Pennsylvania counties by area
Official, comparable measurements for 67 counties and county equivalents.
- 130.3–411 mi²
- 427.3–545.5 mi²
- 551.5–772.3 mi²
- 778.8–889.9 mi²
- 904.4–1,228.9 mi²
- 11–52 per mi²
- 59–97 per mi²
- 100–196 per mi²
- 207–472 per mi²
- 508–11,720 per mi²
Understanding Pennsylvania’s county areas
The land-area range runs from Montour County at 130.3 mi² to Lycoming County at 1,228.9 mi². The largest has 9.4 times the land area of the smallest and accounts for 2.7% of the combined county land in Pennsylvania. Compare with every state’s largest county.
The median county-equivalent land area is 653.3 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
Erie County has the most assigned water area, at 759.1 mi². It also has the highest water share, with water making up 48.7% 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 2.8% 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 13,059,432 people lived in Pennsylvania on July 1, 2025 (+0.4% since 2020), or 3.8% of the national total in this dataset. Philadelphia County is the most populous county equivalent, with 1,574,281 residents — 12.1% of the state. The largest by land, Lycoming County, has 112,587.
Across the state there are 292 people per square mile of land. County densities range from 11,720 in Philadelphia County to 11 in Cameron County; the median county equivalent has 137. Switch the map above to density to see where the state’s population concentrates.
Compare the largest and smallest county equivalents in Pennsylvania 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 | Lycoming CountyGEOID 42081 | 1,228.9 mi² | 15 mi² | 1.2% | 112,587 | 92 |
| 2 | Bradford CountyGEOID 42015 | 1,147.4 mi² | 13.6 mi² | 1.2% | 59,600 | 52 |
| 3 | Clearfield CountyGEOID 42033 | 1,144.9 mi² | 9.3 mi² | 0.8% | 78,100 | 68 |
| 4 | Tioga CountyGEOID 42117 | 1,133.9 mi² | 3.2 mi² | 0.3% | 40,502 | 36 |
| 5 | Centre CountyGEOID 42027 | 1,107.3 mi² | 4.4 mi² | 0.4% | 157,393 | 142 |
| 6 | Potter CountyGEOID 42105 | 1,081.2 mi² | 0.2 mi² | 0% | 15,897 | 15 |
| 7 | Somerset CountyGEOID 42111 | 1,075 mi² | 6.6 mi² | 0.6% | 72,004 | 67 |
| 8 | Westmoreland CountyGEOID 42129 | 1,027.7 mi² | 8.2 mi² | 0.8% | 349,324 | 340 |
| 9 | Crawford CountyGEOID 42039 | 1,012.4 mi² | 25.2 mi² | 2.4% | 81,792 | 81 |
| 10 | Bedford CountyGEOID 42009 | 1,012 mi² | 4.6 mi² | 0.5% | 47,480 | 47 |
| 11 | McKean CountyGEOID 42083 | 979.7 mi² | 5 mi² | 0.5% | 38,984 | 40 |
| 12 | Lancaster CountyGEOID 42071 | 943.9 mi² | 39.9 mi² | 4.1% | 563,159 | 597 |
| 13 | York CountyGEOID 42133 | 904.4 mi² | 6.4 mi² | 0.7% | 473,197 | 523 |
| 14 | Luzerne CountyGEOID 42079 | 889.9 mi² | 16.2 mi² | 1.8% | 332,126 | 373 |
| 15 | Clinton CountyGEOID 42035 | 889.8 mi² | 8.9 mi² | 1% | 37,870 | 43 |
| 16 | Warren CountyGEOID 42123 | 884.3 mi² | 14.4 mi² | 1.6% | 37,038 | 42 |
| 17 | Huntingdon CountyGEOID 42061 | 874.6 mi² | 14.6 mi² | 1.6% | 43,001 | 49 |
| 18 | Washington CountyGEOID 42125 | 857 mi² | 3.8 mi² | 0.4% | 210,802 | 246 |
| 19 | Berks CountyGEOID 42011 | 856.4 mi² | 9.4 mi² | 1.1% | 440,072 | 514 |
| 20 | Indiana CountyGEOID 42063 | 827.4 mi² | 7 mi² | 0.8% | 82,878 | 100 |
| 21 | Elk CountyGEOID 42047 | 827 mi² | 4.9 mi² | 0.6% | 29,926 | 36 |
| 22 | Susquehanna CountyGEOID 42115 | 823.5 mi² | 8.6 mi² | 1% | 38,237 | 46 |
| 23 | Erie CountyGEOID 42049 | 799 mi² | 759.1 mi² | 48.7% | 265,832 | 333 |
| 24 | Fayette CountyGEOID 42051 | 790.8 mi² | 8 mi² | 1% | 123,021 | 156 |
