US County Area home

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 1601–1700

Vintage 2025 population estimates · 2026 Gazetteer land area · 3,222 county equivalents · page 17 of 33

Download the full dataset

What this part of the ranking shows

This page runs from Penobscot County, Maine at 47 people per mi² to Chenango County, New York at 51 people per mi². The 100 entries represent 35 state-level jurisdictions. Indiana has the most entries on this page (6, 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 1601 through 1700. Population is the July 1, 2025 estimate; density is per square mile of land.
RankCounty / equivalentStatePopulationPer mi²Land mi²
1601Penobscot CountyMaine157,967473,397
1602Barry CountyMissouri36,20047778.1
1603Shawano CountyWisconsin41,56047893.2
1604Martin CountyKentucky10,69747229.6
1605Sullivan CountyIndiana20,83147447.2
1606McNairy CountyTennessee26,23647562.8
1607Tippah CountyMississippi21,38947457.8
1608Caledonia CountyVermont30,41447649.2
1609Montgomery CountyKansas30,17747643.6
1610Bedford CountyPennsylvania47,480471,012
1611Boone CountyIowa26,79947570.5
1612Camden CountyNorth Carolina11,31547240.3
1613Christian CountyIllinois33,44347709.5
1614Kay CountyOklahoma43,49047919.6
1615Manistee CountyMichigan25,65647542.3
1616Martin CountyNorth Carolina21,60147456.4
1617Bath CountyKentucky13,17647278
1618Dickinson CountyIowa18,07748380.5
1619Brookings CountySouth Dakota37,63548792.2
1620Missoula CountyMontana123,513482,593
1621Cherokee CountyAlabama26,41348553.6
1622Panola CountyMississippi32,69148685.2
1623Douglas CountyIllinois19,88048416.7
1624Adams CountyOhio27,86548583.9
1625Lewis CountyTennessee13,48748282.1
1626Jasper CountyGeorgia17,63248368.4
1627Sioux CountyIowa36,77448767.9
1628Iberville ParishLouisiana29,57948617.3
1629Adair CountyKentucky19,42348405.3
1630Geneva CountyAlabama27,55448574.5
1631Rabun CountyGeorgia17,76448370.1
1632Shasta CountyCalifornia181,648483,775.6
1633Scotts Bluff CountyNebraska35,58648739.6
1634Morris CountyTexas12,13348252
1635Hancock CountyKentucky9,05048187.7
1636Evangeline ParishLouisiana31,98048662.4
1637Jefferson Davis ParishLouisiana31,47148651.5
1638Laclede CountyMissouri36,94348764.7
1639Hardin CountyTennessee27,98348577.5
1640Mille Lacs CountyMinnesota27,75348572.3
1641Schoharie CountyNew York30,17649621.8
1642Richmond CountyVirginia9,29449191.5
1643Butler CountyKansas69,484491,429.7
1644Dodge CountyMinnesota21,37649439.4
1645Hart CountyKentucky20,11749412.7
1646Wabash CountyIllinois10,90749223.3
1647Carroll CountyTennessee29,20049597.7
1648Alleghany CountyNorth Carolina11,47949234.8
1649Mesa CountyColorado162,845493,328.7
1650Kerr CountyTexas54,037491,103.3
1651Lawrence CountyAlabama33,84349690.7
1652Reno CountyKansas61,539491,255.3
1653Marshall CountyMississippi34,65449706.2
1654Walla Walla CountyWashington62,361491,270
1655Huntingdon CountyPennsylvania43,00149874.6
1656Mecklenburg CountyVirginia30,74749625.3
1657Vermilion ParishLouisiana57,671491,172.1
1658Decatur CountyGeorgia29,43249597.2
1659Clatsop CountyOregon40,92649828.2
1660Gallatin CountyMontana128,740492,605.4
1661Grenada CountyMississippi20,86849422.1
1662Dunklin CountyMissouri26,85550541.9
1663Addison CountyVermont38,04850766.3
1664Cass CountyNebraska27,65750556.9
1665Lee CountyVirginia21,64250435.4
1666Orange CountyIndiana19,83450398.4
1667White CountyIndiana25,16450505.2
1668Polk CountyWisconsin45,80350914.3
1669Pike CountyAlabama33,68850672.1
1670Madison CountyNorth Carolina22,55350449.6
1671Meigs CountyOhio21,58750429.5
1672Silver Bow CountyMontana36,11850718
1673Jackson CountyAlabama54,281501,078
1674Neshoba CountyMississippi28,73250570.1
1675Alpena CountyMichigan28,85350571.9
1676San Benito CountyCalifornia70,082501,388.7
1677Oceana CountyMichigan27,17751538.1
1678Spencer CountyIndiana20,06151396.9
1679Polk CountyTexas53,434511,057.1
1680Abbeville CountySouth Carolina24,83651491.2
1681Brown CountyIndiana15,77751312
1682Nez Perce CountyIdaho42,90551848.3
1683Wayne CountyGeorgia32,48151641.8
1684Otsego CountyMichigan26,08051515
1685Nottoway CountyVirginia15,79651311.9
1686Cherokee CountyTexas53,337511,053
1687Macoupin CountyIllinois43,74851863
1688Tattnall CountyGeorgia24,37651480.8
1689Mingo CountyWest Virginia21,45551423.1
1690Twin Falls CountyIdaho97,539511,921.7
1691Randolph CountyMissouri24,51351482.7
1692Independence CountyArkansas38,78551763.7
1693Perry CountyIndiana19,38951381.7
1694Baker CountyFlorida29,73751585.2
1695Cooke CountyTexas44,46151874.8
1696Hopkins CountyTexas39,06351767.4
1697Stephens CountyOklahoma44,31051870.2
1698Rockcastle CountyKentucky16,14851316.6
1699Clarendon CountySouth Carolina31,04351607.2
1700Chenango CountyNew York45,71551893.4

Read the differences behind ranks 1601–1700

The median density among these 100 entries is 49 people per mi². The first and last entries span 4.7 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

  • Indiana6 entries · 6% of this page
  • Kentucky6 entries · 6% of this page
  • Texas6 entries · 6% of this page
  • Alabama5 entries · 5% of this page
  • Georgia5 entries · 5% of this page
  • Mississippi5 entries · 5% of this page

The remaining 29 jurisdictions contribute 67 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.

Find a county

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.