County outline
Where Manitowoc County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 39.4% of Manitowoc County’s measured area and water for 60.6%. Its combined area converts to 3,869.6 square kilometers or approximately 956,209 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 589.309 | 1,526.303 | 377,157.8 |
| Water | 904.768 | 2,343.338 | 579,051.5 |
| Total | 1,494.077 | 3,869.642 | 956,209.3 |
How Manitowoc County compares
By original Census land area, Manitowoc County ranks #48 of 72 in Wisconsin and #1661 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.783 times the Wisconsin county-equivalent median of 753 square miles. It accounts for 1.1% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Wisconsin ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Manitowoc County
The Census Bureau estimates that 81,710 people lived in Manitowoc County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #726 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #21 of 72 in Wisconsin. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 81,364, the population has grown by 346 (+0.4%), compared with +1.3% for Wisconsin as a whole.
With 589.3 square miles of land, that is 139 people per square mile (54 per km²), placing Manitowoc County #811 nationally for density and #19 in Wisconsin. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Wisconsin median is 51. Put another way, there are about 4.6 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 81,401 | 81,544 | 81,400 | 81,600 | 81,883 | 81,710 |
| Change | — | +143 | −144 | +200 | +283 | −173 |
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 Manitowoc County
Manitowoc County is divided into 30 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 Manitowoc city, with 34,671 residents (42.4% of the county). The largest by land is Kossuth town, at 38.4 mi², or 6.5% of the county’s land. Among those with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Schleswig town grew fastest since then (+2.7%).
| County subdivision | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manitowoc cityCounty seat | 34,671 | +0.1% | 18 | 3% |
| Two Rivers city | 11,222 | −0.4% | 6.059 | 1% |
| Kiel city | 3,628 | +1.1% | 2.113 | 0.4% |
| Manitowoc Rapids town | 2,184 | +2.4% | 26.8 | 4.6% |
| Newton town | 2,117 | −0.3% | 33.9 | 5.8% |
| Kossuth town | 1,978 | +1% | 38.4 | 6.5% |
| Schleswig town | 1,957 | +2.7% | 32.9 | 5.6% |
| Two Rivers town | 1,688 | +0.5% | 31.2 | 5.3% |
| Cato town | 1,676 | +2.6% | 34.5 | 5.9% |
| Cleveland village | 1,582 | +0.2% | 2.036 | 0.3% |
| Meeme town | 1,446 | +0.4% | 36.1 | 6.1% |
| Mishicot village | 1,428 | −0.1% | 2.551 | 0.4% |
| Gibson town | 1,338 | +1.2% | 35 | 5.9% |
| Mishicot town | 1,335 | +0.4% | 27.5 | 4.7% |
| Cooperstown town | 1,292 | −0.3% | 35 | 5.9% |
Show the other 15 subdivisions
| Name | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty town | 1,253 | +0.5% | 35.1 |
| Franklin town | 1,249 | +0.7% | 35.9 |
| Reedsville village | 1,191 | −0.3% | 1.212 |
| Manitowoc townCounty seat | 1,074 | +1.4% | 6.095 |
| Rockland town | 982 | +0.5% | 34.2 |
| Valders village | 959 | +0.4% | 1.439 |
| Eaton town | 821 | +1% | 35.2 |
| Maple Grove town | 793 | +1.9% | 35.3 |
| Whitelaw village | 756 | +2% | 0.525 |
| St. Nazianz village | 715 | +0.3% | 0.794 |
| Francis Creek village | 681 | +3.7% | 1.136 |
| Centerville town | 641 | +1.4% | 23.7 |
| Two Creeks town | 392 | +0.3% | 14.9 |
| Maribel village | 350 | +4.2% | 1.166 |
| Kellnersville village | 311 | −0.6% | 0.539 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each subdivision inside Manitowoc County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Manitowoc County is a central county of the Manitowoc, WI Micropolitan Statistical Area. Manitowoc County is the area’s only county equivalent, so the micro area has the same 589.3 square miles of land. By combined land it ranks #361 of 542 micropolitan areas, and #68 by population.
ZIP codes
20 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Manitowoc County; 14 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
5301453015530205304253061530635411054126542075420854214542155422054227542285423054232542415424554247
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 Manitowoc County
Manitowoc County shares a land border with 4 county equivalents. It has more land than every one of them. The largest neighbor is Brown County (530.1 mi²) and the smallest is Calumet County (318.3 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Manitowoc County forms a block of 2,291.6 mi² of land, of which it holds 25.7%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Manitowoc | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brown County | 530.1 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Sheboygan County | 511.5 | 1.2× smaller | Compare |
| Kewaunee County | 342.5 | 1.7× smaller | Compare |
| Calumet County | 318.3 | 1.9× smaller | Compare |
How big is Manitowoc County compared with U.S. states?
Manitowoc County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 1.8 times as much. Wisconsin’s county land could hold about 92 areas the size of Manitowoc County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 24.3 miles (39.1 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 Manitowoc County?
Manitowoc County has more land than 1,561 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 Manitowoc County at #456 nationally by total area, 1,205 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 60.6%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 59.4 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 Manitowoc County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1660 | Boone County, Arkansas | 589.7 | Compare |
| #1661 | Manitowoc County, Wisconsin | 589.3 | This county |
| #1662 | McDonough County, Illinois | 589.3 | 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 44.156137, -87.577352. 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: 1,526,302,539 m²; AWATER: 2,343,337,597 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 Manitowoc County?
Manitowoc County, Wisconsin has 589.3 square miles (1,526.3 km²) of land and 904.8 square miles of water, for a total area of 1,494.1 square miles. It ranks #1661 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Manitowoc County the largest county in Wisconsin?
No. Manitowoc County ranks #48 of 72 in Wisconsin by land area. The largest is Marathon County, with 1,545.2 square miles of land.
What counties border Manitowoc County?
Manitowoc County shares a land border with Calumet County, Brown County, Sheboygan County, and Kewaunee County.
What is the population of Manitowoc County?
The Census Bureau estimates Manitowoc County had 81,710 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #726 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 139 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Manitowoc County?
The county seat of Manitowoc County is Manitowoc.
What cities and towns are in Manitowoc County?
Manitowoc County has 30 county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships). The most populous five are Manitowoc city, Two Rivers city, Kiel city, Manitowoc Rapids town, and Newton town.
Is Manitowoc County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Manitowoc, WI Micropolitan Statistical Area.
How many ZIP codes are in Manitowoc County?
20 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Manitowoc County, and 14 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Manitowoc County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 1.8 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Manitowoc County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 377,158 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 956,209 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.