County outline
Where Charlotte County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 99.5% of Charlotte County’s measured area and water for 0.5%. Its combined area converts to 1,236.8 square kilometers or approximately 305,625 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 475.296 | 1,231.011 | 304,189.4 |
| Water | 2.243 | 5.809 | 1,435.5 |
| Total | 477.539 | 1,236.82 | 305,625 |
How Charlotte County compares
By original Census land area, Charlotte County ranks #28 of 133 in Virginia and #2168 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.533 times the Virginia county-equivalent median of 310 square miles. It accounts for 1.2% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Virginia ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Charlotte County
The Census Bureau estimates that 11,401 people lived in Charlotte County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #2,396 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #110 of 133 in Virginia. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 11,530, the population has declined by 129 (−1.1%), compared with +2.9% for Virginia as a whole.
With 475.3 square miles of land, that is 24 people per square mile (9.3 per km²), placing Charlotte County #2,173 nationally for density and #126 in Virginia. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Virginia median is 109. Put another way, there are about 27 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 11,538 | 11,499 | 11,422 | 11,408 | 11,323 | 11,401 |
| Change | — | −39 | −77 | −14 | −85 | +78 |
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 Charlotte County
4 incorporated places lie at least partly in Charlotte County. Together they are home to 2,032 people (17.8%); the other 9,369 (82.2%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Keysville town, with 791 residents in the county. The county seat, Charlotte Court House town, has 499 residents. By land, Drakes Branch town is the largest at 4.138 mi².
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keysville town | 791 | −1.5% | 1.176 |
| Drakes Branch town | 519 | −1.7% | 4.138 |
| Charlotte Court House townCounty seat | 499 | −1.6% | 3.963 |
| Phenix town | 223 | −1.8% | 1.153 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Charlotte County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Charlotte 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
14 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Charlotte County; 8 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
2392323924239342393723947239582395923962239632396423967239762452224528
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 Charlotte County
Charlotte County shares a land border with 6 county equivalents. It has more land than 3 of them. The largest neighbor is Halifax County (817.7 mi²) and the smallest is Appomattox County (334.2 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Charlotte County forms a block of 3,537.5 mi² of land, of which it holds 13.4%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Charlotte | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Halifax County | 817.7 | 1.7× larger | Compare |
| Mecklenburg County | 625.3 | 1.3× larger | Compare |
| Campbell County | 503.3 | 1.1× larger | Compare |
| Lunenburg County | 431.7 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Prince Edward County | 349.9 | 1.4× smaller | Compare |
| Appomattox County | 334.2 | 1.4× smaller | Compare |
How big is Charlotte County compared with U.S. states?
Charlotte County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 2.2 times as much. Virginia’s county land could hold about 83 areas the size of Charlotte County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 21.8 miles (35.1 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 Charlotte County?
Charlotte County has more land than 1,054 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 Charlotte County at #2,252 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 0.5%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 0.7 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 Charlotte County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2167 | Dixon County, Nebraska | 475.6 | Compare |
| #2168 | Charlotte County, Virginia | 475.3 | This county |
| #2169 | Carroll County, Virginia | 474.7 | 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 37.009042, -78.658568. 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: 1,231,010,112 m²; AWATER: 5,809,377 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 Charlotte County?
Charlotte County, Virginia has 475.3 square miles (1,231 km²) of land and 2.243 square miles of water, for a total area of 477.5 square miles. It ranks #2168 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Charlotte County the largest county in Virginia?
No. Charlotte County ranks #28 of 133 in Virginia by land area. The largest is Pittsylvania County, with 969 square miles of land.
What counties border Charlotte County?
Charlotte County shares a land border with Halifax County, Prince Edward County, Mecklenburg County, Lunenburg County, Campbell County, and Appomattox County.
What is the population of Charlotte County?
The Census Bureau estimates Charlotte County had 11,401 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #2,396 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 24 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Charlotte County?
The county seat of Charlotte County is Charlotte Court House.
What cities and towns are in Charlotte County?
Charlotte County has 4 incorporated places. The most populous are Keysville town, Drakes Branch town, Charlotte Court House town, and Phenix town; 9,369 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Charlotte County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Charlotte County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Charlotte County?
14 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Charlotte 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 Charlotte County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 2.2 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Charlotte County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 304,189 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 305,625 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.