Collier County, Florida

Collier County is a county in Florida, United States, on the Gulf Coast about 40 miles
south of Fort Myers. It had a population of 375,752 at the 2020 census, an estimated 417,131
by 2025, and covers 2,305 square miles (5,970 km2) — 1,998 square miles of land and 307 of
water — centred near 26°05′N 81°24′W. That land area makes it the largest county in
Florida.

East Naples is the county seat; its postal code is 34112. The county holds 3 incorporated
cities, 21 census-designated places and roughly a dozen smaller unincorporated communities, and
it runs on Eastern Time. Its FIPS code is 12021.

Towns & Villages in Collier County

Collier County has three incorporated cities. Florida has no civil townships, so places here
carry no township of their own — type and ZIP are what distinguish them. CDP stands for
census designated place, a Census Bureau boundary with no local government.

The county also carries 21 census-designated places, unincorporated areas with a name and a
Census Bureau boundary but no city government. Below are the 15 with a full 2020 population
count, sorted largest to smallest, plus East Naples — the unincorporated seat itself, which
the Census Bureau does not tally as a standalone CDP but the American Community Survey estimates
at about 19,024 residents for 2019–2023:

*ACS 2019–2023 estimate, not a 2020 census count. Six more CDPs — Lely Resort,
Marco Shores-Hammock Bay, Pelican Marsh, Pine Ridge, Plantation Island and Winding Cypress —
had no separately published 2020 population figure at time of writing and are omitted rather
than guessed. Beyond the CDPs, roughly a dozen small unincorporated communities round out the
county, among them Carnestown, Copeland, Isles of Capri, Jerome, Miles City, North Naples,
Ochopee and Vanderbilt Beach; none has a Census Bureau population count of its own.

ZIP Codes

• 34108 — Pelican Bay and Naples Park
• 34104 — Berkshire Lakes
• 34112 — East Naples, the county seat
• 34113 — Naples Manor and Lely
• 34114 — Verona Walk
• 34116 — Golden Gate
• 34119 — Island Walk
• 34120 — Orangetree and Heritage Bay
• 34142–34143 — Immokalee and Ave Maria
• 34145–34146 — Marco Island
• 34139 — Everglades City
• 34138 — Chokoloskee
• 34140 — Goodland

Naples itself uses the wide 34101–34110 range, split across more than a dozen postal
delivery zones as the city and its unincorporated suburbs grew outward from the coast. Vineyards
has no ZIP code of its own; mail there is delivered under a neighboring Naples code.

Geography

Collier County sits at Florida’s southwestern tip, running from Gulf of Mexico beaches at
Naples and Marco Island east across the Big Cypress Swamp into the Everglades. Of its 2,305
square miles, 307 are open water — roughly 13 percent, well above the state average, split
between the Gulf shoreline and the swamps and sloughs of the interior. Most of the county’s
eastern half lies inside the Big Cypress National Preserve and Everglades National Park, both
federal land with no towns of their own. The Ten Thousand Islands, a maze of mangrove islets
along the southern coast, includes Chokoloskee and Goodland among its only inhabited points.

Hendry County lies to the north, Broward County to the east, Miami-Dade County to the
southeast, Monroe County to the south, and Lee County to the northwest. Hendry County, Broward County, Miami-Dade County and Monroe County all border Collier
directly and have posts on this site; Lee County does not.

Demographics

Collier County had a population of 375,752 at the 2020 census, and Data USA’s 2024 estimate
puts the county near 398,291 residents. Naples and Golden Gate are the two largest named places,
with Immokalee close behind as the county’s dominant inland population center. Median household
income runs $90,045 (2024, Data USA), well above Florida’s statewide figure of $73,311 (2023
ACS). Population density works out to roughly 188 people per square mile of land — low for
a Florida coastal county, a reflection of how much of the county’s east side is federal
wilderness rather than developed land.

Economy & Local Life

Retail trade employs the most workers in the county, about 20,257 people as of 2024, followed
by health care and social assistance at 19,531 and construction at 17,866. Naples draws a large
share of that retail and services employment from tourism and a substantial seasonal and
retiree population; the city calls itself the “Golf Capital of the World” and carries more golf
holes per capita than almost any other US city. Immokalee anchors the county’s other economy
entirely: it is one of the nation’s major tomato-growing centers, and its fields and packing
houses employ thousands of seasonal farm workers each winter. Ave Maria, built around Ave Maria
University since 2007, is the county’s newest planned community and one of the fastest-growing
in the country. Marco Island and Goodland run on charter fishing, boating and ecotourism into
the Ten Thousand Islands and nearby Everglades National Park.

History

The Florida Legislature created Collier County on 8 May 1923, naming it for Barron Collier, a
New York advertising executive who by then owned roughly 1.3 million acres across the region,
including 90 percent of Marco Island. Collier had agreed to finish paying for the Tamiami
Trail’s difficult western stretch on the condition that the new county carry his name.
Everglades City, his company town, served as the original county seat.

Hurricane Donna struck the county in September 1960, destroying 153 homes and battering
Everglades City with wind and coastal flooding. The damage accelerated a shift already under way
toward the faster-growing Naples area, and in 1962 the Florida Legislature moved the county
seat from Everglades City to East Naples, where it remains.

Getting There

Interstate 75 (Alligator Alley) crosses the county’s northern half, connecting Naples to Fort
Lauderdale on the east coast. US Route 41 (the Tamiami Trail) runs the length of the county along
the coast and through the Everglades; State Roads 29, 84 and 951 handle local traffic.

• Fort Myers — about 40 miles north
• Fort Lauderdale — about 100 miles east on I-75
• Miami — about 110 miles east
• Bonita Springs — about 20 miles northwest

Southwest Florida International Airport, in Lee County roughly 35 miles north of Naples, is
the nearest major commercial airport. Naples Municipal Airport, just south of downtown Naples,
handles general aviation and charter flights. Collier County has no Amtrak service; the nearest
station is in Fort Lauderdale.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Collier County located?
It sits at Florida’s southwestern corner on the Gulf of Mexico, about 40 miles south of Fort
Myers, bordered by Hendry, Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe and Lee counties.

What is the population of Collier County?
375,752 at the 2020 census, with a 2024 Data USA estimate near 398,291.

How big is Collier County?
2,305 square miles (5,970 km2) total, of which 1,998 square miles are land — the largest
land area of any Florida county.

What is the county seat of Collier County?
East Naples, an unincorporated community, since the Florida Legislature moved it there from
Everglades City in 1962.

How many towns and cities are in Collier County?
Three incorporated cities — Naples, Marco Island and Everglades City — plus 21
census-designated places including Golden Gate, Immokalee and Ave Maria.

What ZIP codes does Collier County use?
34101 through 34120 cover Naples and its unincorporated suburbs, 34142–34143 cover
Immokalee and Ave Maria, 34145–34146 cover Marco Island, and 34138–34140 cover the
Ten Thousand Islands communities of Chokoloskee, Everglades City and Goodland.

What is Collier County known for?
Naples’s beaches and golf courses, the Everglades and Big Cypress wilderness across its eastern
half, and Immokalee’s tomato farms.

More counties in this state: Towns
and villages in Florida.