County outline
Where Kenosha County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 36.1% of Kenosha County’s measured area and water for 63.9%. Its combined area converts to 1,952.9 square kilometers or approximately 482,576 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 271.838 | 704.057 | 173,976.3 |
| Water | 482.187 | 1,248.859 | 308,599.7 |
| Total | 754.025 | 1,952.916 | 482,576 |
How Kenosha County compares
By original Census land area, Kenosha County ranks #69 of 72 in Wisconsin and #2864 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.361 times the Wisconsin county-equivalent median of 753 square miles. It accounts for 0.5% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Wisconsin ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Kenosha County
The Census Bureau estimates that 168,448 people lived in Kenosha County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #422 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #8 of 72 in Wisconsin. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 169,150, the population has declined by 702 (−0.4%), compared with +1.3% for Wisconsin as a whole.
With 271.8 square miles of land, that is 620 people per square mile (239 per km²), placing Kenosha County #282 nationally for density and #3 in Wisconsin. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Wisconsin median is 51. Put another way, there are about 1 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 169,186 | 168,464 | 167,870 | 167,852 | 168,448 | 168,448 |
| Change | — | −722 | −594 | −18 | +596 | 0 |
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 Kenosha County
Kenosha County is divided into 13 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 Kenosha city, with 99,239 residents (58.9% of the county). The largest by land is Brighton town, at 35.6 mi², or 13.1% of the county’s land. Among those with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Pleasant Prairie village grew fastest since then (+2.6%).
| County subdivision | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenosha cityCounty seat | 99,239 | −0.8% | 29.7 | 10.9% |
| Pleasant Prairie village | 21,798 | +2.6% | 33.4 | 12.3% |
| Salem Lakes village | 14,271 | −2.3% | 30.3 | 11.2% |
| Somers village | 8,171 | −2.8% | 25.8 | 9.5% |
| Twin Lakes village | 6,338 | +0.4% | 8.534 | 3.1% |
| Bristol village | 5,300 | +2% | 32.6 | 12% |
| Wheatland town | 3,337 | −1.6% | 23.7 | 8.7% |
| Randall town | 3,276 | −0.2% | 13.1 | 4.8% |
| Paddock Lake village | 2,974 | +1.8% | 3.061 | 1.1% |
| Brighton town | 1,438 | +0.9% | 35.6 | 13.1% |
| Paris town | 1,356 | −1.6% | 33.6 | 12.4% |
| Somers town | 947 | −2.5% | 2.251 | 0.8% |
| Genoa City village | 3 | 0% | 0.225 | 0.1% |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each subdivision inside Kenosha County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Kenosha County is a central county of the Kenosha, WI Metropolitan Statistical Area. Kenosha County is the area’s only county equivalent, so the metro area has the same 271.8 square miles of land. By combined land it ranks #389 of 393 metropolitan areas, and #269 by population. It belongs to the Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN-WI Combined Statistical Area.
ZIP codes
17 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Kenosha County; 11 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
5310453105531285313953140531425314353144531585316853170531775317953181531825319253403
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 Kenosha County
Kenosha County shares a land border with 4 county equivalents, including 2 in Illinois. Each of them has more land than Kenosha County. The largest neighbor is McHenry County (603.4 mi²) and the smallest is Racine County (332.6 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Kenosha County forms a block of 2,207 mi² of land, of which it holds 12.3%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Kenosha | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| McHenry CountyIllinois | 603.4 | 2.2× larger | Compare |
| Walworth County | 555.4 | 2× larger | Compare |
| Lake CountyIllinois | 443.7 | 1.6× larger | Compare |
| Racine County | 332.6 | 1.2× larger | Compare |
How big is Kenosha County compared with U.S. states?
Kenosha County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 3.8 times as much. Wisconsin’s county land could hold about 199 areas the size of Kenosha County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 16.5 miles (26.5 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 Kenosha County?
Kenosha County has more land than 358 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 Kenosha County at #1,275 nationally by total area, 1,589 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 63.9%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 62.8 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 Kenosha County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2863 | Crisp County, Georgia | 272.7 | Compare |
| #2864 | Kenosha County, Wisconsin | 271.8 | This county |
| #2865 | Lafayette Parish, Louisiana | 268.8 | 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 42.587526, -87.879996. 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: 704,057,257 m²; AWATER: 1,248,859,284 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 Kenosha County?
Kenosha County, Wisconsin has 271.8 square miles (704.1 km²) of land and 482.2 square miles of water, for a total area of 754 square miles. It ranks #2864 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Kenosha County the largest county in Wisconsin?
No. Kenosha County ranks #69 of 72 in Wisconsin by land area. The largest is Marathon County, with 1,545.2 square miles of land.
What counties border Kenosha County?
Kenosha County shares a land border with Racine County, Lake County, Illinois, Walworth County, and McHenry County, Illinois.
What is the population of Kenosha County?
The Census Bureau estimates Kenosha County had 168,448 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #422 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 620 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Kenosha County?
The county seat of Kenosha County is Kenosha.
What cities and towns are in Kenosha County?
Kenosha County has 13 county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships). The most populous five are Kenosha city, Pleasant Prairie village, Salem Lakes village, Somers village, and Twin Lakes village.
Is Kenosha County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Kenosha, WI Metropolitan Statistical Area.
How many ZIP codes are in Kenosha County?
17 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Kenosha County, and 11 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Kenosha County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 3.8 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Kenosha County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 173,976 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 482,576 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.