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Least densely populated counties

County equivalents with the fewest residents per square mile of land. Large rural areas in Alaska and the Great Plains dominate; density is an average across each whole county.

Ranks 1–100

Vintage 2025 population estimates · 2026 Gazetteer land area · 3,222 county equivalents · page 1 of 33

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What this part of the ranking shows

This page runs from Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska at 0.034 people per mi² to Stonewall County, Texas at 1.3 people per mi². The 100 entries represent 14 state-level jurisdictions. Alaska has the most entries on this page (20).

Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska ranks first at 0.034 people per mi², followed by Lake and Peninsula Borough, Alaska at 0.057 people per mi². Compare the first two entries to see their land areas side by side.

Density divides each county’s whole population by its whole land area. It is an average: a sparse county can contain a dense town, and a dense county can contain parkland or farms.

Least densely populated counties, ranks 1 through 100. Population is the July 1, 2025 estimate; density is per square mile of land.
RankCounty / equivalentStatePopulationPer mi²Land mi²
1Yukon-Koyukuk Census AreaAlaska5,0280.034145,767.5
2Lake and Peninsula BoroughAlaska1,3570.05723,896.5
3Loving CountyTexas520.078668.8
4Yakutat City and BoroughAlaska6720.0887,638.2
5Copper River Census AreaAlaska2,6660.1124,646.1
6North Slope BoroughAlaska10,5820.1288,797.6
7Denali BoroughAlaska1,6160.1312,641.2
8Northwest Arctic BoroughAlaska7,0950.235,672.3
9Esmeralda CountyNevada7290.23,581.9
10King CountyTexas1920.21910.9
11Kenedy CountyTexas3190.221,458.6
12Dillingham Census AreaAlaska4,4830.2418,355.9
13Garfield CountyMontana1,1480.254,676.6
14Harding CountyNew Mexico6170.292,125.5
15Southeast Fairbanks Census AreaAlaska7,2700.2924,839.3
16Terrell CountyTexas7020.32,358
17Petroleum CountyMontana5480.331,655.6
18Hoonah-Angoon Census AreaAlaska2,2710.356,560
19Lincoln CountyNevada4,3200.4110,633.4
20Carter CountyMontana1,3830.413,340.5
21Nome Census AreaAlaska9,8300.4322,969.9
22McPherson CountyNebraska3690.43859.3
23Clark CountyIdaho7830.441,763.1
24Eureka CountyNevada1,8670.454,175.7
25Bethel Census AreaAlaska18,3910.4540,654.9
26Kusilvak Census AreaAlaska7,9320.4617,151.5
27McMullen CountyTexas5440.481,139.8
28Aleutians East BoroughAlaska3,4790.56,985.2
29Harding CountySouth Dakota1,3310.52,671.6
30Slope CountyNorth Dakota6280.521,215.3
31Powder River CountyMontana1,7810.543,298.2
32Catron CountyNew Mexico3,8270.556,924.2
33Arthur CountyNebraska3960.55715.2
34Sioux CountyNebraska1,1880.572,066.7
35Culberson CountyTexas2,2670.593,812.2
36Borden CountyTexas5670.63897.4
37Prairie CountyMontana1,1120.641,736.6
38Blaine CountyNebraska4580.64710.7
39Edwards CountyTexas1,3700.652,117.9
40McCone CountyMontana1,7200.652,642.2
41Hinsdale CountyColorado7530.671,117.2
42Chugach Census AreaAlaska6,5530.689,574.5
43De Baca CountyNew Mexico1,6470.712,323.1
44Golden Valley CountyMontana8440.721,174.4
45Grant CountyNebraska5610.72776.7
46Harney CountyOregon7,3800.7310,134.5
47Treasure CountyMontana7280.74977.8
48Kent CountyTexas6740.75902.5
49Jackson CountyColorado1,2110.751,613.7
50Hudspeth CountyTexas3,4330.754,570.5
51Jeff Davis CountyTexas1,7110.762,264.6
52Wrangell City and BoroughAlaska2,0070.792,556.3
53Kiowa CountyColorado1,4120.81,767.8
54Phillips CountyMontana4,2030.825,140.4
55Wheeler CountyOregon1,4720.861,716
56Haines BoroughAlaska2,0680.882,339.1
57Niobrara CountyWyoming2,3410.892,626
58Meagher CountyMontana2,1370.892,391.9
59Thomas CountyNebraska6390.9712.6
60Banner CountyNebraska6860.92746
61Billings CountyNorth Dakota1,0710.931,148.5
62Cherry CountyNebraska5,5610.935,960.1
63Roberts CountyTexas8670.94924.1
64Jones CountySouth Dakota9130.94969.7
65Custer CountyIdaho4,6360.944,922.2
66Hooker CountyNebraska6860.95721
67Cheyenne CountyColorado1,7130.961,778.3
68White Pine CountyNevada8,6610.978,886.7
69Crockett CountyTexas2,7690.992,807.3
70Perkins CountySouth Dakota2,8530.992,870.5
71Wibaux CountyMontana8850.99889.6
72Haakon CountySouth Dakota1,80211,810.5
73Union CountyNew Mexico3,84413,825.1
74Lake CountyOregon8,18718,138.6
75Loup CountyNebraska5701563.3
76Garfield CountyUtah5,25615,179.6
77Keya Paha CountyNebraska7921772.9
78Mineral CountyColorado9101875.8
79Wayne CountyUtah2,5871.12,461.1
80Motley CountyTexas1,0431.1989.6
81Garden CountyNebraska1,8041.11,704.8
82Pershing CountyNevada6,4211.16,036.6
83Lander CountyNevada5,8721.15,519.2
84Prince of Wales-Hyder Census AreaAlaska5,7771.15,268.2
85Cimarron CountyOklahoma2,0591.11,834.8
86Daniels CountyMontana1,6121.11,426.3
87Hidalgo CountyNew Mexico3,9291.13,438.6
88Hayes CountyNebraska8211.2713.1
89Judith Basin CountyMontana2,1621.21,869.7
90Petersburg BoroughAlaska3,3941.22,901.6
91Logan CountyNebraska6691.2570.7
92Mineral CountyNevada4,4071.23,751.3
93Oldham CountyTexas1,7831.21,500.5
94Aleutians West Census AreaAlaska5,2401.24,387.3
95Ziebach CountySouth Dakota2,3891.21,961.2
96Camas CountyIdaho1,3161.21,074.2
97Butte CountyIdaho2,7831.22,236.5
98Rock CountyNebraska1,2591.21,008.3
99Glasscock CountyTexas1,1281.3900.2
100Stonewall CountyTexas1,1861.3916.3

