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 2901–3000
Vintage 2025 population estimates · 2026 Gazetteer land area · 3,222 county equivalents · page 30 of 33
What this part of the ranking shows
This page runs from Grant County, Oklahoma at 4.1 people per mi² to Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska at 2.8 people per mi². The 100 entries represent 23 state-level jurisdictions. Texas has the most entries on this page (16).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2901 | Grant County | Oklahoma | 4,067 | 4.1 | 1,000.7 |
| 2902 | Keweenaw County | Michigan | 2,186 | 4 | 540.1 |
| 2903 | Jim Hogg County | Texas | 4,555 | 4 | 1,136.2 |
| 2904 | Baylor County | Texas | 3,472 | 4 | 867.5 |
| 2905 | Miner County | South Dakota | 2,281 | 4 | 570.2 |
| 2906 | Juab County | Utah | 13,567 | 4 | 3,391.8 |
| 2907 | Smith County | Kansas | 3,566 | 4 | 895.5 |
| 2908 | Gregory County | South Dakota | 4,037 | 4 | 1,015 |
| 2909 | Lincoln County | Kansas | 2,861 | 4 | 719.4 |
| 2910 | Rush County | Kansas | 2,845 | 4 | 717.8 |
| 2911 | Sweetwater County | Wyoming | 41,267 | 4 | 10,427 |
| 2912 | Aurora County | South Dakota | 2,801 | 4 | 708.5 |
| 2913 | Meade County | Kansas | 3,852 | 3.9 | 978.1 |
| 2914 | Gosper County | Nebraska | 1,803 | 3.9 | 458.2 |
| 2915 | Real County | Texas | 2,745 | 3.9 | 699.2 |
| 2916 | Kenai Peninsula Borough | Alaska | 61,951 | 3.9 | 16,017.1 |
| 2917 | Big Horn County | Wyoming | 12,024 | 3.8 | 3,137 |
| 2918 | Buffalo County | South Dakota | 1,802 | 3.8 | 471.4 |
| 2919 | Elk County | Kansas | 2,458 | 3.8 | 644.3 |
| 2920 | Cook County | Minnesota | 5,522 | 3.8 | 1,452.6 |
| 2921 | Greeley County | Nebraska | 2,154 | 3.8 | 569.8 |
| 2922 | Bent County | Colorado | 5,716 | 3.8 | 1,512.8 |
| 2923 | Pierce County | North Dakota | 3,838 | 3.8 | 1,018.3 |
| 2924 | Bottineau County | North Dakota | 6,284 | 3.8 | 1,668.9 |
| 2925 | Knox County | Texas | 3,192 | 3.8 | 850.6 |
| 2926 | Coke County | Texas | 3,412 | 3.7 | 911.6 |
| 2927 | Pondera County | Montana | 6,072 | 3.7 | 1,624.6 |
| 2928 | Koochiching County | Minnesota | 11,587 | 3.7 | 3,104.7 |
| 2929 | Clearwater County | Idaho | 9,118 | 3.7 | 2,453.4 |
| 2930 | La Paz County | Arizona | 16,711 | 3.7 | 4,496.6 |
| 2931 | Eddy County | North Dakota | 2,329 | 3.7 | 630.2 |
| 2932 | Osborne County | Kansas | 3,285 | 3.7 | 892.5 |
| 2933 | Adams County | Idaho | 5,013 | 3.7 | 1,362.8 |
| 2934 | Kittson County | Minnesota | 4,031 | 3.7 | 1,099 |
| 2935 | Concho County | Texas | 3,607 | 3.7 | 983.8 |
| 2936 | Dawson County | Montana | 8,692 | 3.7 | 2,371.9 |
| 2937 | Cameron Parish | Louisiana | 4,718 | 3.7 | 1,290.7 |
| 2938 | LaMoure County | North Dakota | 4,135 | 3.6 | 1,146 |
| 2939 | Barber County | Kansas | 4,083 | 3.6 | 1,134.1 |
| 2940 | Edmunds County | South Dakota | 4,022 | 3.6 | 1,126 |
| 2941 | Kimball County | Nebraska | 3,391 | 3.6 | 951.9 |
| 2942 | Kimble County | Texas | 4,438 | 3.5 | 1,251 |
| 2943 | Tripp County | South Dakota | 5,708 | 3.5 | 1,612.3 |
| 2944 | Valley County | Idaho | 12,831 | 3.5 | 3,665.1 |
| 2945 | Shackelford County | Texas | 3,197 | 3.5 | 914.3 |
| 2946 | Hitchcock County | Nebraska | 2,467 | 3.5 | 710 |
| 2947 | Donley County | Texas | 3,213 | 3.5 | 927 |
| 2948 | Ferry County | Washington | 7,517 | 3.4 | 2,203.2 |
| 2949 | Hemphill County | Texas | 3,083 | 3.4 | 906.3 |
| 2950 | Garfield County | Washington | 2,416 | 3.4 | 710.8 |
| 2951 | Washakie County | Wyoming | 7,597 | 3.4 | 2,238.7 |
