How big is Lake Erie?
Short answer
Lake Erie covers 9,910 sq mi[1] (25,700 km²) of water, according to the U.S. EPA. The EPA's 1995 Great Lakes Atlas gives its length as 241 mi[2] (388 km) and its greatest breadth as 57 mi[2] (92 km).
Key numbers
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Water area | 9,910 sq mi[1] / 25,700 km²[1] |
| Length | 241 mi[2] / 388 km[2] |
| Greatest breadth | 57 mi[2] / 92 km[2] |
| Shoreline, including islands | 871 mi[1] / 1,402 km[1] |
| Land drainage area | 30,140 sq mi[1] / 78,000 km²[1] |
| Elevation (1995 atlas) | 569 ft[2] / 173 m[2] |
Area, length and breadth
By surface area Lake Erie is the fourth largest of the five Great Lakes: at 9,910 sq mi[1] (25,700 km²) it is bigger than Lake Ontario (7,340 sq mi[1]) and much smaller than Lakes Michigan, Huron and Superior.[1] An Ohio historical marker at Marblehead calls it the twelfth-largest freshwater lake in the world[3] by total area.[3] Its length depends on how it is measured. The EPA's 1995 Great Lakes Atlas gives 241 mi[2] (388 km) and a greatest breadth of 57 mi[2] (92 km); the Marblehead marker says about 210 mi[3].[2,3] The lake runs roughly southwest to northeast, from the mouth of the Detroit River to the head of the Niagara River at Buffalo.
Shoreline and watershed
Counting its islands, Lake Erie has 871 mi[1] (1,402 km) of shoreline, and the land that drains into it covers 30,140 sq mi[1] (78,000 km²), a figure that includes the St. Clair and Detroit river system.[1] That watershed is the most heavily populated in the Great Lakes basin. About approximately 12 million people[4] live in it, about one-third[4] of everyone in the basin, in 17[4] metropolitan areas of more than 50,000 people, and the lake supplies drinking water to about 11 million people[4].[4]
Where the water comes from
Most of Lake Erie's water arrives from upstream. The EPA reports that 80%[4] of the inflow comes through the Detroit River from Lake Huron and Lake St. Clair, 11%[4] falls as rain and snow, and the remaining 9%[4] comes from the lake's own tributaries.[4] The water leaves through the Niagara River toward Lake Ontario. The 1995 atlas tabulated the lake's surface at 569 ft[2] (173 m) above sea level.[2]
Questions people ask
Is Lake Erie bigger than Lake Ontario?
By surface area, yes: 9,910 sq mi against 7,340 sq mi, per the EPA. By volume Lake Ontario holds more than three times as much water.
How long is Lake Erie?
241 mi (388 km) according to the EPA's Great Lakes Atlas; an Ohio historical marker at Marblehead gives about 210 mi.
How much shoreline does Lake Erie have?
871 mi (1,402 km), including its islands, according to the EPA.
Related questions
Sources
- Physical Features of the Great Lakes, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Accessed .
- The Great Lakes: An Environmental Atlas and Resource Book, 3rd edition (1995), Factsheet No. 1, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Government of Canada. Accessed .
- Ohio Historical Marker 11-62: Lake Erie – A Feature of Ohio’s Water Resources, Ohio History Connection (Remarkable Ohio historical marker database). Accessed .
- Lake Erie | US EPA, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Accessed .
Facts as of · page checked · Markdown version
How to cite
Lake Erie Gazetteer, How big is Lake Erie?, lakeerie.info/facts/how-big-is-lake-erie, accessed October 19, 2026.