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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 1001–1100

Vintage 2025 population estimates · 2026 Gazetteer land area · 3,222 county equivalents · page 11 of 33

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What this part of the ranking shows

This page runs from Bourbon County, Kansas at 23 people per mi² to Milam County, Texas at 26 people per mi². The 100 entries represent 30 state-level jurisdictions. Iowa has the most entries on this page (12).

Rank numbers continue across pages and describe the full selected ranking. They are not state ranks. Start at rank 1 for the leading entries, or open a county profile for its state rank and median comparisons.

Least densely populated counties, ranks 1001 through 1100. Population is the July 1, 2025 estimate; density is per square mile of land.
RankCounty / equivalentStatePopulationPer mi²Land mi²
1001Bourbon CountyKansas14,31923635.5
1002Gooding CountyIdaho16,44623729.3
1003Gray CountyTexas20,91923926
1004Wayne CountyNebraska10,02023442.9
1005Hickory CountyMissouri9,04423398.8
1006Flathead CountyMontana115,429235,087.3
1007Mitchell CountyIowa10,65023469.3
1008Crawford CountyIowa16,23723714.2
1009Polk CountyArkansas19,48623856.8
1010Clear Creek CountyColorado8,99423395.1
1011Lincoln CountyArkansas12,76423559.5
1012Van Buren CountyArkansas16,23823709.6
1013Cass CountyIowa12,96023564.3
1014Montgomery CountyMississippi9,35423407
1015Emmet CountyIowa9,10723395.9
1016Nodaway CountyMissouri20,17423877
1017Mason CountyIllinois12,41123539.4
1018Summit CountyUtah43,141231,870.7
1019Alamosa CountyColorado16,68823722.6
1020Chickasaw CountyIowa11,66323504.3
1021Grant CountyWest Virginia11,04123477.4
1022Chippewa CountyMichigan36,081231,558.5
1023Lake CountyMichigan13,18223567.6
1024Warren CountyIndiana8,47423364.7
1025DeKalb CountyMissouri9,79523421.4
1026Attala CountyMississippi17,10023735
1027Braxton CountyWest Virginia11,88523510.7
1028Wilcox CountyGeorgia8,79723377.8
1029Tama CountyIowa16,79623721
1030Butler CountyAlabama18,10023776.8
1031Jasper CountyMississippi15,78523676.3
1032Falls CountyTexas17,86923765.5
1033Robertson CountyKentucky2,3252399.6
1034Iroquois CountyIllinois26,150231,117.4
1035Calhoun CountyFlorida13,28923567.3
1036Union ParishLouisiana20,56123876.9
1037Clay CountyAlabama14,20724604
1038Montgomery CountyIowa10,00224424.1
1039Hale CountyAlabama15,19424644
1040Montague CountyTexas21,96624930.9
1041Morgan CountyColorado30,306241,280.5
1042Surry CountyVirginia6,60324278.9
1043Hughes CountySouth Dakota17,57024741.5
1044Freestone CountyTexas20,81124877.7
1045Hockley CountyTexas21,60024908.4
1046Doddridge CountyWest Virginia7,63424319.7
1047Franklin CountyFlorida13,02924545
1048Tuolumne CountyCalifornia53,160242,220.9
1049Franklin CountyIdaho15,88924663.1
1050Charlotte CountyVirginia11,40124475.3
1051Leslie CountyKentucky9,62724400.9
1052Washington CountyIllinois13,56424562.6
1053Dawson CountyNebraska24,452241,013.8
1054Vernon CountyMissouri19,94624826.4
1055Webster CountyMississippi10,16724421.2
1056Hubbard CountyMinnesota22,36924926
1057Clark CountyArkansas20,93824866
1058Pulaski CountyIllinois4,82024199.3
1059Butler CountyIowa14,04924580.1
1060LaSalle ParishLouisiana15,15424624.9
1061Appanoose CountyIowa12,07724497.3
1062Moore CountyTexas21,89124899.7
1063Wayne CountyMississippi19,80724810.7
1064Bingham CountyIdaho51,153242,093.7
1065Bertie CountyNorth Carolina17,08624699.2
1066Crittenden CountyKentucky8,80724359.6
1067Beckham CountyOklahoma22,15925901.7
1068Allen CountyKansas12,30225500.3
1069Hardy CountyWest Virginia14,33725582.3
1070Grundy CountyIowa12,36125501.9
1071Crawford CountyMichigan13,72225556.4
1072Atkinson CountyGeorgia8,45425342.7
1073O'Brien CountyIowa14,22025573
1074Tillamook CountyOregon27,384251,103.2
1075Izard CountyArkansas14,40525580.2
1076Yazoo CountyMississippi22,94725922.3
1077Llano CountyTexas23,35325934.1
1078Fillmore CountyMinnesota21,54025861.3
1079Carlisle CountyKentucky4,74725189.5
1080Mendocino CountyCalifornia88,122253,506.8
1081Van Buren CountyTennessee6,87425273.4
1082Sabine ParishLouisiana21,83425866.6
1083Umatilla CountyOregon81,119253,215.5
1084Limestone CountyTexas22,84925905.4
1085Fayette CountyAlabama15,87225627.7
1086York CountyNebraska14,56425572.5
1087Irwin CountyGeorgia9,02025354.4
1088West Carroll ParishLouisiana9,15625359.7
1089Jenkins CountyGeorgia8,84325347.4
1090Stark CountyNorth Dakota34,013251,334.9
1091Gage CountyNebraska21,71125851.5
1092Breathitt CountyKentucky12,55826492.4
1093Douglas CountyWashington46,473261,819.2
1094Dixie CountyFlorida18,03826705
1095Winnebago CountyIowa10,25126400.5
1096Telfair CountyGeorgia11,19526437.3
1097Wheeler CountyGeorgia7,57026295.5
1098Concordia ParishLouisiana17,83626695.7
1099Terrell CountyGeorgia8,65626335.8
1100Milam CountyTexas26,258261,016.4

Read the differences behind ranks 1001–1100

The median density among these 100 entries is 24 people per mi². The first and last entries span 3.3 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

  • Iowa12 entries · 12% of this page
  • Texas9 entries · 9% of this page
  • Georgia7 entries · 7% of this page
  • Mississippi6 entries · 6% of this page
  • Arkansas5 entries · 5% of this page
  • Kentucky5 entries · 5% of this page

The remaining 24 jurisdictions contribute 56 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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Browse by state for a complete state ranking.

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.