Alabama counties by area
Official, comparable measurements for 67 counties and county equivalents.
- 535.1–596.6 mi²
- 604–634 mi²
- 641.2–734.7 mi²
- 736.8–903.8 mi²
- 913.5–1,589.9 mi²
- 10–21 per mi²
- 22–37 per mi²
- 39–82 per mi²
- 84–168 per mi²
- 183–599 per mi²
Understanding Alabama’s county areas
The land-area range runs from Etowah County at 535.1 mi² to Baldwin County at 1,589.9 mi². The largest has 3 times the land area of the smallest and accounts for 3.1% of the combined county land in Alabama. Compare with every state’s largest county.
The median county-equivalent land area is 672.1 mi², above the national median of 604.5 mi². The median describes the middle of the county size distribution; it does not describe how people or development are distributed. A state with a few very large counties can have a much smaller median than its largest entry suggests.
Where water changes the picture
Baldwin County has the most assigned water area, at 437.3 mi². Mobile County has the highest water share, with water making up 25.2% of its total area. Water area and water percentage answer different questions: the first measures an amount, while the second measures the mix of land and water.
Across all 67 entries, water accounts for 3.4% of the combined total area. This is calculated from the summed land and water measurements, rather than averaging county percentages, which would give each small and large county equal weight.
Where people live
An estimated 5,193,088 people lived in Alabama on July 1, 2025 (+3.3% since 2020), or 1.5% of the national total in this dataset. Jefferson County is the most populous county equivalent, with 665,742 residents — 12.8% of the state. The largest by land, Baldwin County, has 267,761.
Across the state there are 103 people per square mile of land. County densities range from 599 in Jefferson County to 10 in Perry County; the median county equivalent has 49. Switch the map above to density to see where the state’s population concentrates.
Compare the largest and smallest county equivalents in Alabama to see land, water, and total area on the same scale.
These calculations use the 2026 Census county records listed below. County-equivalent boundaries vary between states; area alone does not measure population, density, or usable land. See coverage and calculation rules.
Complete area table
Sorted from largest to smallest land area.
| # | County / equivalent | Land | Water | Water share | Population | Per mi² |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baldwin CountyGEOID 01003 | 1,589.9 mi² | 437.3 mi² | 21.6% | 267,761 | 168 |
| 2 | Tuscaloosa CountyGEOID 01125 | 1,320.9 mi² | 30.4 mi² | 2.2% | 241,368 | 183 |
| 3 | Clarke CountyGEOID 01025 | 1,238.4 mi² | 14.2 mi² | 1.1% | 22,014 | 18 |
| 4 | Mobile CountyGEOID 01097 | 1,229.4 mi² | 414.7 mi² | 25.2% | 411,658 | 335 |
| 5 | Jefferson CountyGEOID 01073 | 1,111.6 mi² | 12.5 mi² | 1.1% | 665,742 | 599 |
| 6 | Washington CountyGEOID 01129 | 1,080.3 mi² | 8.3 mi² | 0.8% | 14,822 | 14 |
| 7 | Jackson CountyGEOID 01071 | 1,078 mi² | 48.8 mi² | 4.3% | 54,281 | 50 |
| 8 | Covington CountyGEOID 01039 | 1,030.6 mi² | 13.2 mi² | 1.3% | 37,947 | 37 |
| 9 | Monroe CountyGEOID 01099 | 1,025.7 mi² | 8.7 mi² | 0.8% | 18,965 | 18 |
| 10 | Dallas CountyGEOID 01047 | 978.7 mi² | 15.1 mi² | 1.5% | 35,140 | 36 |
| 11 | Marengo CountyGEOID 01091 | 976.9 mi² | 5.8 mi² | 0.6% | 18,311 | 19 |
| 12 | Escambia CountyGEOID 01053 | 945.4 mi² | 7.7 mi² | 0.8% | 36,665 | 39 |
| 13 | Choctaw CountyGEOID 01023 | 913.5 mi² | 7.4 mi² | 0.8% | 11,904 | 13 |
| 14 | Sumter CountyGEOID 01119 | 903.8 mi² | 9.5 mi² | 1% | 11,588 | 13 |
| 15 | Wilcox CountyGEOID 01131 | 887.9 mi² | 19.5 mi² | 2.2% | 9,666 | 11 |
| 16 | Barbour CountyGEOID 01005 | 885 mi² | 19.5 mi² | 2.2% | 24,607 | 28 |
| 17 | Pickens CountyGEOID 01107 | 881.4 mi² | 8.7 mi² | 1% | 18,221 | 21 |
