County outline
Where Skagit County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 90.3% of Skagit County’s measured area and water for 9.7%. Its combined area converts to 4,965.1 square kilometers or approximately 1,226,903 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 1,730.232 | 4,481.28 | 1,107,348.5 |
| Water | 186.804 | 483.82 | 119,554.6 |
| Total | 1,917.036 | 4,965.1 | 1,226,903 |
How Skagit County compares
By original Census land area, Skagit County ranks #21 of 39 in Washington and #345 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.995 times the Washington county-equivalent median of 1,738.8 square miles. It accounts for 2.6% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Washington ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Skagit County
The Census Bureau estimates that 132,975 people lived in Skagit County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #501 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #11 of 39 in Washington. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 129,517, the population has grown by 3,458 (+2.7%), compared with +3.8% for Washington as a whole.
With 1,730.2 square miles of land, that is 77 people per square mile (30 per km²), placing Skagit County #1,189 nationally for density and #14 in Washington. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Washington median is 39. Put another way, there are about 8.3 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 129,885 | 131,013 | 131,116 | 131,453 | 132,250 | 132,975 |
| Change | — | +1,128 | +103 | +337 | +797 | +725 |
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 Skagit County
8 incorporated places lie at least partly in Skagit County. Together they are home to 80,470 people (60.5%); the other 52,505 (39.5%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Mount Vernon city, with 35,193 residents in the county. Among places with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Burlington city grew fastest since then (+23.9%).
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Vernon cityCounty seat | 35,193 | −0.1% | 12.3 |
| Anacortes city | 18,080 | +2.6% | 11.7 |
| Sedro-Woolley city | 13,308 | +6.9% | 4.455 |
| Burlington city | 11,356 | +23.9% | 4.281 |
| La Conner town | 991 | +2.3% | 0.398 |
| Concrete town | 822 | +3.1% | 1.173 |
| Lyman town | 431 | +0.9% | 0.671 |
| Hamilton town | 289 | −2.7% | 1.197 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Skagit County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Skagit County is a central county of the Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Skagit County is the area’s only county equivalent, so the metro area has the same 1,730.2 square miles of land. By combined land it ranks #183 of 393 metropolitan areas, and #316 by population. It belongs to the Seattle-Tacoma, WA Combined Statistical Area.
ZIP codes
17 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Skagit County; 13 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
9822198229982329823398235982379823898241982559825798263982679827398274982839828498292
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 Skagit County
Skagit County shares a land border with 4 county equivalents. Each of them has more land than Skagit County. The largest neighbor is Okanogan County (5,266.2 mi²) and the smallest is Snohomish County (2,086.5 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Skagit County forms a block of 14,112 mi² of land, of which it holds 12.3%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Skagit | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Okanogan County | 5,266.2 | 3× larger | Compare |
| Chelan County | 2,921.2 | 1.7× larger | Compare |
| Whatcom County | 2,107.9 | 1.2× larger | Compare |
| Snohomish County | 2,086.5 | 1.2× larger | Compare |
How big is Skagit County compared with U.S. states?
Skagit County has more land than 1 of the 50 states. It is about 1.7 times the land area of Rhode Island (1,033.9 mi²), while Delaware, the next larger state, has 1.1 times as much land (1,948.6 mi²). Washington’s county land could hold about 38 areas the size of Skagit County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 41.6 miles (66.9 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 Skagit County?
Skagit County has more land than 2,877 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 Skagit County at #336 nationally by total area, 9 places closer to the top than its land rank. The water assigned to this geography moves it ahead of some county equivalents with more land.
Its water share is 9.7%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 8.6 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 Skagit County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #344 | Bonner County, Idaho | 1,733.2 | Compare |
| #345 | Skagit County, Washington | 1,730.2 | This county |
| #346 | Granite County, Montana | 1,727.2 | 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 48.461313, -121.816113. 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: 4,481,279,014 m²; AWATER: 483,819,821 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 Skagit County?
Skagit County, Washington has 1,730.2 square miles (4,481.3 km²) of land and 186.8 square miles of water, for a total area of 1,917 square miles. It ranks #345 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Skagit County the largest county in Washington?
No. Skagit County ranks #21 of 39 in Washington by land area. The largest is Okanogan County, with 5,266.2 square miles of land.
What counties border Skagit County?
Skagit County shares a land border with Whatcom County, Snohomish County, Chelan County, and Okanogan County.
What is the population of Skagit County?
The Census Bureau estimates Skagit County had 132,975 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #501 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 77 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Skagit County?
The county seat of Skagit County is Mount Vernon.
What cities and towns are in Skagit County?
Skagit County has 8 incorporated places. The most populous five are Mount Vernon city, Anacortes city, Sedro-Woolley city, Burlington city, and La Conner town; 52,505 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Skagit County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA Metropolitan Statistical Area.
How many ZIP codes are in Skagit County?
17 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Skagit County, and 13 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Skagit County compare with U.S. states?
It has more land than 1 of the 50 states, including Rhode Island (1,033.9 square miles of land).
How many acres of land are in Skagit County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 1,107,348 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 1,226,903 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.