County outline
Where Greene County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 99.6% of Greene County’s measured area and water for 0.4%. Its combined area converts to 405.6 square kilometers or approximately 100,221 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 155.947 | 403.901 | 99,806.1 |
| Water | 0.649 | 1.681 | 415.4 |
| Total | 156.596 | 405.582 | 100,221.4 |
How Greene County compares
By original Census land area, Greene County ranks #92 of 133 in Virginia and #3054 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.503 times the Virginia county-equivalent median of 310 square miles. It accounts for 0.4% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Virginia ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Greene County
The Census Bureau estimates that 21,958 people lived in Greene County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #1,776 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #78 of 133 in Virginia. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 20,548, the population has grown by 1,410 (+6.9%), compared with +2.9% for Virginia as a whole.
With 155.9 square miles of land, that is 141 people per square mile (54 per km²), placing Greene County #807 nationally for density and #59 in Virginia. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Virginia median is 109. Put another way, there are about 4.5 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 20,601 | 20,998 | 21,021 | 21,355 | 21,702 | 21,958 |
| Change | — | +397 | +23 | +334 | +347 | +256 |
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 Greene County
1 incorporated place lies at least partly in Greene County. Together they are home to 366 people (1.7%); the other 21,592 (98.3%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Stanardsville town, with 366 residents in the county.
Metropolitan area
Greene County is an outlying county of the Charlottesville, VA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its 5 county equivalents have 228,597 residents on 1,643.6 square miles of land; Greene County accounts for 9.5% of the land and 9.6% of the residents. By combined land it ranks #195 of 393 metropolitan areas, and #213 by population.
| County equivalent | Population 2025 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|
| Albemarle County | 118,356 | 720.5 |
| Charlottesville city | 44,388 | 10.2 |
| Fluvanna County | 28,975 | 286.2 |
| Greene County | 21,958 | 155.9 |
| Nelson County | 14,920 | 470.7 |
ZIP codes
5 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Greene County; 3 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
2292322935229402296822973
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 Greene County
Greene County shares a land border with 5 county equivalents. Each of them has more land than Greene County. The largest neighbor is Rockingham County (849.8 mi²) and the smallest is Page County (310 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Greene County forms a block of 2,697.3 mi² of land, of which it holds 5.8%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Greene | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rockingham County | 849.8 | 5.4× larger | Compare |
| Albemarle County | 720.5 | 4.6× larger | Compare |
| Orange County | 340.5 | 2.2× larger | Compare |
| Madison County | 320.6 | 2.1× larger | Compare |
| Page County | 310 | 2× larger | Compare |
How big is Greene County compared with U.S. states?
Greene County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 6.6 times as much. Virginia’s county land could hold about 253 areas the size of Greene County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 12.5 miles (20.1 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 Greene County?
Greene County has more land than 168 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 Greene County at #3,077 nationally by total area, 23 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 0.4%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 0.8 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 Greene County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #3053 | Boyd County, Kentucky | 159.9 | Compare |
| #3054 | Greene County, Virginia | 155.9 | This county |
| #3055 | Denver County, Colorado | 153.1 | 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 38.297981, -78.470163. 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: 403,900,813 m²; AWATER: 1,680,200 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 Greene County?
Greene County, Virginia has 155.9 square miles (403.9 km²) of land and 0.649 square miles of water, for a total area of 156.6 square miles. It ranks #3054 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Greene County the largest county in Virginia?
No. Greene County ranks #92 of 133 in Virginia by land area. The largest is Pittsylvania County, with 969 square miles of land.
What counties border Greene County?
Greene County shares a land border with Madison County, Albemarle County, Rockingham County, Orange County, and Page County.
What is the population of Greene County?
The Census Bureau estimates Greene County had 21,958 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #1,776 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 141 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Greene County?
The county seat of Greene County is Stanardsville.
Is Greene County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is an outlying county of the Charlottesville, VA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has 5 county equivalents and 228,597 residents.
How many ZIP codes are in Greene County?
5 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Greene County, and 3 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Greene County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 6.6 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Greene County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 99,806 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 100,221 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.