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 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 Scott County, Illinois at 4,866 residents to Baylor County, Texas at 3,472 residents. The 100 entries represent 27 state-level jurisdictions. Texas 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2901 | Scott County | Illinois | 4,866 | 19 | 250.8 |
| 2902 | Crosby County | Texas | 4,852 | 5.4 | 900.2 |
| 2903 | Thayer County | Nebraska | 4,842 | 8.4 | 573.8 |
| 2904 | Pulaski County | Illinois | 4,820 | 24 | 199.3 |
| 2905 | Scott County | Kansas | 4,815 | 6.7 | 717.6 |
| 2906 | Sheridan County | Nebraska | 4,809 | 2 | 2,440.2 |
| 2907 | Craig County | Virginia | 4,800 | 15 | 328.1 |
| 2908 | Scotland County | Missouri | 4,796 | 11 | 436.5 |
| 2909 | Wheeler County | Texas | 4,773 | 5.2 | 914.5 |
| 2910 | Florence County | Wisconsin | 4,748 | 9.7 | 488 |
| 2911 | Carlisle County | Kentucky | 4,747 | 25 | 189.5 |
| 2912 | Washington County | Colorado | 4,732 | 1.9 | 2,518.1 |
| 2913 | Phillips County | Kansas | 4,728 | 5.3 | 885.9 |
| 2914 | Cameron Parish | Louisiana | 4,718 | 3.7 | 1,290.7 |
| 2915 | Rooks County | Kansas | 4,646 | 5.2 | 890.5 |
| 2916 | Ringgold County | Iowa | 4,642 | 8.7 | 535.5 |
| 2917 | Republic County | Kansas | 4,640 | 6.5 | 717.4 |
| 2918 | Custer County | Idaho | 4,636 | 0.94 | 4,922.2 |
| 2919 | Calhoun County | Arkansas | 4,632 | 7.4 | 628.6 |
| 2920 | Stewart County | Georgia | 4,631 | 10 | 458.8 |
| 2921 | Gallatin County | Illinois | 4,616 | 14 | 322.9 |
| 2922 | Hot Springs County | Wyoming | 4,600 | 2.3 | 2,004.4 |
| 2923 | Schley County | Georgia | 4,593 | 28 | 166.9 |
| 2924 | Mills County | Texas | 4,580 | 6.1 | 748.2 |
| 2925 | Alexander County | Illinois | 4,570 | 19 | 235.4 |
| 2926 | Jim Hogg County | Texas | 4,555 | 4 | 1,136.2 |
| 2927 | Hyde County | North Carolina | 4,554 | 7.4 | 612.3 |
| 2928 | Crane County | Texas | 4,554 | 5.8 | 785.1 |
| 2929 | Putnam County | Missouri | 4,546 | 8.8 | 517.3 |
| 2930 | Furnas County | Nebraska | 4,524 | 6.3 | 719.2 |
| 2931 | Garza County | Texas | 4,510 | 5 | 893.4 |
| 2932 | Dillingham Census Area | Alaska | 4,483 | 0.24 | 18,355.9 |
| 2933 | Kimble County | Texas | 4,438 | 3.5 | 1,251 |
| 2934 | Marshall County | South Dakota | 4,426 | 5.3 | 838.1 |
| 2935 | Phillips County | Colorado | 4,420 | 6.4 | 687.9 |
| 2936 | Deuel County | South Dakota | 4,408 | 7.1 | 622.7 |
| 2937 | Mineral County | Nevada | 4,407 | 1.2 | 3,751.3 |
| 2938 | Morrill County | Nebraska | 4,404 | 3.1 | 1,423.7 |
| 2939 | Hickman County | Kentucky | 4,372 | 18 | 242.3 |
| 2940 | Guadalupe County | New Mexico | 4,343 | 1.4 | 3,029.8 |
| 2941 | Maricao Municipio | Puerto Rico | 4,336 | 118 | 36.6 |
| 2942 | Lincoln County | Nevada | 4,320 | 0.41 | 10,633.4 |
| 2943 | Calhoun County | Illinois | 4,300 | 17 | 253.8 |
| 2944 | Storey County | Nevada | 4,260 | 16 | 263.8 |
| 2945 | Cameron County | Pennsylvania | 4,211 | 11 | 396.1 |
| 2946 | Dewey County | Oklahoma | 4,207 | 4.2 | 999.6 |
| 2947 | Phillips County | Montana | 4,203 | 0.82 | 5,140.4 |
| 2948 | Holt County | Missouri | 4,200 | 9.1 | 462.7 |
| 2949 | Menominee County | Wisconsin | 4,199 | 12 | 357.6 |
| 2950 | Columbia County | Washington | 4,141 | 4.8 | 868.6 |
| 2951 | Schuyler County | Missouri | 4,140 | 13 | 307.3 |
| 2952 | LaMoure County | North Dakota | 4,135 | 3.6 | 1,146 |
