Campbell County area

Campbell County, Virginia covers 506.7 square miles: 503.3 square miles of land and 3.432 square miles of water. Its county seat is Rustburg. An estimated 55,629 people lived there in 2025.

Official Census measurements · GEOID 510312026 Gazetteer · retrieved September 27, 2026
Land area503.3 mi²
Water area3.432 mi²
Population (2025)55,629
People per mi²111

County outline

Generalized outline of Campbell County, Virginia
2025 Census cartographic boundary, fitted to this frame. County maps are not at a common scale. The 2026 area measurements below come from the separate Gazetteer release. Map source and limitations.

Where Campbell County is located

Campbell County highlighted on a map of all U.S. county equivalents. About the maps

Area breakdown

Land accounts for 99.3% of Campbell County’s measured area and water for 0.7%. Its combined area converts to 1,312.3 square kilometers or approximately 324,281 acres.

Green: land · blue: water

MeasurementSquare milesSquare kilometersAcres
Land503.2571,303.43322,084.5
Water3.4328.8892,196.5
Total506.6891,312.318324,281

How Campbell County compares

By original Census land area, Campbell County ranks #23 of 133 in Virginia and #2066 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

Its land area is 1.623 times the Virginia county-equivalent median of 310 square miles. It accounts for 1.3% of the combined county land area in the state.

See the complete Virginia ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?

Population and density of Campbell County

The Census Bureau estimates that 55,629 people lived in Campbell County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #954 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #33 of 133 in Virginia. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 55,654, the population has declined by 25 (−0%), compared with +2.9% for Virginia as a whole.

With 503.3 square miles of land, that is 111 people per square mile (43 per km²), placing Campbell County #928 nationally for density and #66 in Virginia. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Virginia median is 109. Put another way, there are about 5.8 acres of land per resident.

Estimated population, 2020–2025 · line scaled to this county’s own range
July 1202020212022202320242025
Estimate55,59855,32655,03455,30855,56355,629
Change—−272−292+274+255+66

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 Campbell County

2 incorporated places lie at least partly in Campbell County. Together they are home to 4,436 people (8%); the other 51,193 (92%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.

The largest is Altavista town, with 3,353 residents in the county.

Incorporated placePopulation 2025Since 2020Land mi²
Altavista town3,353−0.7%5.262
Brookneal town1,083−0.8%3.496

Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Campbell County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.

Metropolitan area

Campbell County is a central county of the Lynchburg, VA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its 5 county equivalents have 269,169 residents on 2,120.5 square miles of land; Campbell County accounts for 23.7% of the land and 20.7% of the residents. By combined land it ranks #147 of 393 metropolitan areas, and #189 by population.

County equivalentPopulation 2025Land mi²
Bedford County83,059760.1
Lynchburg city81,34748.9
Campbell County55,629503.3
Amherst County31,962474
Appomattox County17,172334.2

ZIP codes

14 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Campbell County; 9 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.

2396324501245022450424517245282453824550245512455424569245712458824593

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 Campbell County

Campbell County shares a land border with 7 county equivalents. It has more land than 4 of them. The largest neighbor is Pittsylvania County (969 mi²) and the smallest is Lynchburg city (48.9 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Campbell County forms a block of 4,382.5 mi² of land, of which it holds 11.5%.

Map of Campbell County and the 7 county equivalents that border it Bedford County, Virginia: 760.1 mi² landPittsylvania County, Virginia: 969 mi² landAppomattox County, Virginia: 334.2 mi² landCharlotte County, Virginia: 475.3 mi² landHalifax County, Virginia: 817.7 mi² landLynchburg city, Virginia: 48.9 mi² landAmherst County, Virginia: 474 mi² land
Campbell County (dark) and its bordering county equivalents. Select a neighbor to open its profile. Drawn from the 2025 Census cartographic boundaries in an equal-area projection. How borders are determined.
Bordering county equivalentLand mi²Size vs. CampbellCompare
Pittsylvania County9691.9× largerCompare
Halifax County817.71.6× largerCompare
Bedford County760.11.5× largerCompare
Charlotte County475.31.1× smallerCompare
Amherst County4741.1× smallerCompare
Appomattox County334.21.5× smallerCompare
Lynchburg city48.910.3× smallerCompare

How big is Campbell County compared with U.S. states?

Campbell County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 2.1 times as much. Virginia’s county land could hold about 78 areas the size of Campbell County.

Land area: Campbell County and the closest-sized states
Campbell County503.3 mi²
Rhode Island1,033.9 mi²

Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 22.4 miles (36.1 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 Campbell County?

Campbell County has more land than 1,156 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.

Land area compared with the typical county equivalent
Campbell County503.3 mi²
Virginia median310 mi²
National median604.5 mi²

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 Campbell County at #2,152 nationally by total area, 86 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 0.7%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 0.5 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 Campbell County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.

Land rankCounty equivalentLand mi²Comparison
#2065Davidson County, Tennessee503.5Compare
#2066Campbell County, Virginia503.3This county
#2067Buchanan County, Virginia502.9Compare

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 37.210152, -79.095428. 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: 1,303,430,806 m²; AWATER: 8,887,975 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.

Download the official county source ZIP ↗ · Methodology

Common questions

How big is Campbell County?

Campbell County, Virginia has 503.3 square miles (1,303.4 km²) of land and 3.432 square miles of water, for a total area of 506.7 square miles. It ranks #2066 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.

Is Campbell County the largest county in Virginia?

No. Campbell County ranks #23 of 133 in Virginia by land area. The largest is Pittsylvania County, with 969 square miles of land.

What counties border Campbell County?

Campbell County shares a land border with Bedford County, Pittsylvania County, Appomattox County, Charlotte County, Halifax County, Lynchburg city, and Amherst County.

What is the population of Campbell County?

The Census Bureau estimates Campbell County had 55,629 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #954 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 111 people per square mile of land.

What is the county seat of Campbell County?

The county seat of Campbell County is Rustburg.

What cities and towns are in Campbell County?

Campbell County has 2 incorporated places. The most populous are Altavista town and Brookneal town; 51,193 residents live outside any incorporated place.

Is Campbell County part of a metropolitan area?

Yes. It is a central county of the Lynchburg, VA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has 5 county equivalents and 269,169 residents.

How many ZIP codes are in Campbell County?

14 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Campbell County, and 9 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.

How does Campbell County compare with U.S. states?

It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 2.1 times as much land.

How many acres of land are in Campbell County?

The land measurement converts to approximately 322,084 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 324,281 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.

Cite this county

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