Pleszew County (Polish: powiat pleszewski) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Greater Poland Voivodeship, west-central Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. Its administrative seat is the town of Pleszew, which lies 83 kilometres (52 mi) south-east of the regional capital Poznań. The county covers an area of 711.91 square kilometres (274.9 sq mi). As of 2006 its total population is 61,951, out of which the population of Pleszew is 17,787 and the rural population is 44,164.