Radius Map Tool
How to Draw a Radius on a Map
Drawing a radius on a map takes three steps:
Choose your center point
Type an address, city, or zip code in the search bar — or click “Use My Location” to center the radius on your current GPS position.
Set your distance
Enter the radius distance and select your unit (miles, km, meters, or feet). Use quick presets for common distances.
Adjust and share
Drag to reposition, resize by dragging the edge. Copy the shareable link so anyone can see your map.
Need to draw a radius on Google Maps specifically? Read our guide →
What Can You Do With This Radius Map Tool?
This tool draws a circle on a map at a specific distance from any point. That circle represents every location within that straight-line distance from your center point — also known as an “as the crow flies” radius.
Here are some common ways people use it:
Check what's within a distance from you.
Enter your home address, set a 10-mile radius, and see exactly how far 10 miles extends in every direction. This helps with commute planning, understanding delivery zones, or answering “how far is 10 miles from me?” visually.
Compare multiple locations.
Add circles around two or more addresses to see where they overlap. Useful for finding a meeting point, comparing service areas, or choosing between apartments based on proximity to work.
Define a service or delivery area.
Businesses use radius maps to establish coverage zones. Draw a 25-mile radius around your office to define where you'll accept service calls, or set a 5 km radius for food delivery.
Visualize specific distances.
It's difficult to picture what “50 miles” actually looks like on a map. Drawing a radius makes it immediately clear — you can see which cities, highways, and landmarks fall within that distance.
Plan travel and relocation.
Moving to a new city? Draw a radius around your workplace to see which neighborhoods are within a comfortable commute distance. Pair this with our drive time map tool for more accurate travel-time estimates.
Looking for radius by zip code? Use our zip code radius tool →
5 Real-World Examples: Using a Radius Map
Here are specific scenarios where people use radius maps to solve real problems. Each example shows the exact steps and results you'd get using this tool.
Real Estate: Home Search Near Work
Scenario: A couple is relocating to Denver for work. The primary earner's office is at 1700 Lincoln St, Denver, CO. They want to see all neighborhoods within a 15-mile commute radius.
How to use: Enter “1700 Lincoln St, Denver, CO” in the search box, set radius to 15 miles. The circle shows that Lakewood, Aurora, Englewood, Littleton, and Westminster are all within range. Highlands Ranch falls just outside.
Result: The radius covers approximately 706 square miles and includes 47 distinct neighborhoods and suburbs, giving them a clear visual of where to focus their home search.
Restaurant: Defining a Delivery Zone
Scenario: A pizza restaurant in Brooklyn at 86 Court St wants to establish a delivery boundary. Food needs to arrive within 30 minutes, so they need a 3-mile radius to keep deliveries feasible.
How to use: Enter the restaurant address, set radius to 3 miles. The circle reveals coverage of Downtown Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights, DUMBO, Park Slope, Carroll Gardens, Red Hook, and parts of Williamsburg.
Result: The delivery zone covers 28.3 square miles with an estimated population of 450,000+ residents. They can share the map link on their website so customers know if they're in range.
Emergency Planning: Evacuation Zone Visualization
Scenario: A county emergency manager needs to visualize what a 10-mile evacuation zone around a chemical plant in Pasadena, Texas would look like for community preparedness meetings.
How to use: Enter the facility address, set radius to 10 miles. Add a second circle at 20 miles with a different color to show the secondary evacuation zone. Export the map as PNG for the presentation.
Result: The 10-mile zone covers 314 square miles including La Porte, Deer Park, Baytown, and parts of Houston. The visual helps residents understand if they're in a primary or secondary zone.
Sales: Territory Assignment for Field Reps
Scenario: A medical device company has three sales reps in the Phoenix metro area. They need to divide the region into fair territories based on each rep's home location.
How to use: Add three circles — one for each rep's home address — each with a 25-mile radius in different colors. The overlapping areas become shared territories; non-overlapping areas are exclusive zones.
Result: Rep 1 (Scottsdale) covers the northeast, Rep 2 (Tempe) covers central/southeast, Rep 3 (Glendale) covers the west. Combined coverage is ~5,800 square miles. The exported KML file can be imported into their CRM for territory tracking.
Fitness: Half-Marathon Training Route Planning
Scenario: A runner training for a half marathon (13.1 miles) in Portland, OR wants to visualize how far they could run from home in a straight line to understand which landmarks they could reach.
How to use: Enter home address in NE Portland, set radius to 6.5 miles (half of 13.1 for an out-and-back route). The circle shows potential turnaround points: downtown, St. Johns Bridge, Mt. Tabor, and Sellwood.
