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Most densely populated counties

Population per square mile of land, using the latest Census Bureau estimate and Gazetteer land area. Small urban counties and independent cities lead because a large population shares little land.

Ranks 1601–1700

Vintage 2025 population estimates · 2026 Gazetteer land area · 3,222 county equivalents · page 17 of 33

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What this part of the ranking shows

This page runs from Panola County, Mississippi at 48 people per mi² to Morgan County, Tennessee at 42 people per mi². The 100 entries represent 36 state-level jurisdictions. Mississippi has the most entries on this page (12).

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.

Most densely populated counties, ranks 1601 through 1700. Population is the July 1, 2025 estimate; density is per square mile of land.
RankCounty / equivalentStatePopulationPer mi²Land mi²
1601Panola CountyMississippi32,69148685.2
1602Cherokee CountyAlabama26,41348553.6
1603Missoula CountyMontana123,513482,593
1604Brookings CountySouth Dakota37,63548792.2
1605Dickinson CountyIowa18,07748380.5
1606Bath CountyKentucky13,17647278
1607Martin CountyNorth Carolina21,60147456.4
1608Manistee CountyMichigan25,65647542.3
1609Kay CountyOklahoma43,49047919.6
1610Christian CountyIllinois33,44347709.5
1611Camden CountyNorth Carolina11,31547240.3
1612Boone CountyIowa26,79947570.5
1613Bedford CountyPennsylvania47,480471,012
1614Montgomery CountyKansas30,17747643.6
1615Caledonia CountyVermont30,41447649.2
1616Tippah CountyMississippi21,38947457.8
1617McNairy CountyTennessee26,23647562.8
1618Sullivan CountyIndiana20,83147447.2
1619Martin CountyKentucky10,69747229.6
1620Shawano CountyWisconsin41,56047893.2
1621Barry CountyMissouri36,20047778.1
1622Penobscot CountyMaine157,967473,397
1623Carroll CountyArkansas29,26346629.9
1624Susquehanna CountyPennsylvania38,23746823.5
1625Candler CountyGeorgia11,27546243.1
1626Clinton CountyKentucky9,13946197.1
1627Giles CountyVirginia16,56446357.2
1628Cleburne CountyArkansas25,67246554
1629Scott CountyMississippi28,07346609.2
1630Davison CountySouth Dakota20,06946435.6
1631Roscommon CountyMichigan23,91446519.9
1632Franklin CountyKansas26,29946571.8
1633Jeff Davis CountyGeorgia15,21946330.9
1634Iosco CountyMichigan25,26646549.5
1635Maverick CountyTexas58,823461,279.5
1636Grant CountyWisconsin52,446461,147.6
1637Calaveras CountyCalifornia46,605461,020
1638Washington CountyFlorida26,69546584.7
1639Avoyelles ParishLouisiana37,94146831.4
1640Perry CountyIllinois20,16046441.9
1641Switzerland CountyIndiana10,03745220.7
1642Allegany CountyNew York46,800451,029.5
1643Hood River CountyOregon23,72045522.2
1644Lee CountyIllinois32,91445724.8
1645Yankton CountySouth Dakota23,63545521.2
1646Itawamba CountyMississippi24,15245532.8
1647Fleming CountyKentucky15,78745348.7
1648Adair CountyMissouri25,68445567.3
1649Barbour CountyWest Virginia15,41445341.1
1650Clallam CountyWashington78,202451,738.8
1651Paulding CountyOhio18,72745416.4
1652Jim Wells CountyTexas38,80445865.2
1653Fannin CountyTexas39,26545877.9
1654Bond CountyIllinois16,95945380.3
1655Henry CountyIowa19,34945434.3
1656Clay CountyMississippi18,23844410
1657McDonald CountyMissouri23,99244539.4
1658Teller CountyColorado24,75644557.1
1659Madison CountyVirginia14,23744320.6
1660Marion CountyMississippi24,00144542.3
1661Waseca CountyMinnesota18,68844423.4
1662Stone CountyMississippi19,65444445.5
1663Jerome CountyIdaho26,36244597.5
1664Warren CountyNorth Carolina18,89844429.4
1665Howell CountyMissouri40,79844927.2
1666Logan CountyIllinois27,18244618.1
1667McDonough CountyIllinois25,91644589.3
1668Atascosa CountyTexas53,590441,219.5
1669Tishomingo CountyMississippi18,63944424.3
1670Lincoln CountyWest Virginia19,17744437.1
1671Marshall CountyOklahoma16,25544371.5
1672Garrett CountyMaryland28,37044649.1
1673Orange CountyVermont30,00244687
1674Miller CountyMissouri25,81744592.7
1675Monroe CountyMississippi33,31844765.1
1676Grimes CountyTexas34,25243787.5
1677Imperial CountyCalifornia181,411434,175.5
1678Saluda CountySouth Carolina19,68043453.2
1679Levy CountyFlorida48,520431,118.3
1680Simpson CountyMississippi25,49843589.2
1681Covington CountyMississippi17,89843413.8
1682Leflore CountyMississippi25,68643594.1
1683Freeborn CountyMinnesota30,44043707.2
1684Sandoval CountyNew Mexico159,565433,710.2
1685Fountain CountyIndiana17,01343395.7
1686Codington CountySouth Dakota29,56243687.6
1687Meriwether CountyGeorgia21,51643500.9
1688Medina CountyTexas56,881431,325.4
1689Hickman CountyTennessee26,21943612.5
1690Wayne CountyKentucky19,59743458
1691Polk CountyTennessee18,59243434.6
1692Moultrie CountyIllinois14,37143336
1693Brantley CountyGeorgia18,93643443.2
1694Lyon CountyKentucky9,12343213.8
1695Carlton CountyMinnesota36,71143861.2
1696Scott CountyTennessee22,67143532.3
1697Union CountyIndiana6,86343161.2
1698Clinton CountyPennsylvania37,87043889.8
1699Trempealeau CountyWisconsin31,17143733
1700Morgan CountyTennessee22,16042522.2

Read the differences behind ranks 1601–1700

The median density among these 100 entries is 45 people per mi². The first and last entries span 5.3 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

  • Mississippi12 entries · 12% of this page
  • Illinois7 entries · 7% of this page
  • Kentucky6 entries · 6% of this page
  • Texas6 entries · 6% of this page
  • Missouri5 entries · 5% of this page
  • Tennessee5 entries · 5% of this page

The remaining 30 jurisdictions contribute 59 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.