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 401–500
Vintage 2025 population estimates · 2026 Gazetteer land area · 3,222 county equivalents · page 5 of 33
What this part of the ranking shows
This page runs from San Miguel County, New Mexico at 5.6 people per mi² to Hanson County, South Dakota at 8 people per mi². The 100 entries represent 25 state-level jurisdictions. Kansas has the most entries on this page (13).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 401 | San Miguel County | New Mexico | 26,260 | 5.6 | 4,721.5 |
| 402 | Hill County | Montana | 16,167 | 5.6 | 2,899.4 |
| 403 | Highland County | Virginia | 2,318 | 5.6 | 415.2 |
| 404 | Carbon County | Montana | 11,466 | 5.6 | 2,047.9 |
| 405 | Dawes County | Nebraska | 7,858 | 5.6 | 1,396.4 |
| 406 | Goshen County | Wyoming | 12,640 | 5.7 | 2,225.6 |
| 407 | Apache County | Arizona | 64,445 | 5.8 | 11,198.4 |
| 408 | Martin County | Texas | 5,284 | 5.8 | 915 |
| 409 | Crane County | Texas | 4,554 | 5.8 | 785.1 |
| 410 | Webster County | Nebraska | 3,336 | 5.8 | 574.9 |
| 411 | Pawnee County | Nebraska | 2,510 | 5.8 | 431.1 |
| 412 | Teton County | Wyoming | 23,333 | 5.8 | 3,996.8 |
| 413 | Conejos County | Colorado | 7,529 | 5.8 | 1,287.4 |
| 414 | Pembina County | North Dakota | 6,568 | 5.9 | 1,118.5 |
| 415 | Power County | Idaho | 8,246 | 5.9 | 1,403.8 |
| 416 | Cibola County | New Mexico | 26,807 | 5.9 | 4,540 |
| 417 | Norton County | Kansas | 5,288 | 6 | 878 |
| 418 | San Miguel County | Colorado | 7,753 | 6 | 1,286.7 |
| 419 | Dimmit County | Texas | 8,024 | 6 | 1,328.9 |
| 420 | Custer County | South Dakota | 9,431 | 6.1 | 1,556.9 |
| 421 | Haskell County | Texas | 5,499 | 6.1 | 903.1 |
| 422 | Mills County | Texas | 4,580 | 6.1 | 748.2 |
| 423 | Tensas Parish | Louisiana | 3,700 | 6.1 | 603.3 |
| 424 | Lincoln County | Montana | 22,328 | 6.2 | 3,612.6 |
| 425 | Washington County | Kansas | 5,533 | 6.2 | 894.8 |
| 426 | Lassen County | California | 28,117 | 6.2 | 4,541.4 |
| 427 | Morrow County | Oregon | 12,602 | 6.2 | 2,030.5 |
| 428 | Haskell County | Kansas | 3,599 | 6.2 | 577.5 |
| 429 | Woodson County | Kansas | 3,118 | 6.3 | 497.8 |
| 430 | Coleman County | Texas | 7,915 | 6.3 | 1,263 |
| 431 | Furnas County | Nebraska | 4,524 | 6.3 | 719.2 |
| 432 | Carson County | Texas | 5,805 | 6.3 | 920.2 |
| 433 | Kingsbury County | South Dakota | 5,284 | 6.3 | 832.2 |
| 434 | Oglala Lakota County | South Dakota | 13,338 | 6.4 | 2,093.6 |
| 435 | Todd County | South Dakota | 8,863 | 6.4 | 1,388.6 |
| 436 | Phillips County | Colorado | 4,420 | 6.4 | 687.9 |
| 437 | Duchesne County | Utah | 20,856 | 6.4 | 3,235.5 |
| 438 | Brule County | South Dakota | 5,278 | 6.5 | 817.2 |
| 439 | Republic County | Kansas | 4,640 | 6.5 | 717.4 |
| 440 | Park County | Montana | 18,214 | 6.5 | 2,802.5 |
| 441 | Gray County | Kansas | 5,652 | 6.5 | 868.9 |
| 442 | Ransom County | North Dakota | 5,617 | 6.5 | 862.5 |
| 443 | Alfalfa County | Oklahoma | 5,649 | 6.5 | 866.6 |
| 444 | Woods County | Oklahoma | 8,443 | 6.6 | 1,286.5 |
| 445 | Douglas County | South Dakota | 2,888 | 6.7 | 431.8 |
| 446 | Siskiyou County | California | 42,013 | 6.7 | 6,278.8 |
| 447 | Harper County | Kansas | 5,370 | 6.7 | 801.3 |
| 448 | Scott County | Kansas | 4,815 | 6.7 | 717.6 |
| 449 | Lynn County | Texas | 6,017 | 6.7 | 891.9 |
| 450 | Rio Arriba County | New Mexico | 39,832 | 6.8 | 5,860.9 |
