VA · GEOID 51760

Richmond city area

Richmond city, Virginia covers 62.6 square miles: 59.9 square miles of land and 2.6 square miles of water.

Official Census measurements2026 Gazetteer · retrieved September 27, 2026
Land area59.9 mi²
Water area2.6 mi²
Total area62.6 mi²
National land rank#3117

County outline

Generalized outline of Richmond city, 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 Richmond city is located

Richmond city highlighted on a map of all U.S. county equivalents. About the maps

Area breakdown

Land accounts for 95.8% of Richmond city’s measured area and water for 4.2%. Its combined area converts to 162.1 square kilometers or approximately 40,044 acres.

Green: land · blue: water

MeasurementSquare milesSquare kilometersAcres
Land59.925155.20538,352
Water2.6446.8481,692.2
Total62.569162.05340,044.2

How Richmond city compares

By original Census land area, Richmond city ranks #99 of 133 in Virginia and #3117 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

Its land area is 0.193 times the Virginia county-equivalent median of 310 square miles. It accounts for 0.2% of the combined county land area in the state.

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

What stands out about Richmond city?

Richmond city has more land than 105 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.

Land area compared with the typical county equivalent
Richmond city59.9 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 Richmond city at #3,141 nationally by total area, 24 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 4.2%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 3.1 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 Richmond city in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.

Land rankCounty equivalentLand mi²Comparison
#3116Lajas Municipio, Puerto Rico60Compare
#3117Richmond city, Virginia59.9This county
#3118Caguas Municipio, Puerto Rico58.6Compare

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 37.531399, -77.476009. 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: 155,205,053 m²; AWATER: 6,849,166 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 many acres of land are in Richmond city?

The land measurement converts to approximately 38,352 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 40,044 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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