| 2953 | Nuckolls County | Nebraska | 4,100 | 7.1 | 575.2 |
| 2954 | Valley County | Nebraska | 4,094 | 7.2 | 568.1 |
| 2955 | Barber County | Kansas | 4,083 | 3.6 | 1,134.1 |
| 2956 | Bath County | Virginia | 4,076 | 7.7 | 529.2 |
| 2957 | Grant County | Oklahoma | 4,067 | 4.1 | 1,000.7 |
| 2958 | Dunn County | North Dakota | 4,058 | 2 | 2,008.6 |
| 2959 | Mora County | New Mexico | 4,051 | 2.1 | 1,926.3 |
| 2960 | Gregory County | South Dakota | 4,037 | 4 | 1,015 |
| 2961 | Kittson County | Minnesota | 4,031 | 3.7 | 1,099 |
| 2962 | Clark County | South Dakota | 4,031 | 4.2 | 957.5 |
| 2963 | Edmunds County | South Dakota | 4,022 | 3.6 | 1,126 |
| 2964 | Stafford County | Kansas | 4,005 | 5.1 | 792 |
| 2965 | Mason County | Texas | 3,990 | 4.3 | 928.8 |
| 2966 | Red Lake County | Minnesota | 3,940 | 9.1 | 432.4 |
| 2967 | Owsley County | Kentucky | 3,932 | 20 | 197.4 |
| 2968 | Hidalgo County | New Mexico | 3,929 | 1.1 | 3,438.6 |
| 2969 | Kearny County | Kansas | 3,888 | 4.5 | 870.5 |
| 2970 | Meade County | Kansas | 3,852 | 3.9 | 978.1 |
| 2971 | Union County | New Mexico | 3,844 | 1 | 3,825.1 |
| 2972 | Pierce County | North Dakota | 3,838 | 3.8 | 1,018.3 |
| 2973 | Catron County | New Mexico | 3,827 | 0.55 | 6,924.2 |
| 2974 | Corson County | South Dakota | 3,781 | 1.5 | 2,469.7 |
| 2975 | Lake of the Woods County | Minnesota | 3,770 | 2.9 | 1,297.7 |
| 2976 | Sweet Grass County | Montana | 3,762 | 2 | 1,855.5 |
| 2977 | Wells County | North Dakota | 3,729 | 2.9 | 1,270.5 |
| 2978 | Knox County | Missouri | 3,728 | 7.4 | 504 |
| 2979 | Chase County | Nebraska | 3,718 | 4.2 | 894.4 |
| 2980 | Sargent County | North Dakota | 3,711 | 4.3 | 858.5 |
| 2981 | Lewis County | Idaho | 3,704 | 7.7 | 478.8 |
| 2982 | Tensas Parish | Louisiana | 3,700 | 6.1 | 603.3 |
| 2983 | Lyman County | South Dakota | 3,694 | 2.2 | 1,642.3 |
| 2984 | Fisher County | Texas | 3,692 | 4.1 | 899 |
| 2985 | Echols County | Georgia | 3,685 | 8.8 | 420.4 |
| 2986 | Costilla County | Colorado | 3,679 | 3 | 1,227.6 |
| 2987 | Pope County | Illinois | 3,672 | 10 | 368.9 |
| 2988 | Sioux County | North Dakota | 3,667 | 3.4 | 1,094.1 |
| 2989 | Granite County | Montana | 3,658 | 2.1 | 1,727.2 |
| 2990 | Adams County | Iowa | 3,617 | 8.5 | 423.4 |
| 2991 | Ellis County | Oklahoma | 3,613 | 2.9 | 1,231.5 |
| 2992 | Concho County | Texas | 3,607 | 3.7 | 983.8 |
| 2993 | Haskell County | Kansas | 3,599 | 6.2 | 577.5 |
| 2994 | Hardin County | Illinois | 3,588 | 20 | 177.4 |
| 2995 | Smith County | Kansas | 3,566 | 4 | 895.5 |
| 2996 | Tyrrell County | North Carolina | 3,537 | 9.1 | 390.8 |
| 2997 | Cavalier County | North Dakota | 3,497 | 2.3 | 1,489.1 |
| 2998 | Aleutians East Borough | Alaska | 3,479 | 0.5 | 6,985.2 |
| 2999 | Norton city | Virginia | 3,477 | 465 | 7.5 |
| 3000 | Baylor County | Texas | 3,472 | 4 | 867.5 |
Read the differences behind ranks 2901–3000
The median population among these 100 entries is 4,141. The first and last entries span 1,394 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
- Texas11 entries · 11% of this page
- Kansas10 entries · 10% of this page
- Illinois7 entries · 7% of this page
- Nebraska7 entries · 7% of this page
- North Dakota7 entries · 7% of this page
- South Dakota7 entries · 7% of this page
The remaining 21 jurisdictions contribute 51 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.