Millard County, Utah

Millard County is a county in Utah, United States, centred on the farming towns of Delta and Fillmore in the state’s west-central desert basin. It had a population of 12,975 at the 2020 census and covers 6,828 square miles (17,680 km2) — the third-largest county in Utah — centred near 39°03′N 113°06′W.

Fillmore is the county seat, and its postal code is 84631. Delta, roughly 30 miles west, is the largest city. The county has 2 cities, 8 incorporated towns, and roughly two dozen unincorporated communities and ghost towns. It sits in the Mountain time zone; its FIPS code is 49-027.

Towns & Villages in Millard County

Millard County’s settlements cluster in two areas: the irrigated Sevier River / Delta valley in the county’s centre, and a scattered line of ranching and highway towns along the I-15 corridor to the east. West of both, the county runs unbroken across the Sevier Desert and House Range to the Nevada line, where only a handful of remote hamlets and mining camps remain. Utah has no civil townships, so the table below omits that column. “CDP” marks a census-designated place with no town government; “Unincorp.” marks a named locality, ranch stop, or ghost town with no incorporation and usually no current census count.

Deseret, Oasis, and Sutherland sit inside Delta’s own farm grid and share Delta’s 84624 ZIP. Topaz, west of Delta, is the site of the former Topaz War Relocation Center, not a living settlement — see History below. A handful of names from older lists — Borden, Eightmile Point, Harding, Iron Basin, Kanosh Indian Village, Mack, Malone, Maple Grove, Neels, Read, Sixmile Point, and Strong — are rail sidings, mining-camp remnants, or ranch-map labels with no independent sourcing found for this rewrite; they are omitted here rather than guessed at.

ZIP Codes

• 84631 — Fillmore
• 84624 — Delta (also serves Deseret, Oasis, Sutherland)

ZIP codes for the county’s smaller towns (Hinckley, Holden, Kanosh, Leamington, Lynndyl, Meadow, Oak City, Scipio) and for Eskdale and Garrison near the Nevada line could not be confirmed for this rewrite and are omitted rather than guessed; residents there use a nearby town’s ZIP or a shared rural route code.

Geography

Millard County spans the Sevier Desert basin and a chain of north-south mountain ranges — the Canyon, House, Confusion, and Wah Wah ranges — running west to the Nevada border. The Sevier River terminates in the county at Sevier Lake, a large playa that holds water only in wet years. Interstate 15 crosses the county’s eastern edge through Scipio, Holden, Kanosh, and Meadow; U.S. Route 6 and U.S. Route 50 cross the irrigated centre through Delta and Fillmore before running west across the open desert toward Nevada.

Millard County borders Juab County to the north, Sanpete County to the northeast, Sevier County to the southeast, Beaver County to the south, Iron County to the southwest, and, across the state line, White Pine County, Nevada and Lincoln County, Nevada to the west.

Demographics

Millard County had 12,975 residents at the 2020 census, spread across 6,572 square miles of land for a density of about 2 people per square mile — one of the more sparsely populated counties in Utah. Delta (3,622) and Fillmore (2,592) are the county’s two largest communities and together hold nearly half its population. Household income in the county runs well below the Utah median of $93,421, reflecting an economy still centred on agriculture and power generation rather than the state’s urbanized Wasatch Front.

Economy & Local Life

Alfalfa hay, cattle, and dairy farming anchor Millard County’s rural economy, irrigated from the Sevier River and a network of groundwater wells around Delta. The Intermountain Power Plant, just outside Delta, is one of the county’s largest employers and one of Utah’s biggest coal-fired generating stations, now converting toward hydrogen-capable gas turbines. The University of Utah’s Telescope Array Project, a cosmic-ray observatory spread across the desert floor south of Delta, and the former Topaz War Relocation Center site — where the federal government incarcerated more than 11,000 Japanese Americans during World War II — are the county’s best-known landmarks beyond agriculture.

History

Millard County was organized on October 4, 1851, and named for Millard Fillmore, the sitting U.S. president. Fillmore, the county seat, was laid out the same year as the intended capital of Utah Territory; its Territorial Statehouse, begun in 1852 and never finished as planned, still stands as a state park and museum — the only session of the territorial legislature ever held there met in 1855, after which the capital moved to Salt Lake City. During World War II the federal government built the Topaz War Relocation Center near Delta, one of ten camps where Japanese Americans were forcibly interned; part of the site is preserved and interpreted today.

Getting There

• Fillmore — on Interstate 15, the county seat
• Delta — 30 miles west of Fillmore via US-50
• Cedar City — about 60 miles south via I-15
• Provo — about 95 miles north via I-15

The nearest commercial airport is Cedar City Regional Airport, roughly 60 miles south; Delta also has a small municipal airfield for general aviation. Salt Lake City International Airport is about 140 miles north.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Millard County?
It is in west-central Utah, stretching from the Sevier Desert basin west to the Nevada state line.

What is Millard County’s population?
12,975 people at the 2020 census.

How big is Millard County?
6,828 square miles (17,680 km2), the third-largest county in Utah by area.

What is the county seat of Millard County?
Fillmore is the county seat.

How many towns are in Millard County?
Two cities (Delta and Fillmore) and eight incorporated towns, plus several census-designated places and unincorporated communities.

What ZIP codes are in Millard County?
84631 covers Fillmore and 84624 covers Delta and its surrounding farm communities; other town ZIPs are not confirmed here.

What was the Topaz War Relocation Center?
A World War II internment camp near Delta that held more than 11,000 Japanese Americans; part of the site is preserved as a historic landmark.

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