County outline
Where Harrisonburg city is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 99.7% of Harrisonburg city’s measured area and water for 0.3%. Its combined area converts to 45 square kilometers or approximately 11,128 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 17.336 | 44.9 | 11,095 |
| Water | 0.051 | 0.132 | 32.6 |
| Total | 17.387 | 45.032 | 11,127.7 |
How Harrisonburg city compares
By original Census land area, Harrisonburg city ranks #109 of 133 in Virginia and #3191 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.056 times the Virginia county-equivalent median of 310 square miles. It accounts for 0% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Virginia ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Harrisonburg city
The Census Bureau estimates that 50,839 people lived in Harrisonburg city on July 1, 2025. That ranks #1,016 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #36 of 133 in Virginia. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 51,808, the population has declined by 969 (−1.9%), compared with +2.9% for Virginia as a whole.
With 17.3 square miles of land, that is 2,933 people per square mile (1,132 per km²), placing Harrisonburg city #45 nationally for density and #13 in Virginia. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Virginia median is 109. Put another way, there are about 0.218 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 51,698 | 51,451 | 51,011 | 50,976 | 50,792 | 50,839 |
| Change | — | −247 | −440 | −35 | −184 | +47 |
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 Harrisonburg city
Every resident of Harrisonburg city lives within Harrisonburg city. The city and the county equivalent cover the same territory, 17.3 square miles of land in the 2026 place Gazetteer, so there are no separate towns or unincorporated areas to list.
Metropolitan area
Harrisonburg city is a central county of the Harrisonburg, VA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its 2 county equivalents have 140,155 residents on 867.1 square miles of land; Harrisonburg city accounts for 2% of the land and 36.3% of the residents. By combined land it ranks #298 of 393 metropolitan areas, and #307 by population. It belongs to the Harrisonburg-Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA Combined Statistical Area.
| County equivalent | Population 2025 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|
| Rockingham County | 89,316 | 849.8 |
| Harrisonburg city | 50,839 | 17.3 |
ZIP codes
3 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Harrisonburg city; 1 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
228012280222807
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 Harrisonburg city
Harrisonburg city shares a land border with 1 county equivalent. Rockingham County has 49 times its land area.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Harrisonburg city | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rockingham County | 849.8 | 49× larger | Compare |
How big is Harrisonburg city compared with U.S. states?
Harrisonburg city has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 60 times as much. Virginia’s county land could hold about 2,277 areas the size of Harrisonburg city.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 4.16 miles (6.7 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 Harrisonburg city?
Harrisonburg city has more land than 31 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 Harrisonburg city at #3,196 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 0.3%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 0.9 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 Harrisonburg city in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #3190 | Barceloneta Municipio, Puerto Rico | 18.7 | Compare |
| #3191 | Harrisonburg city, Virginia | 17.3 | This county |
| #3192 | Poquoson city, Virginia | 15.4 | 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 38.436255, -78.873303. 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: 44,898,873 m²; AWATER: 131,080 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 Harrisonburg city?
Harrisonburg city, Virginia has 17.3 square miles (44.9 km²) of land and 0.051 square miles of water, for a total area of 17.4 square miles. It ranks #3191 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Harrisonburg city the largest county in Virginia?
No. Harrisonburg city ranks #109 of 133 in Virginia by land area. The largest is Pittsylvania County, with 969 square miles of land.
What counties border Harrisonburg city?
Harrisonburg city shares a land border with Rockingham County.
What is the population of Harrisonburg city?
The Census Bureau estimates Harrisonburg city had 50,839 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #1,016 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 2,933 people per square mile of land.
Is Harrisonburg city part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Harrisonburg, VA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has 2 county equivalents and 140,155 residents.
How many ZIP codes are in Harrisonburg city?
3 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Harrisonburg city, and 1 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Harrisonburg city compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 59.6 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Harrisonburg city?
The land measurement converts to approximately 11,095 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 11,128 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.