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 2801–2900
Vintage 2025 population estimates · 2026 Gazetteer land area · 3,222 county equivalents · page 29 of 33
What this part of the ranking shows
This page runs from Pondera County, Montana at 6,072 residents to Wahkiakum County, Washington at 4,873 residents. The 100 entries represent 29 state-level jurisdictions. Kansas has the most entries on this page (11).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2801 | Pondera County | Montana | 6,072 | 3.7 | 1,624.6 |
| 2802 | Essex County | Vermont | 6,051 | 9.1 | 662.4 |
| 2803 | Lynn County | Texas | 6,017 | 6.7 | 891.9 |
| 2804 | Dallas County | Arkansas | 6,011 | 9 | 667.3 |
| 2805 | Ohio County | Indiana | 5,994 | 70 | 86.2 |
| 2806 | Cumberland County | Kentucky | 5,992 | 20 | 305.1 |
| 2807 | Reynolds County | Missouri | 5,992 | 7.4 | 808.5 |
| 2808 | Pawnee County | Kansas | 5,991 | 7.9 | 754.3 |
| 2809 | Henderson County | Illinois | 5,984 | 16 | 378.8 |
| 2810 | Osceola County | Iowa | 5,980 | 15 | 398.7 |
| 2811 | Calhoun County | West Virginia | 5,978 | 21 | 279.3 |
| 2812 | McCook County | South Dakota | 5,964 | 10 | 574.2 |
| 2813 | Edwards County | Illinois | 5,898 | 27 | 222.4 |
| 2814 | Lafayette County | Arkansas | 5,888 | 11 | 529.5 |
| 2815 | Lander County | Nevada | 5,872 | 1.1 | 5,519.2 |
| 2816 | Shelby County | Missouri | 5,870 | 12 | 500.9 |
| 2817 | Chouteau County | Montana | 5,865 | 1.5 | 3,972.5 |
| 2818 | Sullivan County | Pennsylvania | 5,856 | 13 | 449.9 |
| 2819 | Taylor County | Iowa | 5,835 | 11 | 531.9 |
| 2820 | Greenwood County | Kansas | 5,826 | 5.1 | 1,143.3 |
| 2821 | Pendleton County | West Virginia | 5,826 | 8.4 | 696.1 |
| 2822 | Ontonagon County | Michigan | 5,823 | 4.4 | 1,311 |
| 2823 | Miller County | Georgia | 5,812 | 21 | 282.4 |
| 2824 | Carson County | Texas | 5,805 | 6.3 | 920.2 |
| 2825 | San Saba County | Texas | 5,787 | 5.1 | 1,135.3 |
| 2826 | Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area | Alaska | 5,777 | 1.1 | 5,268.2 |
| 2827 | Sherman County | Kansas | 5,763 | 5.5 | 1,056.1 |
| 2828 | Benson County | North Dakota | 5,759 | 4.1 | 1,388.6 |
| 2829 | Ottawa County | Kansas | 5,744 | 8 | 720.7 |
| 2830 | Stanton County | Nebraska | 5,744 | 13 | 427.6 |
| 2831 | Sullivan County | Missouri | 5,738 | 8.9 | 648 |
| 2832 | Bent County | Colorado | 5,716 | 3.8 | 1,512.8 |
| 2833 | Woodruff County | Arkansas | 5,710 | 9.7 | 586 |
| 2834 | Talbot County | Georgia | 5,709 | 15 | 391.4 |
| 2835 | Tripp County | South Dakota | 5,708 | 3.5 | 1,612.3 |
| 2836 | Covington city | Virginia | 5,680 | 1,039 | 5.5 |
| 2837 | Crowley County | Colorado | 5,677 | 7.2 | 787.4 |
| 2838 | Gray County | Kansas | 5,652 | 6.5 | 868.9 |
| 2839 | Alfalfa County | Oklahoma | 5,649 | 6.5 | 866.6 |
| 2840 | Lincoln County | Colorado | 5,645 | 2.2 | 2,577.7 |
| 2841 | Putnam County | Illinois | 5,619 | 35 | 160.1 |
| 2842 | Ransom County | North Dakota | 5,617 | 6.5 | 862.5 |
| 2843 | Lincoln County | Idaho | 5,603 | 4.7 | 1,201.4 |
| 2844 | Dixon County | Nebraska | 5,602 | 12 | 475.6 |
| 2845 | Custer County | Colorado | 5,590 | 7.6 | 738.6 |
| 2846 | Mitchell County | Kansas | 5,590 | 8 | 701.8 |
| 2847 | Lincoln County | Minnesota | 5,583 | 10 | 536.8 |
| 2848 | Musselshell County | Montana | 5,582 | 3 | 1,869 |
| 2849 | Cherry County | Nebraska | 5,561 | 0.93 | 5,960.1 |
| 2850 | Delta County | Texas | 5,549 | 22 | 256.8 |
