County outline
Where Danville city is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 97.9% of Danville city’s measured area and water for 2.1%. Its combined area converts to 113.2 square kilometers or approximately 27,969 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 42.803 | 110.859 | 27,393.9 |
| Water | 0.899 | 2.328 | 575.4 |
| Total | 43.702 | 113.188 | 27,969.3 |
How Danville city compares
By original Census land area, Danville city ranks #103 of 133 in Virginia and #3146 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.138 times the Virginia county-equivalent median of 310 square miles. It accounts for 0.1% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Virginia ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Danville city
The Census Bureau estimates that 41,647 people lived in Danville city on July 1, 2025. That ranks #1,183 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #44 of 133 in Virginia. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 42,581, the population has declined by 934 (−2.2%), compared with +2.9% for Virginia as a whole.
With 42.8 square miles of land, that is 973 people per square mile (376 per km²), placing Danville city #195 nationally for density and #36 in Virginia. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Virginia median is 109. Put another way, there are about 0.658 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 42,572 | 42,280 | 42,068 | 42,060 | 41,958 | 41,647 |
| Change | — | −292 | −212 | −8 | −102 | −311 |
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 Danville city
Every resident of Danville city lives within Danville city. The city and the county equivalent cover the same territory, 42.8 square miles of land in the 2026 place Gazetteer, so there are no separate towns or unincorporated areas to list.
Metropolitan area
Danville city is a central county of the Danville, VA Micropolitan Statistical Area. Its 2 county equivalents have 101,137 residents on 1,011.8 square miles of land; Danville city accounts for 4.2% of the land and 41.2% of the residents. By combined land it ranks #176 of 542 micropolitan areas, and #34 by population.
| County equivalent | Population 2025 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsylvania County | 59,490 | 969 |
| Danville city | 41,647 | 42.8 |
ZIP codes
2 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Danville city; 0 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
2454024541
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 Danville city
Danville city shares a land border with 2 county equivalents, including 1 in North Carolina. Each of them has more land than Danville city. The largest neighbor is Pittsylvania County (969 mi²) and the smallest is Caswell County (425.5 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Danville city forms a block of 1,437.3 mi² of land, of which it holds 3%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Danville city | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsylvania County | 969 | 22.6× larger | Compare |
| Caswell CountyNorth Carolina | 425.5 | 9.9× larger | Compare |
How big is Danville city compared with U.S. states?
Danville city has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 24 times as much. Virginia’s county land could hold about 922 areas the size of Danville city.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 6.54 miles (10.5 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 Danville city?
Danville city has more land than 76 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 Danville city at #3,165 nationally by total area, 19 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 2.1%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 0.9 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 Danville city in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #3145 | Bayamón Municipio, Puerto Rico | 44.4 | Compare |
| #3146 | Danville city, Virginia | 42.8 | This county |
| #3147 | Corozal Municipio, Puerto Rico | 42.5 | 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 36.581754, -79.408258. 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: 110,858,280 m²; AWATER: 2,327,666 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 Danville city?
Danville city, Virginia has 42.8 square miles (110.9 km²) of land and 0.899 square miles of water, for a total area of 43.7 square miles. It ranks #3146 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Danville city the largest county in Virginia?
No. Danville city ranks #103 of 133 in Virginia by land area. The largest is Pittsylvania County, with 969 square miles of land.
What counties border Danville city?
Danville city shares a land border with Pittsylvania County and Caswell County, North Carolina.
What is the population of Danville city?
The Census Bureau estimates Danville city had 41,647 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #1,183 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 973 people per square mile of land.
Is Danville city part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Danville, VA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which has 2 county equivalents and 101,137 residents.
How many ZIP codes are in Danville city?
2 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Danville city, and 0 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Danville city compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 24.2 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Danville city?
The land measurement converts to approximately 27,394 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 27,969 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.