County outline
Where Iron County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 82.5% of Iron County’s measured area and water for 17.5%. Its combined area converts to 2,380.6 square kilometers or approximately 588,265 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 758.214 | 1,963.765 | 485,257 |
| Water | 160.95 | 416.859 | 103,008 |
| Total | 919.164 | 2,380.624 | 588,265 |
How Iron County compares
By original Census land area, Iron County ranks #36 of 72 in Wisconsin and #1159 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.007 times the Wisconsin county-equivalent median of 753 square miles. It accounts for 1.4% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Wisconsin ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Iron County
The Census Bureau estimates that 6,127 people lived in Iron County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #2,798 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #70 of 72 in Wisconsin. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 6,137, the population has declined by 10 (−0.2%), compared with +1.3% for Wisconsin as a whole.
With 758.2 square miles of land, that is 8.1 people per square mile (3.1 per km²), placing Iron County #2,715 nationally for density and #72 in Wisconsin. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Wisconsin median is 51. Put another way, there are about 79 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 6,144 | 6,179 | 6,222 | 6,249 | 6,196 | 6,127 |
| Change | — | +35 | +43 | +27 | −53 | −69 |
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 Iron County
Iron County is divided into 12 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 Mercer town, with 1,649 residents (26.9% of the county), and it is also the largest by land at 168.5 mi². The county seat, Hurley city, has 1,617 residents. Among those with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Hurley city grew fastest since then (+3.5%).
| County subdivision | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercer town | 1,649 | −0.1% | 168.5 | 22.2% |
| Hurley cityCounty seat | 1,617 | +3.5% | 3.244 | 0.4% |
| Montreal city | 769 | −4% | 2.221 | 0.3% |
| Kimball town | 489 | −1.2% | 37 | 4.9% |
| Oma town | 320 | +0.9% | 74.6 | 9.8% |
| Saxon town | 285 | −1.4% | 66.1 | 8.7% |
| Sherman town | 282 | −1.1% | 118.4 | 15.6% |
| Knight town | 204 | −2.4% | 94.1 | 12.4% |
| Carey town | 165 | −2.9% | 41.6 | 5.5% |
| Pence town | 153 | −3.2% | 32.4 | 4.3% |
| Gurney town | 142 | −3.4% | 36.9 | 4.9% |
| Anderson town | 52 | −3.7% | 83.3 | 11% |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each subdivision inside Iron County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Iron County is not part of any metropolitan or micropolitan statistical area in the Office of Management and Budget’s July 2023 delineation; 1,306 other county equivalents are also outside one. These areas are built around an urban core of at least 10,000 people plus the counties tied to it by commuting, so counties outside them are generally rural.
ZIP codes
12 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Iron County; 7 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
545145452554534545365453854545545475455054552545575455954565
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 Iron County
Iron County shares a land border with 4 county equivalents, including 1 in Michigan. Each of them has more land than Iron County. The largest neighbor is Price County (1,254.1 mi²) and the smallest is Vilas County (857.7 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Iron County forms a block of 5,017.1 mi² of land, of which it holds 15.1%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Iron | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price County | 1,254.1 | 1.7× larger | Compare |
| Gogebic CountyMichigan | 1,102.1 | 1.5× larger | Compare |
| Ashland County | 1,045 | 1.4× larger | Compare |
| Vilas County | 857.7 | 1.1× larger | Compare |
How big is Iron County compared with U.S. states?
Iron County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 1.4 times as much. Wisconsin’s county land could hold about 71 areas the size of Iron County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 27.5 miles (44.3 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 Iron County?
Iron County has more land than 2,063 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 Iron County at #906 nationally by total area, 253 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 17.5%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 16.3 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 Iron County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1158 | Poinsett County, Arkansas | 758.3 | Compare |
| #1159 | Iron County, Wisconsin | 758.2 | This county |
| #1160 | Piute County, Utah | 758.2 | 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 46.326550, -90.261298. 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: 1,963,763,895 m²; AWATER: 416,859,797 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 Iron County?
Iron County, Wisconsin has 758.2 square miles (1,963.8 km²) of land and 161 square miles of water, for a total area of 919.2 square miles. It ranks #1159 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Iron County the largest county in Wisconsin?
No. Iron County ranks #36 of 72 in Wisconsin by land area. The largest is Marathon County, with 1,545.2 square miles of land.
What counties border Iron County?
Iron County shares a land border with Ashland County, Gogebic County, Michigan, Vilas County, and Price County.
What is the population of Iron County?
The Census Bureau estimates Iron County had 6,127 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #2,798 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 8.1 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Iron County?
The county seat of Iron County is Hurley.
What cities and towns are in Iron County?
Iron County has 12 county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships). The most populous five are Mercer town, Hurley city, Montreal city, Kimball town, and Oma town.
Is Iron County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Iron County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Iron County?
12 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Iron County, and 7 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Iron County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 1.4 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Iron County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 485,257 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 588,265 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.