| 2851 | Washington County | Kansas | 5,533 | 6.2 | 894.8 |
| 2852 | Cook County | Minnesota | 5,522 | 3.8 | 1,452.6 |
| 2853 | Audubon County | Iowa | 5,509 | 12 | 443 |
| 2854 | Haskell County | Texas | 5,499 | 6.1 | 903.1 |
| 2855 | Day County | South Dakota | 5,484 | 5.3 | 1,028.5 |
| 2856 | Fillmore County | Nebraska | 5,458 | 9.5 | 575.4 |
| 2857 | Emporia city | Virginia | 5,447 | 822 | 6.6 |
| 2858 | Coal County | Oklahoma | 5,436 | 11 | 516.8 |
| 2859 | Presidio County | Texas | 5,433 | 1.4 | 3,855.3 |
| 2860 | Cotton County | Oklahoma | 5,432 | 8.6 | 632.6 |
| 2861 | Jefferson County | Oklahoma | 5,431 | 7.2 | 759 |
| 2862 | Dewey County | South Dakota | 5,419 | 2.4 | 2,302.4 |
| 2863 | Carter County | Missouri | 5,418 | 11 | 507.3 |
| 2864 | Calhoun County | Georgia | 5,413 | 19 | 280.4 |
| 2865 | Greer County | Oklahoma | 5,373 | 8.4 | 639.3 |
| 2866 | Harper County | Kansas | 5,370 | 6.7 | 801.3 |
| 2867 | Quitman County | Mississippi | 5,364 | 13 | 405 |
| 2868 | Boone County | Nebraska | 5,355 | 7.8 | 686.5 |
| 2869 | Morris County | Kansas | 5,348 | 7.7 | 695.3 |
| 2870 | Stark County | Illinois | 5,319 | 18 | 288.1 |
| 2871 | Norton County | Kansas | 5,288 | 6 | 878 |
| 2872 | Kingsbury County | South Dakota | 5,284 | 6.3 | 832.2 |
| 2873 | Martin County | Texas | 5,284 | 5.8 | 915 |
| 2874 | Brule County | South Dakota | 5,278 | 6.5 | 817.2 |
| 2875 | Polk County | Nebraska | 5,270 | 12 | 438.8 |
| 2876 | Warren County | Georgia | 5,269 | 19 | 284.4 |
| 2877 | Ouray County | Colorado | 5,265 | 9.7 | 540.7 |
| 2878 | Garfield County | Utah | 5,256 | 1 | 5,179.6 |
| 2879 | Aleutians West Census Area | Alaska | 5,240 | 1.2 | 4,387.3 |
| 2880 | Pickett County | Tennessee | 5,219 | 32 | 163 |
| 2881 | Johnson County | Nebraska | 5,218 | 14 | 376.1 |
| 2882 | Walworth County | South Dakota | 5,217 | 7.4 | 707.5 |
| 2883 | Toole County | Montana | 5,211 | 2.7 | 1,914.9 |
| 2884 | Mineral County | Montana | 5,185 | 4.3 | 1,219.6 |
| 2885 | Atchison County | Missouri | 5,175 | 9.5 | 547.3 |
| 2886 | Mahnomen County | Minnesota | 5,153 | 9.2 | 557.9 |
| 2887 | McHenry County | North Dakota | 5,130 | 2.7 | 1,873.9 |
| 2888 | Oneida County | Idaho | 5,085 | 4.2 | 1,199 |
| 2889 | Big Stone County | Minnesota | 5,054 | 10 | 499.1 |
| 2890 | Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area | Alaska | 5,028 | 0.034 | 145,767.5 |
| 2891 | Adams County | Idaho | 5,013 | 3.7 | 1,362.8 |
| 2892 | Hamilton County | New York | 5,006 | 2.9 | 1,717.4 |
| 2893 | Stevens County | Kansas | 4,984 | 6.9 | 727.4 |
| 2894 | Hansford County | Texas | 4,944 | 5.4 | 919.8 |
| 2895 | Hartley County | Texas | 4,904 | 3.4 | 1,462 |
| 2896 | Dickey County | North Dakota | 4,895 | 4.3 | 1,131.5 |
| 2897 | Beaver County | Oklahoma | 4,882 | 2.7 | 1,814.8 |
| 2898 | Floyd County | Texas | 4,881 | 4.9 | 992.1 |
| 2899 | Wirt County | West Virginia | 4,879 | 21 | 232.5 |
| 2900 | Wahkiakum County | Washington | 4,873 | 19 | 262.9 |
Read the differences behind ranks 2801–2900
The median population among these 100 entries is 5,541. The first and last entries span 1,199 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
- Kansas11 entries · 11% of this page
- Texas10 entries · 10% of this page
- Nebraska7 entries · 7% of this page
- South Dakota7 entries · 7% of this page
- Oklahoma6 entries · 6% of this page
- Colorado5 entries · 5% of this page
The remaining 23 jurisdictions contribute 54 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.