MI · 2026 Census Gazetteer

Michigan counties by area

Official, comparable measurements for 83 counties and county equivalents.

Source fields preservedGEOID · ALAND · AWATER

County equivalents83

Combined land56,612.6 mi²

Combined water40,100.6 mi²

Largest by landMarquette County

Understanding Michigan’s county areas

The land-area range runs from Benzie County at 319.7 mi² to Marquette County at 1,809.1 mi². The largest has 5.7 times the land area of the smallest and accounts for 3.2% of the combined county land in Michigan.

The median county-equivalent land area is 567.8 mi², below 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

Keweenaw County has the most assigned water area, at 5,426.2 mi². It also has the highest water share, with water making up 90.9% 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 83 entries, water accounts for 41.5% 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.

Compare the largest and smallest county equivalents in Michigan 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
1	Marquette CountyGEOID 26103	1,809.1 mi²	1,615.9 mi²	47.2%
2	Chippewa CountyGEOID 26033	1,558.5 mi²	1,140 mi²	42.2%
3	Ontonagon CountyGEOID 26131	1,311 mi²	2,429.5 mi²	65%
4	Schoolcraft CountyGEOID 26153	1,171.9 mi²	712.1 mi²	37.8%
5	Delta CountyGEOID 26041	1,171.1 mi²	820.2 mi²	41.2%
6	Iron CountyGEOID 26071	1,166.1 mi²	45.1 mi²	3.7%
7	Gogebic CountyGEOID 26053	1,102.1 mi²	374.6 mi²	25.4%
8	Menominee CountyGEOID 26109	1,044 mi²	294.1 mi²	22%
9	Mackinac CountyGEOID 26097	1,021.9 mi²	1,078.7 mi²	51.4%
10	Houghton CountyGEOID 26061	1,009.1 mi²	492.4 mi²	32.8%
11	Sanilac CountyGEOID 26151	962.6 mi²	627.4 mi²	39.5%
12	Alger CountyGEOID 26003	915 mi²	4,132.6 mi²	81.9%
13	Luce CountyGEOID 26095	899.1 mi²	1,013.4 mi²	53%
14	Baraga CountyGEOID 26013	898.4 mi²	170.5 mi²	16%
15	Oakland CountyGEOID 26125	867.4 mi²	39.8 mi²	4.4%
16	Kent CountyGEOID 26081	849.5 mi²	22.4 mi²	2.6%
17	Newaygo CountyGEOID 26123	838.9 mi²	22.8 mi²	2.6%
18	Huron CountyGEOID 26063	835.9 mi²	1,300.9 mi²	60.9%
19	Allegan CountyGEOID 26005	825.4 mi²	1,007.9 mi²	55%
20	Tuscola CountyGEOID 26157	804.9 mi²	109 mi²	11.9%
21	Saginaw CountyGEOID 26145	800.8 mi²	15.2 mi²	1.9%
22	Dickinson CountyGEOID 26043	761 mi²	15.6 mi²	2%
23	Lenawee CountyGEOID 26091	749.7 mi²	11.7 mi²	1.5%
24	St. Clair CountyGEOID 26147	721.5 mi²	115 mi²	13.7%
25	Cheboygan CountyGEOID 26031	715.3 mi²	170.1 mi²	19.2%
26	Calhoun CountyGEOID 26025	706.3 mi²	12.1 mi²	1.7%
27	Washtenaw CountyGEOID 26161	706 mi²	16.4 mi²	2.3%
28	Montcalm CountyGEOID 26117	705.3 mi²	15.4 mi²	2.1%
29	Jackson CountyGEOID 26075	701.9 mi²	21.6 mi²	3%
30	Alcona CountyGEOID 26001	674.7 mi²	1,116 mi²	62.3%
31	Presque Isle CountyGEOID 26141	658.7 mi²	1,914 mi²	74.4%
32	Lapeer CountyGEOID 26087	647.5 mi²	15.4 mi²	2.3%
33	Genesee CountyGEOID 26049	636.9 mi²	12.6 mi²	1.9%