| 18 | Conecuh CountyGEOID 01035 | 850.3 mi² | 2.5 mi² | 0.3% | 10,899 | 13 |
| 19 | Madison CountyGEOID 01089 | 801.7 mi² | 11 mi² | 1.4% | 433,516 | 541 |
| 20 | Walker CountyGEOID 01127 | 791.1 mi² | 14.1 mi² | 1.8% | 65,140 | 82 |
| 21 | Shelby CountyGEOID 01117 | 785.5 mi² | 24 mi² | 3% | 238,552 | 304 |
| 22 | Montgomery CountyGEOID 01101 | 785.4 mi² | 14.6 mi² | 1.8% | 225,891 | 288 |
| 23 | DeKalb CountyGEOID 01049 | 777.1 mi² | 1.6 mi² | 0.2% | 74,085 | 95 |
| 24 | Butler CountyGEOID 01013 | 776.8 mi² | 1 mi² | 0.1% | 18,100 | 23 |
| 25 | Marion CountyGEOID 01093 | 742.3 mi² | 1.2 mi² | 0.2% | 29,097 | 39 |
| 26 | Talladega CountyGEOID 01121 | 736.8 mi² | 23.5 mi² | 3.1% | 81,603 | 111 |
| 27 | Cullman CountyGEOID 01043 | 734.7 mi² | 20.3 mi² | 2.7% | 94,009 | 128 |
| 28 | Perry CountyGEOID 01105 | 719.7 mi² | 4.2 mi² | 0.6% | 7,425 | 10 |
| 29 | Tallapoosa CountyGEOID 01123 | 716.5 mi² | 49.7 mi² | 6.5% | 40,953 | 57 |
| 30 | Lowndes CountyGEOID 01085 | 716.1 mi² | 9 mi² | 1.2% | 9,359 | 13 |
| 31 | Chilton CountyGEOID 01021 | 692.8 mi² | 7.9 mi² | 1.1% | 47,708 | 69 |
| 32 | Lawrence CountyGEOID 01079 | 690.7 mi² | 26.5 mi² | 3.7% | 33,843 | 49 |
| 33 | Coffee CountyGEOID 01031 | 679.1 mi² | 1.4 mi² | 0.2% | 56,953 | 84 |
| 34 | Pike CountyGEOID 01109 | 672.1 mi² | 0.9 mi² | 0.1% | 33,688 | 50 |
| 35 | Lauderdale CountyGEOID 01077 | 668 mi² | 51.6 mi² | 7.2% | 97,135 | 145 |
| 36 | Coosa CountyGEOID 01037 | 650.9 mi² | 15.4 mi² | 2.3% | 10,161 | 16 |
| 37 | Greene CountyGEOID 01063 | 647 mi² | 12.9 mi² | 2% | 7,067 | 11 |
| 38 | Blount CountyGEOID 01009 | 644.9 mi² | 5.7 mi² | 0.9% | 60,156 | 93 |
| 39 | Hale CountyGEOID 01065 | 644 mi² | 12.5 mi² | 1.9% | 15,194 | 24 |
| 40 | Russell CountyGEOID 01113 | 641.2 mi² | 6 mi² | 0.9% | 58,898 | 92 |
| 41 | Franklin CountyGEOID 01059 | 634 mi² | 12.6 mi² | 1.9% | 32,449 | 51 |
| 42 | St. Clair CountyGEOID 01115 | 631.6 mi² | 21.7 mi² | 3.3% | 98,206 | 155 |
| 43 | Fayette CountyGEOID 01057 | 627.7 mi² | 1.7 mi² | 0.3% | 15,872 | 25 |
| 44 | Bullock CountyGEOID 01011 | 622.8 mi² | 2.3 mi² | 0.4% | 9,780 | 16 |
| 45 | Bibb CountyGEOID 01007 | 622.5 mi² | 3.7 mi² | 0.6% | 22,262 | 36 |
| 46 | Elmore CountyGEOID 01051 | 618.5 mi² | 38.5 mi² | 5.9% | 91,577 | 148 |
| 47 | Winston CountyGEOID 01133 | 613 mi² | 18.9 mi² | 3% | 23,829 | 39 |
| 48 | Crenshaw CountyGEOID 01041 | 608.9 mi² | 2.1 mi² | 0.3% | 13,175 | 22 |
| 49 | Macon CountyGEOID 01087 | 608.7 mi² | 4.5 mi² | 0.7% | 18,132 | 30 |
| 50 | Lee CountyGEOID 01081 | 607.6 mi² | 8.3 mi² | 1.3% | 189,881 | 313 |
| 51 | Calhoun CountyGEOID 01015 | 605.9 mi² | 6.4 mi² | 1% | 115,834 | 191 |
| 52 | Lamar CountyGEOID 01075 | 604.8 mi² | 0.6 mi² | 0.1% | 13,587 | 22 |
| 53 | Clay CountyGEOID 01027 | 604 mi² | 2 mi² | 0.3% | 14,207 | 24 |
| 54 | Chambers CountyGEOID 01017 | 596.6 mi² | 6.6 mi² | 1.1% | 34,253 | 57 |
| 55 | Autauga CountyGEOID 01001 | 594.5 mi² | 9.9 mi² | 1.6% | 61,920 | 104 |
| 56 | Colbert CountyGEOID 01033 | 593 mi² | 30.6 mi² | 4.9% | 59,474 | 100 |
| 57 | Randolph CountyGEOID 01111 | 580.6 mi² | 3.6 mi² | 0.6% | 23,163 | 40 |
| 58 | Houston CountyGEOID 01069 | 579.8 mi² | 1.9 mi² | 0.3% | 110,318 | 190 |
| 59 | Morgan CountyGEOID 01103 | 579.7 mi² | 19.4 mi² | 3.2% | 126,483 | 218 |
| 60 | Geneva CountyGEOID 01061 | 574.5 mi² | 4.5 mi² | 0.8% | 27,554 | 48 |
| 61 | Marshall CountyGEOID 01095 | 566 mi² | 57.2 mi² | 9.2% | 103,537 | 183 |
| 62 | Limestone CountyGEOID 01083 | 563.4 mi² | 43.8 mi² | 7.2% | 122,928 | 218 |
| 63 | Henry CountyGEOID 01067 | 561.9 mi² | 6.4 mi² | 1.1% | 18,394 | 33 |
| 64 | Dale CountyGEOID 01045 | 561.1 mi² | 1.6 mi² | 0.3% | 49,912 | 89 |
| 65 | Cleburne CountyGEOID 01029 | 560.1 mi² | 0.9 mi² | 0.2% | 15,970 | 29 |
| 66 | Cherokee CountyGEOID 01019 | 553.6 mi² | 46.4 mi² | 7.7% | 26,413 | 48 |
| 67 | Etowah CountyGEOID 01055 | 535.1 mi² | 13.5 mi² | 2.5% | 103,886 | 194 |