| 25 | Butler CountyGEOID 42019 | 789.5 mi² | 6.2 mi² | 0.8% | 200,169 | 254 |
| 26 | Schuylkill CountyGEOID 42107 | 778.8 mi² | 4 mi² | 0.5% | 145,085 | 186 |
| 27 | Franklin CountyGEOID 42055 | 772.3 mi² | 0.6 mi² | 0.1% | 160,652 | 208 |
| 28 | Chester CountyGEOID 42029 | 750.6 mi² | 8.6 mi² | 1.1% | 557,116 | 742 |
| 29 | Allegheny CountyGEOID 42003 | 730 mi² | 14.3 mi² | 1.9% | 1,225,035 | 1,678 |
| 30 | Wayne CountyGEOID 42127 | 725.8 mi² | 25 mi² | 3.3% | 51,703 | 71 |
| 31 | Cambria CountyGEOID 42021 | 688 mi² | 5.3 mi² | 0.8% | 128,968 | 187 |
| 32 | Venango CountyGEOID 42121 | 674.3 mi² | 8.6 mi² | 1.3% | 49,346 | 73 |
| 33 | Mercer CountyGEOID 42085 | 672.5 mi² | 10 mi² | 1.5% | 107,860 | 160 |
| 34 | Armstrong CountyGEOID 42005 | 653.3 mi² | 10.7 mi² | 1.6% | 63,698 | 97 |
| 35 | Jefferson CountyGEOID 42065 | 652.5 mi² | 4.4 mi² | 0.7% | 43,255 | 66 |
| 36 | Monroe CountyGEOID 42089 | 608.4 mi² | 8.8 mi² | 1.4% | 167,179 | 275 |
| 37 | Bucks CountyGEOID 42017 | 604.4 mi² | 17.5 mi² | 2.8% | 647,828 | 1,072 |
| 38 | Clarion CountyGEOID 42031 | 600.8 mi² | 9 mi² | 1.5% | 36,680 | 61 |
| 39 | Greene CountyGEOID 42059 | 575.9 mi² | 2 mi² | 0.4% | 33,885 | 59 |
| 40 | Perry CountyGEOID 42099 | 551.5 mi² | 4.1 mi² | 0.7% | 46,806 | 85 |
| 41 | Cumberland CountyGEOID 42041 | 545.5 mi² | 4.9 mi² | 0.9% | 277,270 | 508 |
| 42 | Pike CountyGEOID 42103 | 544.9 mi² | 21.9 mi² | 3.9% | 62,808 | 115 |
| 43 | Blair CountyGEOID 42013 | 525.1 mi² | 1.3 mi² | 0.2% | 119,541 | 228 |
| 44 | Dauphin CountyGEOID 42043 | 524.9 mi² | 33.2 mi² | 6% | 293,351 | 559 |
| 45 | Adams CountyGEOID 42001 | 518.6 mi² | 3.1 mi² | 0.6% | 107,594 | 207 |
| 46 | Columbia CountyGEOID 42037 | 483.3 mi² | 7.2 mi² | 1.5% | 66,193 | 137 |
| 47 | Montgomery CountyGEOID 42091 | 482.9 mi² | 4.2 mi² | 0.9% | 877,643 | 1,817 |
| 48 | Lackawanna CountyGEOID 42069 | 458.8 mi² | 6.1 mi² | 1.3% | 216,502 | 472 |
| 49 | Northumberland CountyGEOID 42097 | 457.7 mi² | 19.6 mi² | 4.1% | 89,920 | 196 |
| 50 | Sullivan CountyGEOID 42113 | 449.9 mi² | 2.6 mi² | 0.6% | 5,856 | 13 |
| 51 | Fulton CountyGEOID 42057 | 437.6 mi² | 0.5 mi² | 0.1% | 14,483 | 33 |
| 52 | Beaver CountyGEOID 42007 | 434.7 mi² | 9.3 mi² | 2.1% | 166,032 | 382 |
| 53 | Forest CountyGEOID 42053 | 427.3 mi² | 3.2 mi² | 0.8% | 6,614 | 15 |
| 54 | Mifflin CountyGEOID 42087 | 411 mi² | 3.7 mi² | 0.9% | 46,127 | 112 |
| 55 | Wyoming CountyGEOID 42131 | 397.3 mi² | 7.7 mi² | 1.9% | 25,790 | 65 |
| 56 | Cameron CountyGEOID 42023 | 396.1 mi² | 2.2 mi² | 0.5% | 4,211 | 11 |
| 57 | Juniata CountyGEOID 42067 | 391.4 mi² | 2.1 mi² | 0.5% | 23,403 | 60 |
| 58 | Carbon CountyGEOID 42025 | 381.4 mi² | 6.1 mi² | 1.6% | 65,868 | 173 |
| 59 | Northampton CountyGEOID 42095 | 369.8 mi² | 7.4 mi² | 2% | 324,411 | 877 |
| 60 | Lebanon CountyGEOID 42075 | 361.8 mi² | 0.7 mi² | 0.2% | 146,380 | 405 |
| 61 | Lawrence CountyGEOID 42073 | 357.4 mi² | 4.4 mi² | 1.2% | 83,911 | 235 |
| 62 | Lehigh CountyGEOID 42077 | 345.3 mi² | 2.9 mi² | 0.8% | 384,383 | 1,113 |
| 63 | Snyder CountyGEOID 42109 | 328.8 mi² | 2.8 mi² | 0.8% | 39,655 | 121 |
| 64 | Union CountyGEOID 42119 | 316 mi² | 1.8 mi² | 0.6% | 42,313 | 134 |
| 65 | Delaware CountyGEOID 42045 | 183.8 mi² | 6.8 mi² | 3.6% | 580,937 | 3,161 |
| 66 | Philadelphia CountyGEOID 42101 | 134.3 mi² | 8.1 mi² | 5.7% | 1,574,281 | 11,720 |
| 67 | Montour CountyGEOID 42093 | 130.3 mi² | 2 mi² | 1.5% | 17,868 | 137 |