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 2001–2100

Vintage 2025 population estimates · 2026 Gazetteer land area · 3,222 county equivalents · page 21 of 33

Download the full dataset

What this part of the ranking shows

This page runs from Guernsey County, Ohio at 73 people per mi² to Sullivan County, New York at 83 people per mi². The 100 entries represent 34 state-level jurisdictions. Georgia has the most entries on this page (9).

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 2001 through 2100. Population is the July 1, 2025 estimate; density is per square mile of land.
RankCounty / equivalentStatePopulationPer mi²Land mi²
2001Guernsey CountyOhio38,37973522.2
2002Wayne CountyWest Virginia37,30974506
2003Clay CountyIndiana26,41074357.6
2004Jones CountyGeorgia29,17174393.9
2005Saline CountyKansas53,37774720.2
2006Mason CountyWashington71,16574959.6
2007Wabash CountyIndiana30,71374412.5
2008Tazewell CountyVirginia38,63574518.8
2009McLeod CountyMinnesota36,63175491.5
2010Cerro Gordo CountyIowa42,37275568.3
2011Logan CountyOklahoma55,47375743.7
2012Warren CountyNew York65,02075867.2
2013Coffee CountyGeorgia44,40775592.3
2014Adams CountyIllinois64,26775855.2
2015Orangeburg CountySouth Carolina83,177751,106.4
2016Clinton CountyNew York78,138751,037.8
2017Accomack CountyVirginia33,85975449.3
2018Crittenden CountyArkansas46,21076611.8
2019Toombs CountyGeorgia27,54576364
2020Starke CountyIndiana23,42576309.1
2021Pierce CountyWisconsin43,51976574
2022Columbia CountyWisconsin58,13276765.6
2023Lawrence CountyTennessee46,91476617.1
2024Macon CountyNorth Carolina39,23276515.5
2025Lincoln CountyKentucky25,35376332.9
2026Upshur CountyTexas44,41076583
2027Mecosta CountyMichigan42,32076555.2
2028Knox CountyKentucky29,53276386.3
2029Nicollet CountyMinnesota34,27376448.3
2030Claiborne CountyTennessee33,22976434.6
2031Hillsdale CountyMichigan45,73876598.2
2032Stephenson CountyIllinois43,22077564.2
2033Page CountyVirginia23,76277310
2034Skagit CountyWashington132,975771,730.2
2035Valencia CountyNew Mexico82,013771,066.7
2036Wood CountyTexas49,68877645.3
2037Montgomery CountyIndiana38,95477504.6
2038White CountyArkansas80,085771,034
2039Baxter CountyArkansas42,98278553.9
2040Greene CountyNorth Carolina20,70078266.7
2041Titus CountyTexas31,56378406.3
2042Jackson CountyOhio32,81778420.3
2043Somerset CountyMaryland24,97378319.7
2044Perry CountyKentucky26,55578339.7
2045Monroe CountyTennessee49,73078635.8
2046Clinton CountyIllinois37,12878473.9
2047Wells CountyIndiana28,88378368.1
2048Van Zandt CountyTexas66,13078842.6
2049Madera CountyCalifornia167,927792,136.7
2050White CountyTennessee29,61279376.7
2051Morgan CountyWest Virginia18,02779229.1
2052Putnam CountyIndiana37,87679480.5
2053Creek CountyOklahoma74,96779949.9
2054Whiteside CountyIllinois54,12179684.1
2055Garrard CountyKentucky18,20779229.9
2056Tom Green CountyTexas120,602791,522.3
2057Highland CountyOhio43,82379553.1
2058Vermilion CountyIllinois71,25979898.3
2059Gilmer CountyGeorgia33,89480426.2
2060St. James ParishLouisiana18,93880237.9
2061Daviess CountyIndiana34,20980429.5
2062Jackson CountyOregon221,795802,783.3
2063Towns CountyGeorgia13,28580166.6
2064Cook CountyGeorgia18,23280228.5
2065Harrison CountyTexas71,95680900.1
2066Pope CountyArkansas64,97680811
2067Sauk CountyWisconsin66,65280831.6
2068Lincoln CountyMaine36,59580455.9
2069Harris CountyGeorgia37,28080463.8
2070Franklin CountyVirginia55,52680690.6
2071Kendall CountyTexas53,28980662.5
2072Washoe CountyNevada509,386816,315.9
2073Winona CountyMinnesota50,52381626.2
2074Chattooga CountyGeorgia25,30081313.3
2075Crawford CountyPennsylvania81,792811,012.4
2076Monroe CountyGeorgia32,02381396.1
2077Georgetown CountySouth Carolina65,91281813.6
2078Franklin CountyVermont51,17781631
2079Coryell CountyTexas85,592811,052.2
2080Wapello CountyIowa35,21082431.8
2081Chowan CountyNorth Carolina14,08282172.7
2082Augusta CountyVirginia78,94082967.1
2083Mineral CountyWest Virginia26,79282327.9
2084Sullivan CountyNew Hampshire43,96182537.9
2085Monroe CountyFlorida80,40682983
2086Dakota CountyNebraska21,68782264.4
2087Greene CountyArkansas47,41182577.4
2088Columbia CountyOregon54,09182658.7
2089Santa Fe CountyNew Mexico156,907821,910.4
2090Franklin CountyTennessee45,57982554.5
2091Clinton CountyIndiana33,32282405.1
2092Muskogee CountyOklahoma66,70882810.7
2093Bannock CountyIdaho91,591821,112.5
2094Walker CountyAlabama65,14082791.1
2095Lancaster CountyVirginia10,99582133.3
2096Franklin CountyWashington102,612831,241.6
2097Pender CountyNorth Carolina72,11183871.3
2098Middlesex CountyVirginia10,84183130.3
2099Hopkins CountyKentucky45,12783542.3
2100Sullivan CountyNew York80,58683968.1

Read the differences behind ranks 2001–2100

The median density among these 100 entries is 79 people per mi². The first and last entries span 9.7 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

  • Georgia9 entries · 9% of this page
  • Indiana8 entries · 8% of this page
  • Texas8 entries · 8% of this page
  • Virginia7 entries · 7% of this page
  • Arkansas5 entries · 5% of this page
  • Illinois5 entries · 5% of this page

The remaining 28 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.

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.