County statistics of the United States

In 48 of the 50 states of the United States, the county is used for the level of local government immediately below the state itself. Louisiana uses parishes, and Alaska uses boroughs. In several states in New England, some or all counties within states have no governments of their own; the counties continue to exist as legal entities, however, and are used by states for some administrative functions and by the United States Census bureau for statistical analysis. There are 3,242 counties and county equivalent administrative units in total, including the District of Columbia and 100 county-equivalents in the U.S. territories.

There are 41 independent cities in the United States. In Virginia, any municipality that is incorporated as a city legally becomes independent of any county. Where indicated, the statistics below do not include Virginia's 38 independent cities.

In Alaska, most of the land area of the state has no county-level government. Those parts of the state are divided by the United States Census Bureau into census areas, which are not the same as boroughs. The state's largest statistical division by area is the Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area, which is larger than any of the state's boroughs. Although Anchorage is called a municipality, it is considered a consolidated city and borough.

There are 100 county-equivalents in the territories of the United States: they are the 3 districts and 2 atolls of American Samoa, all of Guam (Guam as one single county-equivalent), the 4 municipalities in the Northern Mariana Islands, the 78 municipalities of Puerto Rico, the 3 main islands of the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the 9 islands in the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands.[1][2][3] All of these territorial county-equivalents are defined by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Count

This is the number of counties and county-equivalents for each state, the District of Columbia, the 5 inhabited territories of the United States, and the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands.

Texas has 254 counties, the most of any state
Delaware has three counties, the fewest of any state

Lists of counties and county equivalents by number per political division:

Count State,
federal district
or territory		 Notes
254 TexasThe most counties of any U.S. state
159 Georgia
133 Virginiaincluding 38 independent cities
120 Kentucky
115 Missouriincluding 1 independent city
105 Kansas
102 Illinois
100 North Carolina
99 Iowa
95 Tennessee
93 Nebraska
92 Indiana
88 Ohio
87 Minnesota
83 Michigan
82 Mississippi
78 Puerto RicoPuerto Rico has no counties. The 78 municipalities of Puerto Rico are counted as county-equivalents by the U.S. Census Bureau.
77 Oklahoma
75 Arkansas
72 Wisconsin
67 Alabama
67 Florida
67 Pennsylvania
66 South Dakota
64 Colorado
64 LouisianaLouisiana has no counties. The 64 parishes of Louisiana are counted as county-equivalents by the U.S. Census Bureau.
62 New YorkNew York City is a sui generis jurisdiction, in which the city government consists of 5 boroughs each coterminous with a county of New York State.
58 California
56 Montana
55 West Virginia
53 North Dakota
46 South Carolina
44 Idaho
39 Washington
36 Oregon
33 New Mexico
30 AlaskaAlaska has no counties. The following areas in Alaska are counted as county-equivalents: the 19 organized boroughs and, in its Unorganized Borough, 11 designated census areas.
29 Utah
24 Marylandincluding 1 independent city
23 Wyoming
21 New Jersey
17 Nevadaincluding 1 independent city
16 Maine
15 Arizona
14 Massachusetts8 of the 14 counties in Massachusetts were disincorporated in the 1990s and early 2000s; local government in these areas consists of cities and towns. One of the remaining 6 counties is a consolidated town-county.
14 Vermont
10 New Hampshire
9 U.S. Minor Outlying IslandsThe U.S. Minor Outlying Islands does not have counties. The 9 islands in the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands are counted as county-equivalents by the U.S. Census Bureau.
8 ConnecticutCounty government was abolished in Connecticut in 1960; local government consists of cities, towns, and boroughs.[4]
5 American SamoaThe 3 districts and 2 unorganized atolls of American Samoa are counted as county-equivalents by the U.S. Census Bureau. American Samoa locally has 14 “counties”, but these “counties” are not counted as counties by the U.S. Census Bureau (they are treated as “minor civil divisions”).[2]
5 Hawaii
5 Rhode IslandCounties in Rhode Island have no governmental functions; local government is provided by eight cities and thirty-one towns
4 Northern Mariana IslandsThe Northern Mariana Islands has no counties. The 4 municipalities of the Northern Mariana Islands are counted as county-equivalents by the U.S. Census Bureau.
3 DelawareThe fewest counties of any U.S. state
3 Virgin Islands (U.S.)The U.S. Virgin Islands has no counties. The 3 main islands of the U.S. Virgin Islands are counted as county-equivalents by the U.S. Census Bureau.
1 District of ColumbiaThe District of Columbia has no counties; the District of Columbia is considered both a state-equivalent and a county equivalent for statistical purposes[5]
1 GuamGuam has no counties; Guam is considered both a state-equivalent and a county-equivalent for statistical purposes by the U.S. Census Bureau (similar to the District of Columbia).[2]
  • Total (50 states and District of Columbia): 3,143 (3,007 counties and 136 county equivalents)
  • Total (50 states, District of Columbia and territories): 3,243 (3,007 counties and 236 county equivalents)
  • Average number of counties per state (not including D.C. and the territories): 62.82 [note 1]
  • Average number of counties per state (including D.C. and the territories): 56.87 [note 2]

Population

Nationwide population extremes
Main article: List of United States counties and county equivalents

These rankings include county equivalents.

