County outline
Where Florence County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 98.1% of Florence County’s measured area and water for 1.9%. Its combined area converts to 1,288.1 square kilometers or approximately 318,294 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 488.029 | 1,263.989 | 312,338.6 |
| Water | 9.305 | 24.1 | 5,955.2 |
| Total | 497.334 | 1,288.089 | 318,293.8 |
How Florence County compares
By original Census land area, Florence County ranks #58 of 72 in Wisconsin and #2129 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.648 times the Wisconsin county-equivalent median of 753 square miles. It accounts for 0.9% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Wisconsin ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Florence County
The Census Bureau estimates that 4,748 people lived in Florence County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #2,910 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #71 of 72 in Wisconsin. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 4,559, the population has grown by 189 (+4.1%), compared with +1.3% for Wisconsin as a whole.
With 488 square miles of land, that is 9.7 people per square mile (3.8 per km²), placing Florence County #2,654 nationally for density and #70 in Wisconsin. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Wisconsin median is 51. Put another way, there are about 66 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 4,565 | 4,591 | 4,706 | 4,689 | 4,682 | 4,748 |
| Change | — | +26 | +115 | −17 | −7 | +66 |
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 Florence County
Florence County is divided into 8 cities and towns. In Wisconsin, county subdivisions are local governments, and together they cover all of the county’s land and residents.
The most populous is Florence town, with 2,193 residents (46.2% of the county), and it is also the largest by land at 153.6 mi².
| County subdivision | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florence townCounty seat | 2,193 | +4.1% | 153.6 | 31.5% |
| Aurora town | 1,020 | +3.2% | 38 | 7.8% |
| Commonwealth town | 407 | +5.2% | 42.5 | 8.7% |
| Homestead town | 400 | +3.6% | 53.9 | 11% |
| Fern town | 194 | +9.6% | 33.6 | 6.9% |
| Fence town | 189 | +3.8% | 89.6 | 18.4% |
| Long Lake town | 180 | +3.4% | 33.9 | 7% |
| Tipler town | 165 | +4.4% | 42.9 | 8.8% |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each subdivision inside Florence County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Florence County is an outlying county of the Iron Mountain, MI-WI Micropolitan Statistical Area. Its 2 county equivalents have 30,575 residents on 1,249 square miles of land; Florence County accounts for 39.1% of the land and 15.5% of the residents. By combined land it ranks #138 of 542 micropolitan areas, and #430 by population. It belongs to the Marinette-Iron Mountain, WI-MI Combined Statistical Area.
| County equivalent | Population 2025 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|
| Dickinson CountyMichigan | 25,827 | 761 |
| Florence County | 4,748 | 488 |
ZIP codes
4 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Florence County; 2 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
54120541215415154542
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 Florence County
Florence County shares a land border with 4 county equivalents, including 2 in Michigan. Each of them has more land than Florence County. The largest neighbor is Marinette County (1,399.5 mi²) and the smallest is Dickinson County (761 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Florence County forms a block of 4,828.8 mi² of land, of which it holds 10.1%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Florence | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marinette County | 1,399.5 | 2.9× larger | Compare |
| Iron CountyMichigan | 1,166.1 | 2.4× larger | Compare |
| Forest County | 1,014.3 | 2.1× larger | Compare |
| Dickinson CountyMichigan | 761 | 1.6× larger | Compare |
How big is Florence County compared with U.S. states?
Florence County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 2.1 times as much. Wisconsin’s county land could hold about 111 areas the size of Florence County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 22.1 miles (35.6 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 Florence County?
Florence County has more land than 1,093 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 Florence County at #2,195 nationally by total area, 66 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 1.9%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 0.7 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 Florence County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2128 | Marion County, South Carolina | 489.4 | Compare |
| #2129 | Florence County, Wisconsin | 488 | This county |
| #2130 | Merrick County, Nebraska | 487.8 | 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 45.871822, -88.406990. 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: 1,263,988,295 m²; AWATER: 24,099,863 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 Florence County?
Florence County, Wisconsin has 488 square miles (1,264 km²) of land and 9.305 square miles of water, for a total area of 497.3 square miles. It ranks #2129 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Florence County the largest county in Wisconsin?
No. Florence County ranks #58 of 72 in Wisconsin by land area. The largest is Marathon County, with 1,545.2 square miles of land.
What counties border Florence County?
Florence County shares a land border with Forest County, Iron County, Michigan, Marinette County, and Dickinson County, Michigan.
What is the population of Florence County?
The Census Bureau estimates Florence County had 4,748 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #2,910 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 9.7 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Florence County?
The county seat of Florence County is Florence.
What cities and towns are in Florence County?
Florence County has 8 county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships). The most populous five are Florence town, Aurora town, Commonwealth town, Homestead town, and Fern town.
Is Florence County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is an outlying county of the Iron Mountain, MI-WI Micropolitan Statistical Area, which has 2 county equivalents and 30,575 residents.
How many ZIP codes are in Florence County?
4 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Florence County, and 2 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Florence County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 2.1 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Florence County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 312,339 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 318,294 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.