| 451 | Kalawao County | Hawaii | 82 | 6.8 | 12 |
| 452 | Stevens County | Kansas | 4,984 | 6.9 | 727.4 |
| 453 | Grant County | New Mexico | 27,252 | 6.9 | 3,961.2 |
| 454 | Bear Lake County | Idaho | 6,727 | 6.9 | 975.7 |
| 455 | Zavala County | Texas | 9,037 | 7 | 1,297.4 |
| 456 | Brooks County | Texas | 6,579 | 7 | 943.4 |
| 457 | Schoolcraft County | Michigan | 8,187 | 7 | 1,171.9 |
| 458 | McCulloch County | Texas | 7,472 | 7 | 1,065.6 |
| 459 | Luce County | Michigan | 6,339 | 7.1 | 899.1 |
| 460 | Deuel County | South Dakota | 4,408 | 7.1 | 622.7 |
| 461 | Barnes County | North Dakota | 10,573 | 7.1 | 1,491.6 |
| 462 | Broadwater County | Montana | 8,493 | 7.1 | 1,192.4 |
| 463 | Nuckolls County | Nebraska | 4,100 | 7.1 | 575.2 |
| 464 | Jefferson County | Oklahoma | 5,431 | 7.2 | 759 |
| 465 | Sharkey County | Mississippi | 3,097 | 7.2 | 431.7 |
| 466 | Worth County | Missouri | 1,914 | 7.2 | 266.6 |
| 467 | Thomas County | Kansas | 7,725 | 7.2 | 1,074.7 |
| 468 | Valley County | Nebraska | 4,094 | 7.2 | 568.1 |
| 469 | Crowley County | Colorado | 5,677 | 7.2 | 787.4 |
| 470 | Prowers County | Colorado | 11,884 | 7.3 | 1,638.4 |
| 471 | Shannon County | Missouri | 7,285 | 7.3 | 1,003.8 |
| 472 | Norman County | Minnesota | 6,336 | 7.3 | 872.8 |
| 473 | Plumas County | California | 18,583 | 7.3 | 2,553.1 |
| 474 | Calhoun County | Arkansas | 4,632 | 7.4 | 628.6 |
| 475 | Walworth County | South Dakota | 5,217 | 7.4 | 707.5 |
| 476 | Knox County | Missouri | 3,728 | 7.4 | 504 |
| 477 | Antelope County | Nebraska | 6,352 | 7.4 | 857.2 |
| 478 | Reynolds County | Missouri | 5,992 | 7.4 | 808.5 |
| 479 | Russell County | Kansas | 6,581 | 7.4 | 886.3 |
| 480 | Hyde County | North Carolina | 4,554 | 7.4 | 612.3 |
| 481 | Nance County | Nebraska | 3,290 | 7.5 | 441.6 |
| 482 | Mercer County | Missouri | 3,404 | 7.5 | 453.8 |
| 483 | Knox County | Nebraska | 8,335 | 7.5 | 1,108.2 |
| 484 | Swisher County | Texas | 6,703 | 7.5 | 890.2 |
| 485 | Custer County | Colorado | 5,590 | 7.6 | 738.6 |
| 486 | Roosevelt County | New Mexico | 18,615 | 7.6 | 2,446.1 |
| 487 | Fremont County | Idaho | 14,208 | 7.6 | 1,864 |
| 488 | Keith County | Nebraska | 8,100 | 7.6 | 1,062.1 |
| 489 | Skamania County | Washington | 12,669 | 7.6 | 1,658.3 |
| 490 | Morris County | Kansas | 5,348 | 7.7 | 695.3 |
| 491 | Bath County | Virginia | 4,076 | 7.7 | 529.2 |
| 492 | Lewis County | Idaho | 3,704 | 7.7 | 478.8 |
| 493 | Pushmataha County | Oklahoma | 10,807 | 7.7 | 1,395.6 |
| 494 | Coconino County | Arizona | 144,368 | 7.8 | 18,616.4 |
| 495 | Tillman County | Oklahoma | 6,780 | 7.8 | 871.1 |
| 496 | Boone County | Nebraska | 5,355 | 7.8 | 686.5 |
| 497 | Major County | Oklahoma | 7,536 | 7.9 | 955 |
| 498 | Walsh County | North Dakota | 10,179 | 7.9 | 1,281.6 |
| 499 | Pawnee County | Kansas | 5,991 | 7.9 | 754.3 |
| 500 | Hanson County | South Dakota | 3,456 | 8 | 434.6 |
Read the differences behind ranks 401–500
The median density among these 100 entries is 6.8 people per mi². The first and last entries span 2.4 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
- Kansas13 entries · 13% of this page
- Texas12 entries · 12% of this page
- Nebraska11 entries · 11% of this page
- South Dakota9 entries · 9% of this page
- Colorado6 entries · 6% of this page
- Oklahoma6 entries · 6% of this page
The remaining 19 jurisdictions contribute 43 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.