County outline
Where Iron County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 99.9% of Iron County’s measured area and water for 0.1%. Its combined area converts to 8,548.4 square kilometers or approximately 2,112,362 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 3,296.17 | 8,537.041 | 2,109,548.8 |
| Water | 4.395 | 11.383 | 2,812.8 |
| Total | 3,300.565 | 8,548.424 | 2,112,361.6 |
How Iron County compares
By original Census land area, Iron County ranks #11 of 29 in Utah and #155 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.358 times the Utah county-equivalent median of 2,427.6 square miles. It accounts for 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 Iron County
The Census Bureau estimates that 67,141 people lived in Iron County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #826 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #8 of 29 in Utah. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 57,272, the population has grown by 9,869 (+17.2%), compared with +8.2% for Utah as a whole.
With 3,296.2 square miles of land, that is 20 people per square mile (7.9 per km²), placing Iron County #2,312 nationally for density and #10 in Utah. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Utah median is 11. Put another way, there are about 31 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 57,703 | 60,514 | 62,544 | 64,306 | 65,559 | 67,141 |
| Change | — | +2,811 | +2,030 | +1,762 | +1,253 | +1,582 |
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 Iron County
6 incorporated places lie at least partly in Iron County. Together they are home to 55,231 people (82.3%); the other 11,910 (17.7%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Cedar City city, with 41,871 residents in the county. The county seat, Parowan city, has 3,282 residents. Among places with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Enoch city grew fastest since then (+19.8%).
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar City city | 41,871 | +18.8% | 36.5 |
| Enoch city | 8,847 | +19.8% | 8.009 |
| Parowan cityCounty seat | 3,282 | +9.5% | 7.408 |
| Paragonah town | 578 | +7.8% | 0.692 |
| Kanarraville town | 491 | +11.6% | 0.433 |
| Brian Head town | 162 | +11% | 6.493 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Iron County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Iron County is a central county of the Cedar City, UT Micropolitan Statistical Area. Iron County is the area’s only county equivalent, so the micro area has the same 3,296.2 square miles of land. By combined land it ranks #43 of 542 micropolitan areas, and #125 by population.
ZIP codes
11 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Iron County; 10 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
8471484719847208472184742847538475684757847608476184772
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 Iron County
Iron County shares a land border with 5 county equivalents, including 1 in Nevada. It has more land than 2 of them. The largest neighbor is Lincoln County (10,633.4 mi²) and the smallest is Washington County (2,427.6 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Iron County forms a block of 28,113.8 mi² of land, of which it holds 11.7%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Iron | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln CountyNevada | 10,633.4 | 3.2× larger | Compare |
| Garfield County | 5,179.6 | 1.6× larger | Compare |
| Kane County | 3,994.1 | 1.2× larger | Compare |
| Beaver County | 2,582.9 | 1.3× smaller | Compare |
| Washington County | 2,427.6 | 1.4× smaller | Compare |
How big is Iron County compared with U.S. states?
Iron County has more land than 2 of the 50 states. It is about 1.7 times the land area of Delaware (1,948.6 mi²), while Connecticut, the next larger state, has 1.5 times as much land (4,842.5 mi²). Utah’s county land could hold about 25 areas the size of Iron County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 57.4 miles (92.4 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 Iron County?
Iron County has more land than 3,067 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 Iron County at #165 nationally by total area, 10 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 0.1%, 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 Iron County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #154 | Powder River County, Montana | 3,298.2 | Compare |
| #155 | Iron County, Utah | 3,296.2 | This county |
| #156 | Monterey County, California | 3,281.7 | 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 37.909304, -113.306740. 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: 8,537,039,955 m²; AWATER: 11,383,428 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 Iron County?
Iron County, Utah has 3,296.2 square miles (8,537 km²) of land and 4.395 square miles of water, for a total area of 3,300.6 square miles. It ranks #155 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Iron County the largest county in Utah?
No. Iron County ranks #11 of 29 in Utah by land area. The largest is San Juan County, with 7,823.7 square miles of land.
What counties border Iron County?
Iron County shares a land border with Beaver County, Washington County, Garfield County, Lincoln County, Nevada, and Kane County.
What is the population of Iron County?
The Census Bureau estimates Iron County had 67,141 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #826 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 20 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Iron County?
The county seat of Iron County is Parowan.
What cities and towns are in Iron County?
Iron County has 6 incorporated places. The most populous five are Cedar City city, Enoch city, Parowan city, Paragonah town, and Kanarraville town; 11,910 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Iron County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Cedar City, UT Micropolitan Statistical Area.
How many ZIP codes are in Iron County?
11 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Iron County, and 10 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Iron 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 Iron County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 2,109,549 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 2,112,362 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.