County outline
Where Van Zandt County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 98% of Van Zandt County’s measured area and water for 2%. Its combined area converts to 2,226.4 square kilometers or approximately 550,156 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 842.573 | 2,182.254 | 539,246.7 |
| Water | 17.045 | 44.146 | 10,908.8 |
| Total | 859.618 | 2,226.4 | 550,155.5 |
How Van Zandt County compares
By original Census land area, Van Zandt County ranks #185 of 254 in Texas and #989 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.927 times the Texas county-equivalent median of 908.7 square miles. It accounts for 0.3% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Texas ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Van Zandt County
The Census Bureau estimates that 66,130 people lived in Van Zandt County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #845 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #57 of 254 in Texas. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 59,536, the population has grown by 6,594 (+11.1%), compared with +8.8% for Texas as a whole.
With 842.6 square miles of land, that is 78 people per square mile (30 per km²), placing Van Zandt County #1,175 nationally for density and #60 in Texas. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Texas median is 22. Put another way, there are about 8.2 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 59,747 | 61,245 | 62,858 | 64,033 | 65,266 | 66,130 |
| Change | — | +1,498 | +1,613 | +1,175 | +1,233 | +864 |
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 Van Zandt County
8 incorporated places lie at least partly in Van Zandt County. Together they are home to 18,068 people (27.3%); the other 48,062 (72.7%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Canton city, with 5,070 residents in the county. By land, Mabank town is the largest at 8.731 mi² across all its counties. Among places with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Canton city grew fastest since then (+19.3%).
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canton cityCounty seat | 5,070 | +19.3% | 6.161 |
| Wills Point city | 4,033 | +8.4% | 3.665 |
| Grand Saline city | 3,319 | +7.1% | 2.098 |
| Van city | 2,993 | +12.2% | 3.041 |
| Edgewood town | 1,763 | +10.3% | 1.44 |
| Fruitvale city | 518 | +8.6% | 1.894 |
| Edom city | 372 | +9.1% | 2.508 |
| Mabank townAlso in 2 other counties | 0 | — | 8.731 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Van Zandt County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Van Zandt 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
13 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Van Zandt County; 8 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
75103751177512475127751407514775169757527575475756757587577875790
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 Van Zandt County
Van Zandt County shares a land border with 6 county equivalents. It has more land than 4 of them. The largest neighbor is Smith County (921.5 mi²) and the smallest is Rains County (229.5 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Van Zandt County forms a block of 5,133.8 mi² of land, of which it holds 16.4%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Van Zandt | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smith County | 921.5 | 1.1× larger | Compare |
| Henderson County | 873.8 | about the same | Compare |
| Hunt County | 840.4 | about the same | Compare |
| Kaufman County | 780.7 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Wood County | 645.3 | 1.3× smaller | Compare |
| Rains County | 229.5 | 3.7× smaller | Compare |
How big is Van Zandt County compared with U.S. states?
Van Zandt County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 1.2 times as much. Texas’s county land could hold about 310 areas the size of Van Zandt County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 29 miles (46.7 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 Van Zandt County?
Van Zandt County has more land than 2,233 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 Van Zandt County at #1,073 nationally by total area, 84 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 2%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 0.8 percentage points higher. 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 Van Zandt County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #988 | St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana | 845.3 | Compare |
| #989 | Van Zandt County, Texas | 842.6 | This county |
| #990 | Collin County, Texas | 841.6 | 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 32.558787, -95.836906. 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: 2,182,254,959 m²; AWATER: 44,145,130 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 Van Zandt County?
Van Zandt County, Texas has 842.6 square miles (2,182.3 km²) of land and 17 square miles of water, for a total area of 859.6 square miles. It ranks #989 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Van Zandt County the largest county in Texas?
No. Van Zandt County ranks #185 of 254 in Texas by land area. The largest is Brewster County, with 6,183.8 square miles of land.
What counties border Van Zandt County?
Van Zandt County shares a land border with Henderson County, Kaufman County, Smith County, Rains County, Hunt County, and Wood County.
What is the population of Van Zandt County?
The Census Bureau estimates Van Zandt County had 66,130 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #845 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 78 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Van Zandt County?
The county seat of Van Zandt County is Canton.
What cities and towns are in Van Zandt County?
Van Zandt County has 8 incorporated places. The most populous five are Canton city, Wills Point city, Grand Saline city, Van city, and Edgewood town; 48,062 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Van Zandt County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Van Zandt County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Van Zandt County?
13 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Van Zandt County, and 8 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Van Zandt County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 1.2 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Van Zandt County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 539,247 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 550,156 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.