US County Area home

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 1701–1800

Vintage 2025 population estimates · 2026 Gazetteer land area · 3,222 county equivalents · page 18 of 33

Download the full dataset

What this part of the ranking shows

This page runs from Lewis County, West Virginia at 42 people per mi² to Morgan County, Kentucky at 38 people per mi². The 100 entries represent 30 state-level jurisdictions. Kentucky 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.

Most densely populated counties, ranks 1701 through 1800. Population is the July 1, 2025 estimate; density is per square mile of land.
RankCounty / equivalentStatePopulationPer mi²Land mi²
1701Lewis CountyWest Virginia16,39442386.9
1702Houston CountyTennessee8,47942200.3
1703Richland CountyIllinois15,21942360
1704Andrew CountyMissouri18,24142432.6
1705Edmonson CountyKentucky12,74942302.8
1706Pennington CountySouth Dakota116,792422,776.8
1707Crawford CountyIllinois18,64842443.6
1708Holmes CountyFlorida20,11942478.9
1709Bracken CountyKentucky8,51142202.7
1710Herkimer CountyNew York59,219421,410.6
1711Mississippi CountyArkansas37,82842902.1
1712Warren CountyPennsylvania37,03842884.3
1713Hendry CountyFlorida48,276421,156
1714Berrien CountyGeorgia18,93242453.4
1715Brown CountyMinnesota25,51742611.3
1716East Feliciana ParishLouisiana18,91142453.3
1717Sanilac CountyMichigan40,08342962.6
1718Washington CountyKentucky12,36842297.3
1719Osceola CountyMichigan23,51642566.3
1720Arenac CountyMichigan15,06841363.2
1721Clay CountyKentucky19,46541469.3
1722Floyd CountyVirginia15,78941380.9
1723Essex CountyVirginia10,65441257.4
1724Hill CountyTexas39,50341958.9
1725Wabasha CountyMinnesota21,53741523
1726Ray CountyMissouri23,39841569
1727Rush CountyIndiana16,76741408.1
1728Grays Harbor CountyWashington78,144411,902.3
1729Heard CountyGeorgia12,14941296
1730Benton CountyTennessee16,18341394.3
1731Ware CountyGeorgia36,90641899.4
1732Brown CountyTexas38,71141944.5
1733Anson CountyNorth Carolina21,75841531.5
1734Halifax CountyVirginia33,44741817.7
1735Pulaski CountyGeorgia10,17241249.3
1736Ohio CountyKentucky23,93441587.1
1737Fentress CountyTennessee20,32241498.6
1738Green CountyKentucky11,64441286
1739Yuma CountyArizona224,449415,513.8
1740Nicholas CountyKentucky7,94941195.3
1741Hardee CountyFlorida25,93241637.6
1742Erath CountyTexas43,911411,083.2
1743Gilpin CountyColorado6,07340150
1744Santa Cruz CountyArizona50,020401,236.3
1745Jackson CountyTennessee12,46640308.8
1746Boone CountyWest Virginia20,25140502.4
1747Oconto CountyWisconsin40,19540997.5
1748Union CountyIllinois16,65640413.4
1749Waushara CountyWisconsin25,22340626.2
1750Perry CountyMissouri19,09340474.4
1751McCreary CountyKentucky17,12440426.7
1752Coos CountyOregon63,992401,596.1
1753Dickenson CountyVirginia13,23640330.4
1754Mitchell CountyGeorgia20,46740512.2
1755Randolph CountyAlabama23,16340580.6
1756Montgomery CountyIllinois28,07640703.8
1757Washington CountyIowa22,66740568.8
1758McKean CountyPennsylvania38,98440979.7
1759Orleans CountyVermont27,60040694.5
1760Vernon CountyWisconsin31,44340791.6
1761Johnson CountyArkansas26,22540661
1762Dodge CountyGeorgia19,66340496
1763Wyoming CountyWest Virginia19,80140499.5
1764Scott CountyVirginia21,20040535.8
1765Grant CountyWashington105,727392,679.6
1766St. Lawrence CountyNew York105,488392,679.5
1767Marion CountyAlabama29,09739742.3
1768Grundy CountyTennessee14,11639360.4
1769Bledsoe CountyTennessee15,92039406.6
1770Bacon CountyGeorgia11,07039284.1
1771Webster CountyKentucky12,92939332
1772Gem CountyIdaho21,77339559.8
1773Johnson CountyIllinois13,36339343.7
1774Winston CountyAlabama23,82939613
1775Meeker CountyMinnesota23,60339608
1776Escambia CountyAlabama36,66539945.4
1777Conway CountyArkansas21,39339552
1778Latah CountyIdaho41,842391,079.7
1779Wharton CountyTexas42,060391,086.1
1780Calhoun CountyTexas19,59939506.9
1781Franklin CountyTexas10,99439284.4
1782Jackson CountyKentucky13,32539345.2
1783Seminole CountyGeorgia9,16239237.6
1784Lincoln CountyGeorgia8,11239210.4
1785Wetzel CountyWest Virginia13,73438358.1
1786Lee CountySouth Carolina15,73038410.2
1787Mahaska CountyIowa21,88038570.9
1788Laramie CountyWyoming102,938382,685.9
1789Piatt CountyIllinois16,79138439.2
1790Amelia CountyVirginia13,63238357.8
1791Lyon CountyKansas32,26638847.5
1792De Witt CountyIllinois15,11838397.6
1793Fulton CountyIllinois32,90138865.7
1794Rockbridge CountyVirginia22,66338596.5
1795Lawrence CountyKentucky15,76538415.6
1796Pamlico CountyNorth Carolina12,75838336.5
1797Knott CountyKentucky13,32138351.5
1798Greensville CountyVirginia11,18138295.4
1799Hardeman CountyTennessee25,27438667.8
1800Morgan CountyKentucky14,41538381.1

Read the differences behind ranks 1701–1800

The median density among these 100 entries is 40 people per mi². The first and last entries span 4.5 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

  • Kentucky13 entries · 13% of this page
  • Georgia9 entries · 9% of this page
  • Illinois8 entries · 8% of this page
  • Virginia8 entries · 8% of this page
  • Tennessee7 entries · 7% of this page
  • Texas6 entries · 6% of this page

The remaining 24 jurisdictions contribute 49 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.