| 2952 | Morton County | Kansas | 2,470 | 3.4 | 729.7 |
| 2953 | Kiowa County | Kansas | 2,432 | 3.4 | 722.6 |
| 2954 | Hartley County | Texas | 4,904 | 3.4 | 1,462 |
| 2955 | Sioux County | North Dakota | 3,667 | 3.4 | 1,094.1 |
| 2956 | Chase County | Kansas | 2,572 | 3.3 | 773.1 |
| 2957 | Cochran County | Texas | 2,546 | 3.3 | 775.1 |
| 2958 | Kit Carson County | Colorado | 7,069 | 3.3 | 2,160.8 |
| 2959 | Malheur County | Oregon | 32,261 | 3.3 | 9,887.7 |
| 2960 | Sierra County | California | 3,098 | 3.3 | 953.2 |
| 2961 | Converse County | Wyoming | 13,824 | 3.2 | 4,255 |
| 2962 | Colfax County | New Mexico | 12,184 | 3.2 | 3,758 |
| 2963 | Perkins County | Nebraska | 2,849 | 3.2 | 883.3 |
| 2964 | Elko County | Nevada | 54,815 | 3.2 | 17,173.3 |
| 2965 | Custer County | Montana | 12,034 | 3.2 | 3,783.3 |
| 2966 | Lipscomb County | Texas | 2,955 | 3.2 | 932.2 |
| 2967 | Griggs County | North Dakota | 2,239 | 3.2 | 708.7 |
| 2968 | Nye County | Nevada | 57,336 | 3.2 | 18,181.9 |
| 2969 | Jerauld County | South Dakota | 1,654 | 3.1 | 526.1 |
| 2970 | Jewell County | Kansas | 2,830 | 3.1 | 910 |
| 2971 | Boyd County | Nebraska | 1,674 | 3.1 | 539.4 |
| 2972 | Hall County | Texas | 2,737 | 3.1 | 883.5 |
| 2973 | Morrill County | Nebraska | 4,404 | 3.1 | 1,423.7 |
| 2974 | Trego County | Kansas | 2,740 | 3.1 | 889.5 |
| 2975 | Powell County | Montana | 7,157 | 3.1 | 2,326 |
| 2976 | Issaquena County | Mississippi | 1,263 | 3.1 | 413 |
| 2977 | Pecos County | Texas | 14,560 | 3.1 | 4,763.8 |
| 2978 | Harper County | Oklahoma | 3,172 | 3.1 | 1,038.6 |
| 2979 | Decatur County | Kansas | 2,716 | 3 | 893.5 |
| 2980 | Nelson County | North Dakota | 2,963 | 3 | 981.8 |
| 2981 | Las Animas County | Colorado | 14,391 | 3 | 4,772.9 |
| 2982 | Sherman County | Texas | 2,781 | 3 | 922.9 |
| 2983 | Garfield County | Nebraska | 1,710 | 3 | 569.4 |
| 2984 | Costilla County | Colorado | 3,679 | 3 | 1,227.6 |
| 2985 | Musselshell County | Montana | 5,582 | 3 | 1,869 |
| 2986 | Quay County | New Mexico | 8,454 | 2.9 | 2,874 |
| 2987 | Wells County | North Dakota | 3,729 | 2.9 | 1,270.5 |
| 2988 | Ellis County | Oklahoma | 3,613 | 2.9 | 1,231.5 |
| 2989 | Stanton County | Kansas | 1,986 | 2.9 | 680.4 |
| 2990 | Hamilton County | New York | 5,006 | 2.9 | 1,717.4 |
| 2991 | Lake of the Woods County | Minnesota | 3,770 | 2.9 | 1,297.7 |
| 2992 | Sitka City and Borough | Alaska | 8,319 | 2.9 | 2,870.3 |
| 2993 | Teton County | Montana | 6,496 | 2.9 | 2,271.6 |
| 2994 | Roger Mills County | Oklahoma | 3,259 | 2.9 | 1,141.1 |
| 2995 | Weston County | Wyoming | 6,840 | 2.9 | 2,398 |
| 2996 | Beaver County | Utah | 7,301 | 2.8 | 2,582.9 |
| 2997 | Wichita County | Kansas | 2,031 | 2.8 | 718.6 |
| 2998 | Madison County | Montana | 10,026 | 2.8 | 3,588.2 |
| 2999 | Bennett County | South Dakota | 3,307 | 2.8 | 1,184.6 |
| 3000 | Ketchikan Gateway Borough | Alaska | 13,549 | 2.8 | 4,857.1 |
Read the differences behind ranks 2901–3000
The median density among these 100 entries is 3.4 people per mi². The first and last entries span 1.3 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
- Texas16 entries · 16% of this page
- Kansas15 entries · 15% of this page
- Nebraska8 entries · 8% of this page
- North Dakota8 entries · 8% of this page
- South Dakota8 entries · 8% of this page
- Montana7 entries · 7% of this page
The remaining 17 jurisdictions contribute 38 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.