34	Wayne CountyGEOID 26163	611.8 mi²	60.5 mi²	9%
35	Van Buren CountyGEOID 26159	607.8 mi²	482.1 mi²	44.2%
36	Hillsdale CountyGEOID 26059	598.2 mi²	8.8 mi²	1.5%
37	Eaton CountyGEOID 26045	575.2 mi²	4.2 mi²	0.7%
38	Isabella CountyGEOID 26073	572.7 mi²	5 mi²	0.9%
39	Alpena CountyGEOID 26007	571.9 mi²	1,123 mi²	66.3%
40	Ionia CountyGEOID 26067	571.3 mi²	8.7 mi²	1.5%
41	Gratiot CountyGEOID 26057	568.4 mi²	3.2 mi²	0.6%
42	Berrien CountyGEOID 26021	567.8 mi²	1,013.6 mi²	64.1%
43	Lake CountyGEOID 26085	567.6 mi²	6.7 mi²	1.2%
44	Clinton CountyGEOID 26037	567.3 mi²	7.2 mi²	1.3%
45	Osceola CountyGEOID 26133	566.3 mi²	6.7 mi²	1.2%
46	Oscoda CountyGEOID 26135	565.7 mi²	5.8 mi²	1%
47	Livingston CountyGEOID 26093	565.3 mi²	20.1 mi²	3.4%
48	Wexford CountyGEOID 26165	564.9 mi²	10.5 mi²	1.8%
49	Missaukee CountyGEOID 26113	564.8 mi²	9.1 mi²	1.6%
50	Clare CountyGEOID 26035	564.4 mi²	11 mi²	1.9%
51	Ottawa CountyGEOID 26139	563.5 mi²	1,067.9 mi²	65.5%
52	Ogemaw CountyGEOID 26129	563.5 mi²	11.4 mi²	2%
53	Kalamazoo CountyGEOID 26077	562 mi²	18.3 mi²	3.2%
54	Kalkaska CountyGEOID 26079	559.7 mi²	10.8 mi²	1.9%
55	Crawford CountyGEOID 26039	556.4 mi²	6.9 mi²	1.2%
56	Ingham CountyGEOID 26065	556.1 mi²	4.6 mi²	0.8%
57	Mecosta CountyGEOID 26107	555.2 mi²	16.1 mi²	2.8%
58	Barry CountyGEOID 26015	553.1 mi²	23.9 mi²	4.1%
59	Iosco CountyGEOID 26069	549.5 mi²	1,340.6 mi²	70.9%
60	Monroe CountyGEOID 26115	549.4 mi²	130.6 mi²	19.2%
61	Montmorency CountyGEOID 26119	546.7 mi²	16 mi²	2.8%
62	Manistee CountyGEOID 26101	542.3 mi²	738.4 mi²	57.7%
63	Keweenaw CountyGEOID 26083	540.1 mi²	5,426.2 mi²	90.9%
64	Oceana CountyGEOID 26127	538.1 mi²	767.8 mi²	58.8%
65	Shiawassee CountyGEOID 26155	531.1 mi²	9.8 mi²	1.8%
66	Roscommon CountyGEOID 26143	519.9 mi²	60.1 mi²	10.4%
67	Midland CountyGEOID 26111	518.4 mi²	9.6 mi²	1.8%
68	Otsego CountyGEOID 26137	515 mi²	11.2 mi²	2.1%
69	Branch CountyGEOID 26023	506.4 mi²	13.3 mi²	2.6%
70	Muskegon CountyGEOID 26121	503.9 mi²	956.1 mi²	65.5%
71	Gladwin CountyGEOID 26051	501.8 mi²	14.2 mi²	2.7%
72	St. Joseph CountyGEOID 26149	500.6 mi²	20.4 mi²	3.9%
73	Mason CountyGEOID 26105	495 mi²	747.3 mi²	60.2%
74	Cass CountyGEOID 26027	490.1 mi²	18.2 mi²	3.6%
75	Macomb CountyGEOID 26099	479.4 mi²	91.6 mi²	16%
76	Antrim CountyGEOID 26009	475.7 mi²	126.1 mi²	20.9%
77	Emmet CountyGEOID 26047	467.5 mi²	414.5 mi²	47%
78	Grand Traverse CountyGEOID 26055	464.3 mi²	137 mi²	22.8%
79	Bay CountyGEOID 26017	442.4 mi²	188.3 mi²	29.9%
80	Charlevoix CountyGEOID 26029	416.3 mi²	974.1 mi²	70.1%
81	Arenac CountyGEOID 26011	363.2 mi²	317.5 mi²	46.6%
82	Leelanau CountyGEOID 26089	347.2 mi²	2,185 mi²	86.3%
83	Benzie CountyGEOID 26019	319.7 mi²	539.9 mi²	62.8%

How to read this table. Land and water areas are Census statistical measurements in square miles. Adding county rows can differ slightly from separately published state totals because of rounding and geographic treatment.