County outline
Where Winchester city is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 99.8% of Winchester city’s measured area and water for 0.2%. Its combined area converts to 23.9 square kilometers or approximately 5,897 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 9.193 | 23.81 | 5,883.5 |
| Water | 0.021 | 0.054 | 13.4 |
| Total | 9.214 | 23.864 | 5,897 |
How Winchester city compares
By original Census land area, Winchester city ranks #121 of 133 in Virginia and #3209 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.03 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 Winchester city
The Census Bureau estimates that 28,272 people lived in Winchester city on July 1, 2025. That ranks #1,543 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #66 of 133 in Virginia. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 28,114, the population has grown by 158 (+0.6%), compared with +2.9% for Virginia as a whole.
With 9.2 square miles of land, that is 3,075 people per square mile (1,187 per km²), placing Winchester city #40 nationally for density and #11 in Virginia. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Virginia median is 109. Put another way, there are about 0.208 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 28,003 | 28,088 | 27,963 | 27,864 | 28,082 | 28,272 |
| Change | — | +85 | −125 | −99 | +218 | +190 |
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 Winchester city
Every resident of Winchester city lives within Winchester city. The city and the county equivalent cover the same territory, 9.193 square miles of land in the 2026 place Gazetteer, so there are no separate towns or unincorporated areas to list.
Metropolitan area
Winchester city is a central county of the Winchester, VA-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its 3 county equivalents have 152,332 residents on 1,062.7 square miles of land; Winchester city accounts for 0.9% of the land and 18.6% of the residents. By combined land it ranks #271 of 393 metropolitan areas, and #295 by population. It belongs to the Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA Combined Statistical Area.
| County equivalent | Population 2025 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|
| Frederick County | 99,955 | 413.1 |
| Winchester city | 28,272 | 9.2 |
| Hampshire CountyWest Virginia | 24,105 | 640.4 |
ZIP codes
1 ZIP Code Tabulation Area has land in Winchester city, and it lies mostly inside the county.
22601
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Winchester city
Winchester city shares a land border with 1 county equivalent. Frederick County has 44.9 times its land area.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Winchester city | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frederick County | 413.1 | 44.9× larger | Compare |
How big is Winchester city compared with U.S. states?
Winchester city has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 112 times as much. Virginia’s county land could hold about 4,295 areas the size of Winchester city.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 3.03 miles (4.9 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 Winchester city?
Winchester city has more land than 13 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 Winchester city at #3,209 nationally by total area, the same position as its land rank. Changing the area definition does not change its position in this release.
Its water share is 0.2%, 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 Winchester city in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #3208 | Radford city, Virginia | 9.7 | Compare |
| #3209 | Winchester city, Virginia | 9.2 | This county |
| #3210 | Williamsburg city, Virginia | 8.9 | 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 39.173869, -78.176356. 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: 23,809,506 m²; AWATER: 54,462 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 Winchester city?
Winchester city, Virginia has 9.193 square miles (23.8 km²) of land and 0.021 square miles of water, for a total area of 9.214 square miles. It ranks #3209 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Winchester city the largest county in Virginia?
No. Winchester city ranks #121 of 133 in Virginia by land area. The largest is Pittsylvania County, with 969 square miles of land.
What counties border Winchester city?
Winchester city shares a land border with Frederick County.
What is the population of Winchester city?
The Census Bureau estimates Winchester city had 28,272 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #1,543 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 3,075 people per square mile of land.
Is Winchester city part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Winchester, VA-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has 3 county equivalents and 152,332 residents.
How many ZIP codes are in Winchester city?
1 ZIP Code Tabulation Area has land in Winchester 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 Winchester city compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 112.5 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Winchester city?
The land measurement converts to approximately 5,884 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 5,897 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.