US County Area home

Most populous counties

County equivalents ranked by the Census Bureau’s latest July 1 population estimate. Land area and density are shown alongside, because a populous county is not necessarily a dense one.

Ranks 1901–2000

Vintage 2025 population estimates · 2026 Gazetteer land area · 3,222 county equivalents · page 20 of 33

Download the full dataset

What this part of the ranking shows

This page runs from Labette County, Kansas at 19,685 residents to Chester County, Tennessee at 17,994 residents. The 100 entries represent 32 state-level jurisdictions. Texas has the most entries on this page (9).

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 populous counties, ranks 1901 through 2000. Population is the July 1, 2025 estimate; density is per square mile of land.
RankCounty / equivalentStatePopulationPer mi²Land mi²
1901Labette CountyKansas19,68531645.4
1902Saluda CountySouth Carolina19,68043453.2
1903Wright CountyMissouri19,67129681.8
1904Dodge CountyGeorgia19,66340496
1905Stone CountyMississippi19,65444445.5
1906Humphreys CountyTennessee19,64637530.8
1907Hutchinson CountyTexas19,63322887.4
1908Harrison CountyKentucky19,62764306.5
1909Beadle CountySouth Dakota19,624161,258.7
1910King William CountyVirginia19,61772273.9
1911Calhoun CountyTexas19,59939506.9
1912Wayne CountyKentucky19,59743458
1913Richland ParishLouisiana19,58235555.6
1914Kent CountyMaryland19,56571276.9
1915Santa Isabel MunicipioPuerto Rico19,54757334.1
1916Langlade CountyWisconsin19,53422870.7
1917Pointe Coupee ParishLouisiana19,52035555.5
1918Polk CountyArkansas19,48623856.8
1919Clay CountyKentucky19,46541469.3
1920Washington CountyGeorgia19,45329678.5
1921Martin CountyMinnesota19,44027712.3
1922Adair CountyKentucky19,42348405.3
1923Los Alamos CountyNew Mexico19,407178109.1
1924Perry CountyIndiana19,38951381.7
1925Henry CountyIowa19,34945434.3
1926Peñuelas MunicipioPuerto Rico19,32543344.7
1927Green Lake CountyWisconsin19,30555349.5
1928Jackson CountyIowa19,28830636
1929Crisp CountyGeorgia19,23771272.7
1930Lincoln CountyWest Virginia19,17744437.1
1931Cherokee CountyKansas19,10533587.6
1932Appling CountyGeorgia19,10038508.3
1933Perry CountyMissouri19,09340474.4
1934Yancey CountyNorth Carolina19,08461312.6
1935Hempstead CountyArkansas19,08026727.2
1936Fayette CountyIowa19,04726730.8
1937Hertford CountyNorth Carolina19,01554353.2
1938Franklin ParishLouisiana19,00230624.3
1939Monroe CountyAlabama18,965181,025.7
1940St. James ParishLouisiana18,93880237.9
1941Brantley CountyGeorgia18,93643443.2
1942Berrien CountyGeorgia18,93242453.4
1943Bosque CountyTexas18,91819983
1944Andrews CountyTexas18,914131,500.7
1945East Feliciana ParishLouisiana18,91142453.3
1946Warren CountyNorth Carolina18,89844429.4
1947Randolph CountyArkansas18,87629651.9
1948Sawyer CountyWisconsin18,846151,257.6
1949Frio CountyTexas18,823171,133.5
1950Madison CountyFlorida18,75927696.5
1951Grant CountyArkansas18,75630631.9
1952Colonial Heights cityVirginia18,7382,4927.5
1953Lee CountyTexas18,72930629.1
1954Paulding CountyOhio18,72745416.4
1955Johnson CountyTennessee18,71863298.4
1956Kalkaska CountyMichigan18,69333559.7
1957Ste. Genevieve CountyMissouri18,68937499.2
1958Waseca CountyMinnesota18,68844423.4
1959Crawford CountyIllinois18,64842443.6
1960Tishomingo CountyMississippi18,63944424.3
1961Dickinson CountyKansas18,63722847.1
1962Deaf Smith CountyTexas18,626121,496.8
1963Roosevelt CountyNew Mexico18,6157.62,446.1
1964Russell CountyKentucky18,60873253.3
1965Polk CountyTennessee18,59243434.6
1966Plumas CountyCalifornia18,5837.32,553.1
1967San Juan CountyWashington18,577107173.9
1968Benzie CountyMichigan18,56858319.7
1969Buchanan CountyVirginia18,49237502.9
1970Comerío MunicipioPuerto Rico18,44564928.4
1971Madison CountyArkansas18,41022834.3
1972Houston CountyMinnesota18,40033552.1
1973Henry CountyAlabama18,39433561.9
1974Bethel Census AreaAlaska18,3910.4540,654.9
1975Poweshiek CountyIowa18,36831584.9
1976Cedar CountyIowa18,35932579.5
1977Park CountyColorado18,3148.32,193.5
1978Marengo CountyAlabama18,31119976.9
1979Jefferson CountyKansas18,29634532.6
1980Andrew CountyMissouri18,24142432.6
1981Clay CountyMississippi18,23844410
1982Cook CountyGeorgia18,23280228.5
1983Pickens CountyAlabama18,22121881.4
1984Park CountyMontana18,2146.52,802.5
1985Garrard CountyKentucky18,20779229.9
1986Hampton CountySouth Carolina18,17432560
1987Inyo CountyCalifornia18,1581.810,197.3
1988Young CountyTexas18,15420914.5
1989Eastland CountyTexas18,14320926.5
1990Macon CountyAlabama18,13230608.7
1991Sharp CountyArkansas18,12230604.6
1992Avery CountyNorth Carolina18,11073247.3
1993Southampton CountyVirginia18,11030599.2
1994Butler CountyAlabama18,10023776.8
1995Dickinson CountyIowa18,07748380.5
1996Dixie CountyFlorida18,03826705
1997Seward CountyNebraska18,03232571.4
1998Morgan CountyWest Virginia18,02779229.1
1999Dallas CountyMissouri18,02533541
2000Chester CountyTennessee17,99463285.7

Read the differences behind ranks 1901–2000

The median population among these 100 entries is 18,758. The first and last entries span 1,691 residents. 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

  • Texas9 entries · 9% of this page
  • Georgia7 entries · 7% of this page
  • Alabama6 entries · 6% of this page
  • Arkansas6 entries · 6% of this page
  • Iowa6 entries · 6% of this page
  • Kentucky6 entries · 6% of this page

The remaining 26 jurisdictions contribute 60 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.