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 3201–3222
Vintage 2025 population estimates · 2026 Gazetteer land area · 3,222 county equivalents · page 33 of 33
What this part of the ranking shows
This page runs from St. Louis city, Missouri at 4,507 people per mi² to New York County, New York at 73,478 people per mi². The 22 entries represent 12 state-level jurisdictions. New York has the most entries on this page (6).
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.
| Rank | County / equivalent | State | Population | Per mi² | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3201 | St. Louis city | Missouri | 278,144 | 4,507 | 61.7 |
| 3202 | Denver County | Colorado | 740,613 | 4,838 | 153.1 |
| 3203 | Nassau County | New York | 1,398,939 | 4,916 | 284.5 |
| 3204 | Manassas Park city | Virginia | 16,560 | 5,474 | 3 |
| 3205 | Cook County | Illinois | 5,194,625 | 5,497 | 944.9 |
| 3206 | Union County | New Jersey | 601,863 | 5,857 | 102.8 |
| 3207 | San Juan Municipio | Puerto Rico | 329,737 | 6,883 | 47.9 |
| 3208 | Baltimore city | Maryland | 569,997 | 7,042 | 80.9 |
| 3209 | Essex County | New Jersey | 896,379 | 7,109 | 126.1 |
| 3210 | Falls Church city | Virginia | 15,159 | 7,409 | 2 |
| 3211 | Richmond County | New York | 501,290 | 8,715 | 57.5 |
| 3212 | Arlington County | Virginia | 243,931 | 9,383 | 26 |
| 3213 | Alexandria city | Virginia | 160,662 | 10,757 | 14.9 |
| 3214 | District of Columbia | District of Columbia | 693,645 | 11,348 | 61.1 |
| 3215 | Philadelphia County | Pennsylvania | 1,574,281 | 11,720 | 134.3 |
| 3216 | Suffolk County | Massachusetts | 791,891 | 13,593 | 58.3 |
| 3217 | Hudson County | New Jersey | 735,033 | 15,912 | 46.2 |
| 3218 | San Francisco County | California | 826,079 | 17,695 | 46.7 |
| 3219 | Queens County | New York | 2,358,182 | 21,690 | 108.7 |
| 3220 | Bronx County | New York | 1,406,332 | 33,324 | 42.2 |
| 3221 | Kings County | New York | 2,653,963 | 38,254 | 69.4 |
| 3222 | New York County | New York | 1,664,862 | 73,478 | 22.7 |
Read the differences behind ranks 3201–3222
The median density among these 22 entries is 9,049 people per mi². The first and last entries span 68,971 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
- New York6 entries · 27.3% of this page
- Virginia4 entries · 18.2% of this page
- New Jersey3 entries · 13.6% of this page
- California1 entry · 4.5% of this page
- Colorado1 entry · 4.5% of this page
- District of Columbia1 entry · 4.5% of this page
The remaining 6 jurisdictions contribute 6 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.
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.