County outline
Where Grand County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 99.7% of Grand County’s measured area and water for 0.3%. Its combined area converts to 9,543.3 square kilometers or approximately 2,358,199 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 3,672.858 | 9,512.659 | 2,350,629.1 |
| Water | 11.828 | 30.634 | 7,569.9 |
| Total | 3,684.686 | 9,543.293 | 2,358,199 |
How Grand County compares
By original Census land area, Grand County ranks #9 of 29 in Utah and #137 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.513 times the Utah county-equivalent median of 2,427.6 square miles. It accounts for 4.4% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Utah ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Grand County
The Census Bureau estimates that 9,790 people lived in Grand County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #2,500 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #22 of 29 in Utah. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 9,671, the population has grown by 119 (+1.2%), compared with +8.2% for Utah as a whole.
With 3,672.9 square miles of land, that is 2.7 people per square mile (1 per km²), placing Grand County #3,013 nationally for density and #20 in Utah. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Utah median is 11. Put another way, there are about 240 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 9,683 | 9,686 | 9,807 | 9,779 | 9,700 | 9,790 |
| Change | — | +3 | +121 | −28 | −79 | +90 |
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 Grand County
2 incorporated places lie at least partly in Grand County. Together they are home to 5,575 people (56.9%); the other 4,215 (43.1%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Moab city, with 5,206 residents in the county. By land, Castle Valley town is the largest at 8.79 mi².
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moab cityCounty seat | 5,206 | −2.8% | 4.81 |
| Castle Valley town | 369 | +6% | 8.79 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Grand County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Grand 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
4 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Grand County; 3 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
84515845258453284540
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 Grand County
Grand County shares a land border with 5 county equivalents, including 2 in Colorado. It has more land than 2 of them. The largest neighbor is San Juan County (7,823.7 mi²) and the smallest is Garfield County (2,947.4 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Grand County forms a block of 26,718.2 mi² of land, of which it holds 13.7%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Grand | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Juan County | 7,823.7 | 2.1× larger | Compare |
| Uintah County | 4,482.9 | 1.2× larger | Compare |
| Emery County | 4,462.6 | 1.2× larger | Compare |
| Mesa CountyColorado | 3,328.7 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Garfield CountyColorado | 2,947.4 | 1.2× smaller | Compare |
How big is Grand County compared with U.S. states?
Grand County has more land than 2 of the 50 states. It is about 1.9 times the land area of Delaware (1,948.6 mi²), while Connecticut, the next larger state, has 1.3 times as much land (4,842.5 mi²). Utah’s county land could hold about 22 areas the size of Grand County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 60.6 miles (97.5 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 Grand County?
Grand County has more land than 3,085 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 Grand County at #148 nationally by total area, 11 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 0.3%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 0.8 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 Grand County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #136 | Sandoval County, New Mexico | 3,710.2 | Compare |
| #137 | Grand County, Utah | 3,672.9 | This county |
| #138 | Valley County, Idaho | 3,665.1 | 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 38.974326, -109.573450. 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: 9,512,657,345 m²; AWATER: 30,634,866 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 Grand County?
Grand County, Utah has 3,672.9 square miles (9,512.7 km²) of land and 11.8 square miles of water, for a total area of 3,684.7 square miles. It ranks #137 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Grand County the largest county in Utah?
No. Grand County ranks #9 of 29 in Utah by land area. The largest is San Juan County, with 7,823.7 square miles of land.
What counties border Grand County?
Grand County shares a land border with Emery County, Mesa County, Colorado, Uintah County, San Juan County, and Garfield County, Colorado.
What is the population of Grand County?
The Census Bureau estimates Grand County had 9,790 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #2,500 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 2.7 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Grand County?
The county seat of Grand County is Moab.
What cities and towns are in Grand County?
Grand County has 2 incorporated places. The most populous are Moab city and Castle Valley town; 4,215 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Grand County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Grand County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Grand County?
4 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Grand County, and 3 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Grand County compare with U.S. states?
It has more land than 2 of the 50 states, including Delaware (1,948.6 square miles of land).
How many acres of land are in Grand County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 2,350,629 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 2,358,199 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.