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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 1901–2000

Vintage 2025 population estimates · 2026 Gazetteer land area · 3,222 county equivalents · page 20 of 33

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What this part of the ranking shows

This page runs from Adams County, Mississippi at 65 people per mi² to Russell County, Kentucky at 73 people per mi². The 100 entries represent 33 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 1901 through 2000. Population is the July 1, 2025 estimate; density is per square mile of land.
RankCounty / equivalentStatePopulationPer mi²Land mi²
1901Adams CountyMississippi30,06165462.3
1902Sampson CountyNorth Carolina61,50465945.9
1903Caroline CountyVirginia34,41365527.4
1904Marion CountyMissouri28,52565436.9
1905Hocking CountyOhio27,51265421.4
1906Tuscola CountyMichigan52,68065804.9
1907Boone CountyArkansas38,62866589.7
1908Muhlenberg CountyKentucky30,63466467.3
1909Allen CountyKentucky22,53666343.7
1910Yellowstone CountyMontana172,692662,633.4
1911Northumberland CountyVirginia12,55766191.4
1912Le Sueur CountyMinnesota29,45366448.8
1913Cherokee CountyOklahoma49,19666749.1
1914Ripley CountyIndiana29,43466446.4
1915Hardin CountyTexas58,72366890.6
1916Coshocton CountyOhio37,18866563.9
1917Steuben CountyNew York91,855661,390.5
1918Crawford CountyKansas39,00866589.8
1919Leelanau CountyMichigan22,98266347.2
1920Clinton CountyIowa46,00266695
1921Jefferson CountyPennsylvania43,25566652.5
1922Henry CountyOhio27,59866416
1923Union CountyFlorida16,25067243.9
1924Knox CountyIllinois47,76767716.4
1925Smith CountyTennessee20,98167314.3
1926Somerset CountyPennsylvania72,004671,075
1927Upshur CountyWest Virginia23,75867354.6
1928Chippewa CountyWisconsin67,614671,008.4
1929Wyoming CountyNew York39,74167592.7
1930Logan CountyWest Virginia30,37567452.9
1931Carroll CountyOhio26,47567394.7
1932Washington ParishLouisiana44,93767669.6
1933Graves CountyKentucky37,05067551.8
1934Camden CountyMissouri44,04767655.8
1935Sequatchie CountyTennessee17,86167265.9
1936Phelps CountyMissouri45,24767671.8
1937Amherst CountyVirginia31,96267474
1938Fannin CountyGeorgia26,11167387.2
1939Cherokee CountyNorth Carolina30,83068455.5
1940Ogle CountyIllinois51,39968758.7
1941Dillon CountySouth Carolina27,45868405.1
1942Miller CountyArkansas42,35768624.1
1943Gibson CountyIndiana33,09168487.4
1944Mitchell CountyNorth Carolina15,06268221.3
1945Clearfield CountyPennsylvania78,100681,144.9
1946Camp CountyTexas13,38068195.8
1947Johnson CountyMissouri56,67068829.3
1948Ben Hill CountyGeorgia17,09968250.1
1949Payette CountyIdaho27,82468406.9
1950Union CountyMississippi28,45968415.6
1951Putnam CountyGeorgia23,72269344.7
1952Waupaca CountyWisconsin51,46169747.7
1953Chilton CountyAlabama47,70869692.8
1954Knox CountyIndiana35,65269515.8
1955Crow Wing CountyMinnesota69,13269998.5
1956St. Martin ParishLouisiana51,10669737.5
1957Ohio CountyIndiana5,9947086.2
1958Pike CountyKentucky54,72170786.2
1959Marshall CountyIowa39,89070572.5
1960Nacogdoches CountyTexas66,03570946.3
1961Wilson CountyTexas56,13970803.7
1962Bourbon CountyKentucky20,24370289.8
1963Suwannee CountyFlorida48,14970688.6
1964Stone CountyMissouri32,50370463.8
1965Fayette CountyOhio28,55270406.4
1966Amador CountyCalifornia41,87670594.6
1967Douglas CountyNevada50,11171710.5
1968Mason CountyKentucky16,93671240.1
1969Crisp CountyGeorgia19,23771272.7
1970Deschutes CountyOregon213,072713,017.6
1971Kent CountyMaryland19,56571276.9
1972Dyer CountyTennessee36,32071512.4
1973Van Wert CountyOhio29,01371409.2
1974Pueblo CountyColorado169,277712,386.6
1975Warren CountyMississippi41,75971588.5
1976Tate CountyMississippi28,72571404.8
1977Blackford CountyIndiana11,73071165.1
1978Wayne CountyPennsylvania51,70371725.8
1979Putnam CountyOhio34,38071482.5
1980Decatur CountyIndiana26,57671372.6
1981Washington CountyNew York59,35371831.2
1982Powell CountyKentucky12,81272179
1983King William CountyVirginia19,61772273.9
1984DeKalb CountyTennessee21,87372304.4
1985Dodge CountyNebraska38,05772528.8
1986Effingham CountyIllinois34,51972478.8
1987Jefferson CountyArkansas62,98772872.3
1988Emmet CountyMichigan33,77572467.5
1989Woodford CountyIllinois38,11172527.6
1990Gratiot CountyMichigan41,19072568.4
1991Yates CountyNew York24,54773338.2
1992Webster CountyMissouri43,05473592.6
1993Meigs CountyTennessee14,18673195.1
1994Bonneville CountyIdaho135,771731,866
1995Greene CountyNew York47,23873647.2
1996Pearl River CountyMississippi59,36373811.5
1997Venango CountyPennsylvania49,34673674.3
1998Avery CountyNorth Carolina18,11073247.3
1999Jennings CountyIndiana27,62273376.6
2000Russell CountyKentucky18,60873253.3

Read the differences behind ranks 1901–2000

The median density among these 100 entries is 69 people per mi². The first and last entries span 8.5 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
  • Indiana7 entries · 7% of this page
  • Ohio7 entries · 7% of this page
  • Missouri6 entries · 6% of this page
  • Mississippi5 entries · 5% of this page
  • New York5 entries · 5% of this page

The remaining 27 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.