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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 801–900

Vintage 2025 population estimates · 2026 Gazetteer land area · 3,222 county equivalents · page 9 of 33

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What this part of the ranking shows

This page runs from Hughes County, Oklahoma at 17 people per mi² to Karnes County, Texas at 20 people per mi². The 100 entries represent 29 state-level jurisdictions. Iowa has the most entries on this page (11).

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 801 through 900. Population is the July 1, 2025 estimate; density is per square mile of land.
RankCounty / equivalentStatePopulationPer mi²Land mi²
801Hughes CountyOklahoma13,45517804.5
802Linn CountyKansas9,95017594.1
803Calhoun CountyIowa9,56217569.8
804Charlton CountyGeorgia13,12117780.1
805Nowata CountyOklahoma9,52217565.8
806Tallahatchie CountyMississippi10,87717645.6
807Keokuk CountyIowa9,79717579.2
808Pope CountyMinnesota11,42017674.6
809Iron CountyMissouri9,31817550.3
810Calhoun CountyIllinois4,30017253.8
811Franklin CountyIowa9,86817582
812Lea CountyNew Mexico74,749174,391.6
813Itasca CountyMinnesota45,404172,667.5
814Ripley CountyMissouri10,71717629.5
815Monroe CountyIowa7,40617433.7
816Amite CountyMississippi12,48717730.1
817Mohave CountyArizona228,1021713,332.1
818Pike CountyIllinois14,23117831.4
819Pitkin CountyColorado16,62517970.7
820Thurston CountyNebraska6,75217393.6
821Bland CountyVirginia6,15117357.6
822Bollinger CountyMissouri10,64617617.9
823Stevens CountyMinnesota9,74717563.7
824Redwood CountyMinnesota15,26517878.6
825Nemaha CountyNebraska7,10217407.3
826Coos CountyNew Hampshire31,343171,794.6
827Kingfisher CountyOklahoma15,79518898.1
828Caldwell ParishLouisiana9,34418529.8
829Claiborne ParishLouisiana13,35418754.8
830Ritchie CountyWest Virginia8,03418452
831Clarke CountyAlabama22,014181,238.4
832Cottonwood CountyMinnesota11,40518640
833Scurry CountyTexas16,16218905.4
834Hamilton CountyNebraska9,67818542
835Perry CountyMississippi11,57718647.3
836Morton CountyNorth Dakota34,601181,925.9
837Montmorency CountyMichigan9,84218546.7
838Allendale CountySouth Carolina7,35518408.1
839Hickman CountyKentucky4,37218242.3
840Hamilton CountyIllinois7,85918434.7
841Houston CountyTexas22,316181,231
842Franklin CountyMaine30,824181,697
843Choctaw CountyOklahoma14,05918770.4
844Guthrie CountyIowa10,78218590.6
845Jasper CountyIllinois9,03218494.6
846Worth CountyIowa7,33818400.1
847Davis CountyIowa9,23018502.2
848Red River ParishLouisiana7,16518389
849Hancock CountyGeorgia8,68218471.1
850Hancock CountyIowa10,52818571
851Benton CountyMississippi7,50218406.6
852Stark CountyIllinois5,31918288.1
853Monroe CountyAlabama18,965181,025.7
854Okfuskee CountyOklahoma11,45119618.5
855Warren CountyGeorgia5,26919284.4
856Wahkiakum CountyWashington4,87319262.9
857Jackson CountyTexas15,39319829.4
858Perry CountyArkansas10,30919551.3
859Marengo CountyAlabama18,31119976.9
860Beltrami CountyMinnesota47,055192,504.7
861Jefferson CountyWashington33,970191,803.7
862Sumner CountyKansas22,312191,181.7
863Gonzales CountyTexas20,159191,066.7
864Macon CountyMissouri15,19019801.2
865Colusa CountyCalifornia21,836191,150.6
866Craig CountyOklahoma14,51819761.3
867Blanco CountyTexas13,58119709.3
868Linn CountyMissouri11,81519615.6
869Greene CountyMississippi13,70719712.7
870Choctaw CountyMississippi8,04819418.2
871Bosque CountyTexas18,91819983
872Wilkinson CountyGeorgia8,65019449.2
873Ashley CountyArkansas17,83119925.5
874Doniphan CountyKansas7,59419393.5
875Calhoun CountyGeorgia5,41319280.4
876Dent CountyMissouri14,58419752.8
877Scott CountyIllinois4,86619250.8
878Alexander CountyIllinois4,57019235.4
879Tunica CountyMississippi8,81919454.1
880Faribault CountyMinnesota13,88819712.5
881Lake CountySouth Dakota10,99320562.9
882Lewis CountyMissouri9,87920505
883Eastland CountyTexas18,14320926.5
884Cumberland CountyKentucky5,99220305.1
885Cherokee CountyIowa11,36920576.9
886Buffalo CountyWisconsin13,31820675.8
887Bates CountyMissouri16,51220836.7
888Rock CountyMinnesota9,52420482.5
889Sanpete CountyUtah31,453201,589.8
890Shelby CountyIowa11,68920590.8
891Young CountyTexas18,15420914.5
892Howard CountyIowa9,41520473.2
893Montrose CountyColorado44,591202,240.9
894Pipestone CountyMinnesota9,26020465.1
895Owsley CountyKentucky3,93220197.4
896Barton CountyMissouri11,79520592
897Presque Isle CountyMichigan13,12820658.7
898Lake CountyColorado7,55220376.9
899Stevens CountyWashington49,668202,477.1
900Karnes CountyTexas15,01820747.8

Read the differences behind ranks 801–900

The median density among these 100 entries is 18 people per mi². The first and last entries span 3.4 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

  • Iowa11 entries · 11% of this page
  • Minnesota9 entries · 9% of this page
  • Missouri9 entries · 9% of this page
  • Texas9 entries · 9% of this page
  • Illinois7 entries · 7% of this page
  • Mississippi7 entries · 7% of this page

The remaining 23 jurisdictions contribute 48 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.