County outline
Where Orleans County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 96.2% of Orleans County’s measured area and water for 3.8%. Its combined area converts to 1,870.3 square kilometers or approximately 462,159 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 694.543 | 1,798.858 | 444,507.5 |
| Water | 27.58 | 71.432 | 17,651.2 |
| Total | 722.123 | 1,870.29 | 462,158.7 |
How Orleans County compares
By original Census land area, Orleans County ranks #5 of 14 in Vermont and #1347 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.02 times the Vermont county-equivalent median of 680.6 square miles. It accounts for 7.5% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Vermont ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Orleans County
The Census Bureau estimates that 27,600 people lived in Orleans County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #1,567 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #11 of 14 in Vermont. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 27,400, the population has grown by 200 (+0.7%), compared with +0.2% for Vermont as a whole.
With 694.5 square miles of land, that is 40 people per square mile (15 per km²), placing Orleans County #1,759 nationally for density and #13 in Vermont. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Vermont median is 57. Put another way, there are about 16 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 27,404 | 27,602 | 27,623 | 27,684 | 27,714 | 27,600 |
| Change | — | +198 | +21 | +61 | +30 | −114 |
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 Orleans County
Orleans County is divided into 19 cities and towns. In Vermont, county subdivisions are local governments, and together they cover all of the county’s land and residents.
The most populous is Derby town, with 4,456 residents (16.1% of the county). The largest by land is Lowell town, at 56.5 mi², or 8.1% of the county’s land. The county seat, Newport city, has 4,274 residents. Among those with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Newport town grew fastest since then (+69.2%).
| County subdivision | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Derby town | 4,456 | −2.6% | 49 | 7.1% |
| Newport cityCounty seat | 4,274 | −4.1% | 5.858 | 0.8% |
| Barton town | 2,732 | −4.9% | 42.7 | 6.2% |
| Newport townCounty seat | 2,583 | +69.2% | 41.5 | 6% |
| Troy town | 1,703 | −1.4% | 36.1 | 5.2% |
| Craftsbury town | 1,291 | −3.2% | 39 | 5.6% |
| Irasburg town | 1,199 | −3.2% | 40.3 | 5.8% |
| Glover town | 1,076 | −3.3% | 37.6 | 5.4% |
| Coventry town | 1,059 | −3.6% | 27 | 3.9% |
| Brownington town | 1,016 | −3.1% | 28.1 | 4% |
| Charleston town | 982 | −3.4% | 37.1 | 5.3% |
| Albany town | 940 | −3.5% | 38.5 | 5.5% |
| Lowell town | 883 | −0.8% | 56.5 | 8.1% |
| Greensboro town | 778 | −4.3% | 37.8 | 5.4% |
| Holland town | 618 | −3.3% | 37.9 | 5.5% |
Show the other 4 subdivisions
| Name | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morgan town | 615 | −3.8% | 31.2 |
| Jay town | 539 | −2.4% | 33.9 |
| Westfield town | 517 | −2.3% | 39.9 |
| Westmore town | 339 | −4.2% | 34.4 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each subdivision inside Orleans County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Orleans 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
24 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Orleans County; 22 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
054710582005822058250582605827058290583005833058390584105842058450584605847058530585505857058590586005868058720587405875
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 Orleans County
Orleans County shares a land border with 4 county equivalents. It has more land than every one of them. The largest neighbor is Essex County (662.4 mi²) and the smallest is Lamoille County (461.3 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Orleans County forms a block of 3,098.3 mi² of land, of which it holds 22.4%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Orleans | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essex County | 662.4 | about the same | Compare |
| Caledonia County | 649.2 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Franklin County | 631 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Lamoille County | 461.3 | 1.5× smaller | Compare |
How big is Orleans County compared with U.S. states?
Orleans County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 1.5 times as much. Vermont’s county land could hold about 13 areas the size of Orleans County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 26.4 miles (42.4 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 Orleans County?
Orleans County has more land than 1,875 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 Orleans County at #1,352 nationally by total area, 5 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 3.8%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 2.7 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 Orleans County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1346 | Carroll County, Missouri | 694.6 | Compare |
| #1347 | Orleans County, Vermont | 694.5 | This county |
| #1348 | Monona County, Iowa | 694.1 | 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 44.828442, -72.251630. 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: 1,798,858,280 m²; AWATER: 71,431,302 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 Orleans County?
Orleans County, Vermont has 694.5 square miles (1,798.9 km²) of land and 27.6 square miles of water, for a total area of 722.1 square miles. It ranks #1347 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Orleans County the largest county in Vermont?
No. Orleans County ranks #5 of 14 in Vermont by land area. The largest is Windsor County, with 969.1 square miles of land.
What counties border Orleans County?
Orleans County shares a land border with Caledonia County, Lamoille County, Essex County, and Franklin County.
What is the population of Orleans County?
The Census Bureau estimates Orleans County had 27,600 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #1,567 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 40 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Orleans County?
The county seat of Orleans County is Newport.
What cities and towns are in Orleans County?
Orleans County has 19 county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships). The most populous five are Derby town, Newport city, Barton town, Newport town, and Troy town.
Is Orleans County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Orleans County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Orleans County?
24 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Orleans County, and 22 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Orleans County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 1.5 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Orleans County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 444,508 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 462,159 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.