Read the differences behind ranks 1–100

The median density among these 100 entries is 0.75 people per mi². The first and last entries span 1.3 people per square mile. This median describes the entries on this page, not the full national dataset. Pagination is a browsing boundary, not a distinct geographic region.

Adjacent ranks can differ by a handful of residents or by many thousands. Open a county profile for its population trend since 2020, land area, and state comparisons.

Where the entries on this page are located

  • Alaska20 entries · 20% of this page
  • Texas17 entries · 17% of this page
  • Nebraska15 entries · 15% of this page
  • Montana13 entries · 13% of this page
  • Nevada7 entries · 7% of this page
  • Colorado5 entries · 5% of this page

The remaining 8 jurisdictions contribute 23 entries. The list above shows the six most represented, with alphabetical ordering when counts tie.

These counts describe representation in this slice of the ranking. They do not measure a state’s share of national land or population. Compare the first and last county equivalents on this page to inspect land, water, and total area separately.

Read the geographic explanation behind this ranking, or return to the ranking overview for the national distribution and guidance on selecting a measurement.

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Population rankings use Census Bureau Vintage 2025 estimates; density rankings divide them by original ALAND square meters. Land rankings use original ALAND square meters; total-area rankings use ALAND + AWATER. Exact ties use ascending GEOID. Displayed square-mile values are rounded. Read the methodology.