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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 1801–1900

Vintage 2025 population estimates · 2026 Gazetteer land area · 3,222 county equivalents · page 19 of 33

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What this part of the ranking shows

This page runs from Breckinridge County, Kentucky at 38 people per mi² to Willacy County, Texas at 34 people per mi². The 100 entries represent 28 state-level jurisdictions. Kentucky has the most entries on this page (10).

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 1801 through 1900. Population is the July 1, 2025 estimate; density is per square mile of land.
RankCounty / equivalentStatePopulationPer mi²Land mi²
1801Breckinridge CountyKentucky21,50338569.7
1802Menard CountyIllinois11,86338314.4
1803Lake CountyTennessee6,24938165.8
1804Union CountySouth Dakota17,40238462
1805Barnwell CountySouth Carolina20,65338548.4
1806Hampshire CountyWest Virginia24,10538640.4
1807Marquette CountyMichigan68,064381,809.1
1808Appling CountyGeorgia19,10038508.3
1809Crawford CountyGeorgia12,20638324.9
1810West Feliciana ParishLouisiana15,13438403.2
1811Morgan CountyMissouri22,41838597.5
1812Atchison CountyKansas16,17238431.2
1813Houghton CountyMichigan37,842381,009.1
1814Ogemaw CountyMichigan21,12137563.5
1815Union CountyKentucky12,83937342.9
1816Ste. Genevieve CountyMissouri18,68937499.2
1817Parke CountyIndiana16,64237444.7
1818Bureau CountyIllinois32,51037869.1
1819Oglethorpe CountyGeorgia16,41537439.1
1820Colleton CountySouth Carolina39,382371,056.5
1821Calhoun CountySouth Carolina14,18837381.1
1822Moniteau CountyMissouri15,42837415.1
1823Leake CountyMississippi21,66237582.9
1824Lawrence CountyIllinois13,79037372.2
1825Lincoln CountyOklahoma35,27837952.4
1826Seminole CountyOklahoma23,44137632.8
1827Humphreys CountyTennessee19,64637530.8
1828Bee CountyTexas32,51537880.2
1829Jones CountyIowa21,25337575.6
1830Humboldt CountyCalifornia131,647373,568
1831Nicholas CountyWest Virginia23,84837646.8
1832Lawrence CountySouth Dakota29,45937800.1
1833Covington CountyAlabama37,947371,030.6
1834Buchanan CountyVirginia18,49237502.9
1835Lewis CountyWashington88,062372,402.8
1836Buchanan CountyIowa20,88337571.1
1837Caldwell CountyKentucky12,60937344.8
1838Metcalfe CountyKentucky10,58337289.7
1839Huron CountyMichigan30,53037835.9
1840Clay CountySouth Dakota15,03136412
1841Casey CountyKentucky16,20536444.3
1842Benton CountyIowa26,00436716.1
1843Newton CountyMississippi20,96036577.8
1844Charles City CountyVirginia6,62336182.9
1845Elk CountyPennsylvania29,92636827
1846Patrick CountyVirginia17,42436483
1847Cheboygan CountyMichigan25,79336715.3
1848Hancock CountyMaine57,171361,587.2
1849Magoffin CountyKentucky11,11036308.4
1850Lyon CountyMinnesota25,68436714.4
1851Jo Daviess CountyIllinois21,59436600.9
1852Dallas CountyAlabama35,14036978.7
1853Pike CountyIndiana12,00336334.4
1854McLean CountyKentucky9,06436252.5
1855Coahoma CountyMississippi19,84936553.1
1856Noble CountyOhio14,27636398
1857Montgomery CountyGeorgia8,63536241.1
1858Bibb CountyAlabama22,26236622.5
1859Tioga CountyPennsylvania40,502361,133.9
1860Carroll CountyIowa20,30336569.5
1861Buena Vista CountyIowa20,44936574.9
1862Union CountyArkansas36,926361,039.1
1863Asotin CountyWashington22,54535636.1
1864Audrain CountyMissouri24,52835692.3
1865Decatur CountyTennessee11,82035333.9
1866Copiah CountyMississippi27,49735777.3
1867Newton CountyIndiana14,18835401.8
1868Richland ParishLouisiana19,58235555.6
1869Jasper CountyTexas33,07535938.7
1870Worth CountyGeorgia20,05935570.7
1871Pointe Coupee ParishLouisiana19,52035555.5
1872Jefferson CountyIowa15,29135435.5
1873Putnam CountyIllinois5,61935160.1
1874Harrison CountyOhio14,07035402.3
1875Marquette CountyWisconsin15,92735455.7
1876Lee CountyKentucky7,29735208.8
1877Cumberland CountyVirginia10,35235297.5
1878Juneau CountyWisconsin26,64935767.1
1879Todd CountyKentucky12,97235374.5
1880Carroll CountyIllinois15,41935445.4
1881Adair CountyOklahoma19,82835573.9
1882Walthall CountyMississippi13,92834403.9
1883Grayson CountyVirginia15,23034441.8
1884Kleberg CountyTexas30,31534881.3
1885Crawford CountyIndiana10,50934305.6
1886Stoddard CountyMissouri28,28434823.1
1887Jefferson CountyKansas18,29634532.6
1888St. Francis CountyArkansas21,80034634.8
1889Bladen CountyNorth Carolina30,00734875
1890Grant ParishLouisiana22,07534643.8
1891Oneida CountyWisconsin38,131341,113.9
1892Chattahoochee CountyGeorgia8,46534248.7
1893Emanuel CountyGeorgia23,14734680.6
1894Vernon ParishLouisiana45,091341,326.7
1895Monroe CountyKentucky11,19134329.5
1896Dickinson CountyMichigan25,82734761
1897Ward CountyNorth Dakota68,233342,013
1898Howard CountyTexas30,50434900.8
1899Mills CountyIowa14,79334437.4
1900Willacy CountyTexas19,97134590.6

Read the differences behind ranks 1801–1900

The median density among these 100 entries is 36 people per mi². The first and last entries span 3.9 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

  • Kentucky10 entries · 10% of this page
  • Georgia7 entries · 7% of this page
  • Iowa7 entries · 7% of this page
  • Illinois6 entries · 6% of this page
  • Michigan6 entries · 6% of this page
  • Louisiana5 entries · 5% of this page

The remaining 22 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.