County outline
Where Staunton city is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 99.7% of Staunton city’s measured area and water for 0.3%. Its combined area converts to 51.7 square kilometers or approximately 12,785 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 19.92 | 51.593 | 12,748.8 |
| Water | 0.057 | 0.148 | 36.5 |
| Total | 19.977 | 51.74 | 12,785.3 |
How Staunton city compares
By original Census land area, Staunton city ranks #108 of 133 in Virginia and #3188 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.064 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 Staunton city
The Census Bureau estimates that 26,801 people lived in Staunton city on July 1, 2025. That ranks #1,590 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #69 of 133 in Virginia. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 25,750, the population has grown by 1,051 (+4.1%), compared with +2.9% for Virginia as a whole.
With 19.9 square miles of land, that is 1,345 people per square mile (519 per km²), placing Staunton city #134 nationally for density and #30 in Virginia. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Virginia median is 109. Put another way, there are about 0.476 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 25,810 | 25,707 | 25,924 | 25,855 | 26,260 | 26,801 |
| Change | — | −103 | +217 | −69 | +405 | +541 |
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 Staunton city
Every resident of Staunton city lives within Staunton city. The city and the county equivalent cover the same territory, 19.9 square miles of land in the 2026 place Gazetteer, so there are no separate towns or unincorporated areas to list.
Metropolitan area
Staunton city is a central county of the Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its 3 county equivalents have 129,692 residents on 1,002 square miles of land; Staunton city accounts for 2% of the land and 20.7% of the residents. By combined land it ranks #282 of 393 metropolitan areas, and #320 by population. It belongs to the Harrisonburg-Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA Combined Statistical Area.
| County equivalent | Population 2025 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|
| Augusta County | 78,940 | 967.1 |
| Staunton city | 26,801 | 19.9 |
| Waynesboro city | 23,951 | 15 |
ZIP codes
2 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Staunton city; 0 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
2440124482
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 Staunton city
Staunton city shares a land border with 1 county equivalent. Augusta County has 48.5 times its land area.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Staunton city | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Augusta County | 967.1 | 48.5× larger | Compare |
How big is Staunton city compared with U.S. states?
Staunton city has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 52 times as much. Virginia’s county land could hold about 1,982 areas the size of Staunton city.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 4.46 miles (7.2 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 Staunton city?
Staunton city has more land than 34 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 Staunton city at #3,195 nationally by total area, 7 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 Staunton city in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #3187 | Trujillo Alto Municipio, Puerto Rico | 20.7 | Compare |
| #3188 | Staunton city, Virginia | 19.9 | This county |
| #3189 | Loíza Municipio, Puerto Rico | 19.4 | 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 38.157978, -79.061876. 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: 51,593,820 m²; AWATER: 147,694 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 Staunton city?
Staunton city, Virginia has 19.9 square miles (51.6 km²) of land and 0.057 square miles of water, for a total area of 20 square miles. It ranks #3188 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Staunton city the largest county in Virginia?
No. Staunton city ranks #108 of 133 in Virginia by land area. The largest is Pittsylvania County, with 969 square miles of land.
What counties border Staunton city?
Staunton city shares a land border with Augusta County.
What is the population of Staunton city?
The Census Bureau estimates Staunton city had 26,801 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #1,590 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 1,345 people per square mile of land.
Is Staunton city part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has 3 county equivalents and 129,692 residents.
How many ZIP codes are in Staunton city?
2 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Staunton 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 Staunton city compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 51.9 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Staunton city?
The land measurement converts to approximately 12,749 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 12,785 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.