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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 1801–1900

Vintage 2025 population estimates · 2026 Gazetteer land area · 3,222 county equivalents · page 19 of 33

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What this part of the ranking shows

This page runs from Henry County, Kentucky at 57 people per mi² to Wyoming County, Pennsylvania at 65 people per mi². The 100 entries represent 30 state-level jurisdictions. Kentucky has the most entries on this page (8).

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 1801 through 1900. Population is the July 1, 2025 estimate; density is per square mile of land.
RankCounty / equivalentStatePopulationPer mi²Land mi²
1801Henry CountyKentucky16,44757286.3
1802Windham CountyVermont45,20458786
1803Cannon CountyTennessee15,29658265.6
1804Mower CountyMinnesota40,97158711.3
1805Cattaraugus CountyNew York75,390581,308.2
1806Fayette CountyWest Virginia38,16558662
1807Marion CountySouth Carolina28,24258489.4
1808Linn CountyOregon132,843582,289.5
1809Benzie CountyMichigan18,56858319.7
1810Bremer CountyIowa25,29658435.5
1811Larue CountyKentucky15,18458261.1
1812DeSoto CountyFlorida37,07858636.7
1813Garfield CountyOklahoma61,779581,058.5
1814Henry CountyIllinois48,09558823.2
1815Grady CountyGeorgia26,59059454.5
1816Henry CountyTennessee32,89659561.9
1817Marion CountyKentucky20,11559343.6
1818Gilchrist CountyFlorida20,48859349.7
1819Mason CountyMichigan29,04059495
1820Tipton CountyIndiana15,31959260.5
1821Jasper CountySouth Carolina38,53359655.2
1822Greene CountyPennsylvania33,88559575.9
1823Trimble CountyKentucky8,70159147.8
1824Webster ParishLouisiana34,94859593.3
1825Rains CountyTexas13,54259229.5
1826Letcher CountyKentucky19,95259337.9
1827Jackson CountyWest Virginia27,45059464.4
1828Windsor CountyVermont57,31259969.1
1829Rusk CountyTexas54,85459924.2
1830Carter CountyOklahoma48,91059822.3
1831Edgefield CountySouth Carolina29,80860500.7
1832Bleckley CountyGeorgia12,86660215.9
1833Sumter CountyGeorgia28,80160482.9
1834Lincoln CountyMississippi35,01260586.2
1835Juniata CountyPennsylvania23,40360391.4
1836Marion CountyTennessee29,80460498.3
1837Saline CountyIllinois22,77260380
1838Doña Ana CountyNew Mexico229,091603,808.2
1839Vermillion CountyIndiana15,48860256.9
1840Evans CountyGeorgia11,02860182.9
1841Butler CountyMissouri41,90460694.8
1842Yakima CountyWashington259,185604,294.5
1843Otsego CountyNew York60,589601,001.7
1844Jasper CountyIndiana33,89461559.7
1845Franklin CountyIndiana23,28661384.4
1846Wythe CountyVirginia27,98361462
1847Kewaunee CountyWisconsin20,75861342.5
1848Sequoyah CountyOklahoma40,84261673.6
1849Prentiss CountyMississippi25,28461415
1850Wexford CountyMichigan34,44561564.9
1851Pierce CountyGeorgia20,76461340.5
1852Posey CountyIndiana24,98861409.4
1853Clarion CountyPennsylvania36,68061600.8
1854Yancey CountyNorth Carolina19,08461312.6
1855Pittsylvania CountyVirginia59,49061969
1856Pike CountyOhio27,06161440.3
1857Newaygo CountyMichigan51,62262838.9
1858Marion CountyIowa34,19262554.5
1859Mayes CountyOklahoma40,41662655.3
1860Carroll CountyVirginia29,29962474.7
1861Dorchester CountyMaryland33,62862540.8
1862Harvey CountyKansas33,58062539.8
1863Gallia CountyOhio29,07262466.5
1864Lee CountyIowa32,30662517.6
1865Charlevoix CountyMichigan26,03663416.3
1866Johnson CountyTennessee18,71863298.4
1867Newberry CountySouth Carolina39,56163630.3
1868Wakulla CountyFlorida38,08963606.4
1869Miami CountyKansas36,24063575.9
1870Chester CountyTennessee17,99463285.7
1871Douglas CountyMinnesota40,12063636.9
1872Madison CountyNebraska36,10663572.6
1873Botetourt CountyVirginia34,14463541.3
1874Laurens CountyGeorgia51,04163807.3
1875Burleigh CountyNorth Dakota103,251631,632.7
1876Jefferson CountyIllinois36,14763571.2
1877Duplin CountyNorth Carolina51,57163814.7
1878Washington CountyTexas38,28863604.2
1879Door CountyWisconsin30,61664481.9
1880Marion CountyIllinois36,38264572.5
1881Bell CountyKentucky22,82964359
1882Morgan CountyGeorgia22,09564347.4
1883Goodhue CountyMinnesota48,19564756.7
1884Green CountyWisconsin37,22764584
1885Carter CountyKentucky26,14964409.5
1886Hardin CountyOhio30,07264470.3
1887Smyth CountyVirginia28,88264451.4
1888Prince Edward CountyVirginia22,39164349.9
1889Fayette CountyTennessee45,07164704.1
1890Harrison CountyKentucky19,62764306.5
1891Rutland CountyVermont59,65364930.6
1892Halifax CountyNorth Carolina46,53464723.7
1893Lawrence CountyMissouri39,40164611.8
1894Pontotoc CountyMississippi32,09664497.8
1895Ashe CountyNorth Carolina27,51465426.3
1896Lincoln CountyTennessee36,85365570.3
1897Ottawa CountyOklahoma30,43865470.8
1898Clay CountyMinnesota67,734651,045.2
1899Pettis CountyMissouri44,25465682.2
1900Wyoming CountyPennsylvania25,79065397.3

Read the differences behind ranks 1801–1900

The median density among these 100 entries is 61 people per mi². The first and last entries span 7.5 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

  • Kentucky8 entries · 8% of this page
  • Georgia7 entries · 7% of this page
  • Tennessee7 entries · 7% of this page
  • Virginia6 entries · 6% of this page
  • Indiana5 entries · 5% of this page
  • Michigan5 entries · 5% of this page

The remaining 24 jurisdictions contribute 62 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.