residents in the county. Among places with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Lexington town grew fastest since then (+10.7%).
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Giddings cityCounty seat | 5,425 | +8.7% | 5.281 |
| Lexington town | 1,342 | +10.7% | 1.429 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Lee County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Lee 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
9 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Lee County; 5 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
778537862178650786597894278945789467894778948
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 Lee County
Lee County shares a land border with 6 county equivalents. It has more land than 1 of them. The largest neighbor is Williamson County (1,115.9 mi²) and the smallest is Washington County (604.2 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Lee County forms a block of 5,862.7 mi² of land, of which it holds 10.7%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Lee | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Williamson County | 1,115.9 | 1.8× larger | Compare |
| Milam County | 1,016.4 | 1.6× larger | Compare |
| Fayette County | 949.9 | 1.5× larger | Compare |
| Bastrop County | 888.2 | 1.4× larger | Compare |
| Burleson County | 659.1 | about the same | Compare |
| Washington County | 604.2 | about the same | Compare |
How big is Lee County compared with U.S. states?
Lee County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 1.6 times as much. Texas’s county land could hold about 415 areas the size of Lee County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 25.1 miles (40.4 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 Lee County?
Lee County has more land than 1,695 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 Lee County at #1,633 nationally by total area, 106 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 0.8%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 0.4 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 Lee County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1526 | Ripley County, Missouri | 629.5 | Compare |
| #1527 | Lee County, Texas | 629.1 | This county |
| #1528 | Calhoun County, Arkansas | 628.6 | 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 30.321343, -96.976637. 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: 1,629,263,067 m²; AWATER: 13,064,172 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 Lee County?
Lee County, Texas has 629.1 square miles (1,629.3 km²) of land and 5.044 square miles of water, for a total area of 634.1 square miles. It ranks #1527 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Lee County the largest county in Texas?
No. Lee County ranks #226 of 254 in Texas by land area. The largest is Brewster County, with 6,183.8 square miles of land.
What counties border Lee County?
Lee County shares a land border with Bastrop County, Burleson County, Fayette County, Milam County, Washington County, and Williamson County.
What is the population of Lee County?
The Census Bureau estimates Lee County had 18,729 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #1,953 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 30 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Lee County?
The county seat of Lee County is Giddings.
What cities and towns are in Lee County?
Lee County has 2 incorporated places. The most populous are Giddings city and Lexington town; 11,962 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Lee County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Lee County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Lee County?
9 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Lee County, and 5 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Lee County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 1.6 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Lee County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 402,600 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 405,828 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.