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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 1401–1500

Vintage 2025 population estimates · 2026 Gazetteer land area · 3,222 county equivalents · page 15 of 33

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What this part of the ranking shows

This page runs from Moniteau County, Missouri at 37 people per mi² to Essex County, Virginia at 41 people per mi². The 100 entries represent 30 state-level jurisdictions. Georgia has the most entries on this page (11, tied for the lead).

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 1401 through 1500. Population is the July 1, 2025 estimate; density is per square mile of land.
RankCounty / equivalentStatePopulationPer mi²Land mi²
1401Moniteau CountyMissouri15,42837415.1
1402Calhoun CountySouth Carolina14,18837381.1
1403Colleton CountySouth Carolina39,382371,056.5
1404Oglethorpe CountyGeorgia16,41537439.1
1405Bureau CountyIllinois32,51037869.1
1406Parke CountyIndiana16,64237444.7
1407Ste. Genevieve CountyMissouri18,68937499.2
1408Union CountyKentucky12,83937342.9
1409Ogemaw CountyMichigan21,12137563.5
1410Houghton CountyMichigan37,842381,009.1
1411Atchison CountyKansas16,17238431.2
1412Morgan CountyMissouri22,41838597.5
1413West Feliciana ParishLouisiana15,13438403.2
1414Crawford CountyGeorgia12,20638324.9
1415Appling CountyGeorgia19,10038508.3
1416Marquette CountyMichigan68,064381,809.1
1417Hampshire CountyWest Virginia24,10538640.4
1418Barnwell CountySouth Carolina20,65338548.4
1419Union CountySouth Dakota17,40238462
1420Lake CountyTennessee6,24938165.8
1421Menard CountyIllinois11,86338314.4
1422Breckinridge CountyKentucky21,50338569.7
1423Morgan CountyKentucky14,41538381.1
1424Hardeman CountyTennessee25,27438667.8
1425Greensville CountyVirginia11,18138295.4
1426Knott CountyKentucky13,32138351.5
1427Pamlico CountyNorth Carolina12,75838336.5
1428Lawrence CountyKentucky15,76538415.6
1429Rockbridge CountyVirginia22,66338596.5
1430Fulton CountyIllinois32,90138865.7
1431De Witt CountyIllinois15,11838397.6
1432Lyon CountyKansas32,26638847.5
1433Amelia CountyVirginia13,63238357.8
1434Piatt CountyIllinois16,79138439.2
1435Laramie CountyWyoming102,938382,685.9
1436Mahaska CountyIowa21,88038570.9
1437Lee CountySouth Carolina15,73038410.2
1438Wetzel CountyWest Virginia13,73438358.1
1439Lincoln CountyGeorgia8,11239210.4
1440Seminole CountyGeorgia9,16239237.6
1441Jackson CountyKentucky13,32539345.2
1442Franklin CountyTexas10,99439284.4
1443Calhoun CountyTexas19,59939506.9
1444Wharton CountyTexas42,060391,086.1
1445Latah CountyIdaho41,842391,079.7
1446Conway CountyArkansas21,39339552
1447Escambia CountyAlabama36,66539945.4
1448Meeker CountyMinnesota23,60339608
1449Winston CountyAlabama23,82939613
1450Johnson CountyIllinois13,36339343.7
1451Gem CountyIdaho21,77339559.8
1452Webster CountyKentucky12,92939332
1453Bacon CountyGeorgia11,07039284.1
1454Bledsoe CountyTennessee15,92039406.6
1455Grundy CountyTennessee14,11639360.4
1456Marion CountyAlabama29,09739742.3
1457St. Lawrence CountyNew York105,488392,679.5
1458Grant CountyWashington105,727392,679.6
1459Scott CountyVirginia21,20040535.8
1460Wyoming CountyWest Virginia19,80140499.5
1461Dodge CountyGeorgia19,66340496
1462Johnson CountyArkansas26,22540661
1463Vernon CountyWisconsin31,44340791.6
1464Orleans CountyVermont27,60040694.5
1465McKean CountyPennsylvania38,98440979.7
1466Washington CountyIowa22,66740568.8
1467Montgomery CountyIllinois28,07640703.8
1468Randolph CountyAlabama23,16340580.6
1469Mitchell CountyGeorgia20,46740512.2
1470Dickenson CountyVirginia13,23640330.4
1471Coos CountyOregon63,992401,596.1
1472McCreary CountyKentucky17,12440426.7
1473Perry CountyMissouri19,09340474.4
1474Waushara CountyWisconsin25,22340626.2
1475Union CountyIllinois16,65640413.4
1476Oconto CountyWisconsin40,19540997.5
1477Boone CountyWest Virginia20,25140502.4
1478Jackson CountyTennessee12,46640308.8
1479Santa Cruz CountyArizona50,020401,236.3
1480Gilpin CountyColorado6,07340150
1481Erath CountyTexas43,911411,083.2
1482Hardee CountyFlorida25,93241637.6
1483Nicholas CountyKentucky7,94941195.3
1484Yuma CountyArizona224,449415,513.8
1485Green CountyKentucky11,64441286
1486Fentress CountyTennessee20,32241498.6
1487Ohio CountyKentucky23,93441587.1
1488Pulaski CountyGeorgia10,17241249.3
1489Halifax CountyVirginia33,44741817.7
1490Anson CountyNorth Carolina21,75841531.5
1491Brown CountyTexas38,71141944.5
1492Ware CountyGeorgia36,90641899.4
1493Benton CountyTennessee16,18341394.3
1494Heard CountyGeorgia12,14941296
1495Grays Harbor CountyWashington78,144411,902.3
1496Rush CountyIndiana16,76741408.1
1497Ray CountyMissouri23,39841569
1498Wabasha CountyMinnesota21,53741523
1499Hill CountyTexas39,50341958.9
1500Essex CountyVirginia10,65441257.4

Read the differences behind ranks 1401–1500

The median density among these 100 entries is 39 people per mi². The first and last entries span 4.2 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

  • Georgia11 entries · 11% of this page
  • Kentucky11 entries · 11% of this page
  • Illinois8 entries · 8% of this page
  • Tennessee7 entries · 7% of this page
  • Virginia7 entries · 7% of this page
  • Texas6 entries · 6% of this page

The remaining 24 jurisdictions contribute 50 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.