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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 1501–1600

Vintage 2025 population estimates · 2026 Gazetteer land area · 3,222 county equivalents · page 16 of 33

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What this part of the ranking shows

This page runs from Floyd County, Virginia at 41 people per mi² to Carroll County, Arkansas at 46 people per mi². The 100 entries represent 33 state-level jurisdictions. Mississippi has the most entries on this page (10).

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 1501 through 1600. Population is the July 1, 2025 estimate; density is per square mile of land.
RankCounty / equivalentStatePopulationPer mi²Land mi²
1501Floyd CountyVirginia15,78941380.9
1502Clay CountyKentucky19,46541469.3
1503Arenac CountyMichigan15,06841363.2
1504Osceola CountyMichigan23,51642566.3
1505Washington CountyKentucky12,36842297.3
1506Sanilac CountyMichigan40,08342962.6
1507East Feliciana ParishLouisiana18,91142453.3
1508Brown CountyMinnesota25,51742611.3
1509Berrien CountyGeorgia18,93242453.4
1510Hendry CountyFlorida48,276421,156
1511Warren CountyPennsylvania37,03842884.3
1512Mississippi CountyArkansas37,82842902.1
1513Herkimer CountyNew York59,219421,410.6
1514Bracken CountyKentucky8,51142202.7
1515Holmes CountyFlorida20,11942478.9
1516Crawford CountyIllinois18,64842443.6
1517Pennington CountySouth Dakota116,792422,776.8
1518Edmonson CountyKentucky12,74942302.8
1519Andrew CountyMissouri18,24142432.6
1520Richland CountyIllinois15,21942360
1521Houston CountyTennessee8,47942200.3
1522Lewis CountyWest Virginia16,39442386.9
1523Morgan CountyTennessee22,16042522.2
1524Trempealeau CountyWisconsin31,17143733
1525Clinton CountyPennsylvania37,87043889.8
1526Union CountyIndiana6,86343161.2
1527Scott CountyTennessee22,67143532.3
1528Carlton CountyMinnesota36,71143861.2
1529Lyon CountyKentucky9,12343213.8
1530Brantley CountyGeorgia18,93643443.2
1531Moultrie CountyIllinois14,37143336
1532Polk CountyTennessee18,59243434.6
1533Wayne CountyKentucky19,59743458
1534Hickman CountyTennessee26,21943612.5
1535Medina CountyTexas56,881431,325.4
1536Meriwether CountyGeorgia21,51643500.9
1537Codington CountySouth Dakota29,56243687.6
1538Fountain CountyIndiana17,01343395.7
1539Sandoval CountyNew Mexico159,565433,710.2
1540Freeborn CountyMinnesota30,44043707.2
1541Leflore CountyMississippi25,68643594.1
1542Covington CountyMississippi17,89843413.8
1543Simpson CountyMississippi25,49843589.2
1544Levy CountyFlorida48,520431,118.3
1545Saluda CountySouth Carolina19,68043453.2
1546Imperial CountyCalifornia181,411434,175.5
1547Grimes CountyTexas34,25243787.5
1548Monroe CountyMississippi33,31844765.1
1549Miller CountyMissouri25,81744592.7
1550Orange CountyVermont30,00244687
1551Garrett CountyMaryland28,37044649.1
1552Marshall CountyOklahoma16,25544371.5
1553Lincoln CountyWest Virginia19,17744437.1
1554Tishomingo CountyMississippi18,63944424.3
1555Atascosa CountyTexas53,590441,219.5
1556McDonough CountyIllinois25,91644589.3
1557Logan CountyIllinois27,18244618.1
1558Howell CountyMissouri40,79844927.2
1559Warren CountyNorth Carolina18,89844429.4
1560Jerome CountyIdaho26,36244597.5
1561Stone CountyMississippi19,65444445.5
1562Waseca CountyMinnesota18,68844423.4
1563Marion CountyMississippi24,00144542.3
1564Madison CountyVirginia14,23744320.6
1565Teller CountyColorado24,75644557.1
1566McDonald CountyMissouri23,99244539.4
1567Clay CountyMississippi18,23844410
1568Henry CountyIowa19,34945434.3
1569Bond CountyIllinois16,95945380.3
1570Fannin CountyTexas39,26545877.9
1571Jim Wells CountyTexas38,80445865.2
1572Paulding CountyOhio18,72745416.4
1573Clallam CountyWashington78,202451,738.8
1574Barbour CountyWest Virginia15,41445341.1
1575Adair CountyMissouri25,68445567.3
1576Fleming CountyKentucky15,78745348.7
1577Itawamba CountyMississippi24,15245532.8
1578Yankton CountySouth Dakota23,63545521.2
1579Lee CountyIllinois32,91445724.8
1580Hood River CountyOregon23,72045522.2
1581Allegany CountyNew York46,800451,029.5
1582Switzerland CountyIndiana10,03745220.7
1583Perry CountyIllinois20,16046441.9
1584Avoyelles ParishLouisiana37,94146831.4
1585Washington CountyFlorida26,69546584.7
1586Calaveras CountyCalifornia46,605461,020
1587Grant CountyWisconsin52,446461,147.6
1588Maverick CountyTexas58,823461,279.5
1589Iosco CountyMichigan25,26646549.5
1590Jeff Davis CountyGeorgia15,21946330.9
1591Franklin CountyKansas26,29946571.8
1592Roscommon CountyMichigan23,91446519.9
1593Davison CountySouth Dakota20,06946435.6
1594Scott CountyMississippi28,07346609.2
1595Cleburne CountyArkansas25,67246554
1596Giles CountyVirginia16,56446357.2
1597Clinton CountyKentucky9,13946197.1
1598Candler CountyGeorgia11,27546243.1
1599Susquehanna CountyPennsylvania38,23746823.5
1600Carroll CountyArkansas29,26346629.9

Read the differences behind ranks 1501–1600

The median density among these 100 entries is 44 people per mi². The first and last entries span 5 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

  • Mississippi10 entries · 10% of this page
  • Illinois8 entries · 8% of this page
  • Kentucky8 entries · 8% of this page
  • Texas6 entries · 6% of this page
  • Georgia5 entries · 5% of this page
  • Michigan5 entries · 5% of this page

The remaining 27 jurisdictions contribute 58 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.