Minnesota Counties Bigger Than Entire States In The U.S.

I know Minnesota is home to some large counties by land size. I have heard many times over the years that St. Louis County, which is Minnesota's largest county, is bigger than some states.

What I didn't realize is just how many of Minnesota's counties are larger than at least one - if not several - states in the United States.

Obviously, the populations of many of these counties is significantly smaller than the states they compare to in size, but it is a good reminder of just how much land area some of these Minnesota counties cover, which presents a number of challenges for local governments.

Whether it's law enforcement coverage by county officials in areas where there isn't a city/municipal police entity, snow removal, general road maintenance, or other related items, it's easy to forget just how sizable these counties are.

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For a bit of reference, Minnesota is the 14th-largest state in the country, consisting of making up a total of 79,626.74 square miles in land size. Even then, Minnesota only makes up 2.69% of the total land area the lower 48 states cover. Compare that to Texas, which makes up 8.84% of the total land area of "the lower 48".

When you look at that small percentage of Minnesota's overall land area, it's hard to imagine there are a number of entire states that are smaller than a handful of Minnesota's 87 counties.

Here's a breakdown of all of the counties in Minnesota that are larger than at least one U.S. state:

Minnesota Counties Bigger Than Entire States In The US

Of Minnesota's 87 counties, it turns out a sizable portion of them are larger than some entire states in the United States. 11 counties are bigger than at least one (in some cases more than one) state. Here's what counties are on that list and which states they are bigger than in land area.

While we're on the topic of Minnesota counties, here is the amazing number of counties in the Land of 10,000 Lakes that have only one stoplight in the entire county - with some counties not even having any at all!