Result: The 6.5-mile radius reveals 132 square miles of options. They can see that running to the Hawthorne Bridge and back is achievable, helping plan routes that hit specific landmarks at the halfway point.
Radius Coverage: Area vs Distance
Radius area grows exponentially with distance. Doubling the radius quadruples the area covered. This chart shows how quickly coverage expands.
Area Covered by Radius (in square miles)
Formula: Area = π × radius². A 100-mile radius covers the same area as the state of South Carolina.
What's Inside Your Radius? Population Context
The same radius covers vastly different populations depending on location. Here's what a 10-mile radius typically contains in different settings:
| Location Type | 10-Mile Radius Area | Approx. Population | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dense Urban Core | 314 sq mi | 2-4 million | Manhattan, NYC |
| Major City | 314 sq mi | 500K - 1.5 million | Chicago Loop |
| Suburban Metro | 314 sq mi | 200K - 500K | Plano, TX |
| Small City | 314 sq mi | 50K - 150K | Boise, ID |
| Rural Area | 314 sq mi | 5K - 25K | Rural Kansas |
| Wilderness | 314 sq mi | < 1,000 | Rural Montana |
Population estimates are approximations. For precise demographic data within a radius, use our zip code radius tool to get specific zip codes you can cross-reference with census data.
Radius Maps by Industry
Different industries use radius maps for specific purposes. Here are the most common radius distances by sector:
Most Common Radius by Industry
Radius Quick Reference
The table below shows common radius distances and what they typically cover. Use the presets in the tool above to draw any of these instantly.
| Radius | Approx. Area | Typical Coverage | Common Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 mile (1.6 km) | 3.1 sq mi | A neighborhood | Walking distance, small delivery zones |
| 5 miles (8 km) | 78 sq mi | A city section | Commute radius, restaurant delivery |
| 10 miles (16 km) | 314 sq mi | A metro area | Service area, daily commute |
| 25 miles (40 km) | 1,963 sq mi | A region | Regional sales territory |
| 50 miles (80 km) | 7,854 sq mi | Multiple cities | Day trip planning, logistics |
| 100 miles (161 km) | 31,416 sq mi | A large region | Freight radius, weekend trips |
Note: Area values assume a perfect circle. Actual reachable area depends on roads, terrain, and natural barriers. For real-world travel distances, use our drive time map instead.
How This Tool Works
Map With Radius uses Leaflet, an open-source mapping library, with map tiles from OpenStreetMap. Unlike tools that depend on Google Maps, this means:
- No usage limits. Google Maps API charges per load after a free tier. Our tool has no API costs, so there are no restrictions on how many circles you draw or how often you use it.
- No API key required. You don't need an account, API key, or any setup. Open the page and start drawing.
- Fast loading. Leaflet is lightweight (~40KB) compared to the Google Maps JavaScript API (~200KB+). The map loads faster, especially on mobile.
- Privacy-first. No Google tracking. Your map interactions stay in your browser.
The radius circles are calculated using the Haversine formula, which accounts for the Earth's curvature. This means the circles are geographically accurate — a 50-mile radius really is 50 miles from the center point in every direction.
Address search is powered by Nominatim, OpenStreetMap's free geocoding service. It supports addresses, cities, zip/postal codes, landmarks, and coordinates.
Map With Radius vs. Other Radius Tools
| Feature | Map With Radius | MapDevelopers | FreeMapTools |
|---|---|---|---|
| Map provider | OpenStreetMap (free) | Google Maps | Google Maps |
| Multiple circles | ✓ Unlimited | ✓ Unlimited | ✓ Unlimited |
| Address search | ✓ Free | ✓ | ✗ Coords only |
| Share via URL | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Export KML | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Export PNG | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Mobile friendly | ✓ Responsive | Partial | ✗ |
| Usage limits | None | Google API limits | Google API limits |
| Cost | Free | Free | Free |
Data based on publicly available information. Last verified February 2026.
Detailed comparison: FreeMapTools alternative · MapDevelopers alternative
More Map Tools
Depending on what you need, one of our other tools might be a better fit:
- Drive Time Map — Shows how far you can actually drive (or walk, or cycle) in a given time. Uses real road data instead of straight-line distance.
- Zip Code Radius — Enter a zip code and distance to find all zip codes within that radius. Returns a list you can export.
- KM Radius Map — Same tool, metric-first. Defaults to kilometers for users outside the US and UK.
- Walking Radius Map — See how far you can walk or cycle in a set time. Shows realistic walking/biking areas based on actual roads and paths.
- Distance Calculator — Measure the straight-line or driving distance between any two points on a map.