Largest population counties nationwide
(2019 Estimate)[6]
Rank County Population
1 Los Angeles County, California 10,039,107
2 Cook County, Illinois 5,150,233
3 Harris County, Texas 4,713,325
4 Maricopa County, Arizona 4,485,414
5 San Diego County, California 3,338,330
6 Orange County, California 3,175,692
7 Miami-Dade County, Florida 2,716,940
8 Dallas County, Texas 2,635,516
9 Kings County, New York 2,559,903
10 Riverside County, California 2,470,546
Smallest population counties in the 50 states and District of Columbia
(2019 Estimate)[6]
Rank County Population
1 Kalawao County, Hawaii 86
2 Loving County, Texas 169
3 King County, Texas 272
4 Kenedy County, Texas 404
5 Arthur County, Nebraska 463
6 Blaine County, Nebraska 465
7 Petroleum County, Montana 487
8 McPherson County, Nebraska 494
9 Yakutat Borough, Alaska 579
10 Grant County, Nebraska 623

The following is a list of the least populous counties and county-equivalents in all U.S. territory. Note that the only entity on this list with a permanent human population is Swains Island, American Samoa. The first 8 counties (county-equivalents) are uninhabited, while the 10th on the list (Palmyra Atoll) has a small non-permanent human population whose maximum capacity is 20 people.[7]

Smallest population counties in all U.S. territory
(2017 Estimate)[6]
Rank County Population
1 Baker Island, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands 0
2 Howland Island, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands 0
3 Jarvis Island, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands 0
4 Johnston Atoll, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands 0
5 Kingman Reef, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands 0
6 Navassa Island, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands 0
7 Northern Islands Municipality, Northern Mariana Islands 0
8 Rose Atoll, American Samoa 0
9 Swains Island, American Samoa[8] [note 3] 17
10 Palmyra Atoll, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands 20 [note 4]


Population per state or territory
See also: List of the most populous counties by U.S. state
Most and least populous counties per state/territory (2010 Census)[9]
State,
federal district
or territory		 Least populous Population Most populous Population
 Alabama Greene 9,045 Jefferson 658,466
 Alaska Yakutat 662 Anchorage 291,826
 American Samoa Rose Atoll 0 Western District 31,329
 Arizona Greenlee 8,437 Maricopa 3,817,117
 Arkansas Calhoun 5,368 Pulaski 382,748
 California Alpine 1,175 Los Angeles 9,818,605
 Colorado San Juan 699 Denver 693,060
 Connecticut Windham 118,428 Fairfield 916,829
 Delaware Kent 162,310 New Castle 538,479
 District of Columbia District of Columbia [note 5] 601,723 District of Columbia 601,723 [note 6]
 Florida Liberty 8,365 Miami-Dade 2,496,435
Georgia Taliaferro 1,717 Fulton 1,010,562
 Guam Guam [note 7] 159,358 Guam 159,358
 Hawaii Kalawao 88 Honolulu 953,207
 Idaho Clark 982 Ada 392,365
 Illinois Hardin 4,320 Cook 5,194,675
 Indiana Ohio 6,128 Marion 903,393
 Iowa Adams 4,029 Polk 430,640
 Kansas Greeley 1,247 Johnson 544,179
 Kentucky Robertson 2,282 Jefferson 741,096
 Louisiana Tensas 5,252 East Baton Rouge 440,171
 Maine Piscataquis 17,535 Cumberland 281,674
 Maryland Kent 20,197 Montgomery 971,777
 Massachusetts Nantucket 10,172 Middlesex 1,503,085
 Michigan Keweenaw 2,156 Wayne 1,820,584
 Minnesota Traverse 3,558 Hennepin 1,152,425
 Mississippi Issaquena 1,406 Hinds 245,285
 Missouri Worth 2,171 St. Louis 998,954
 Montana Petroleum 494 Yellowstone 147,972
 Nebraska Arthur 460 Douglas 517,110
 Nevada Esmeralda 783 Clark 1,951,269
 New Hampshire Coos 33,055 Hillsborough 400,721
 New Jersey Salem 66,083 Bergen 905,116
 New Mexico Harding 695 Bernalillo 662,564
 New York Hamilton 4,836 Kings 2,504,700
 North Carolina Tyrrell 4,407 Mecklenburg 919,628
 North Dakota Slope 727 Cass 149,778
 Northern Mariana Islands Northern Islands Municipality 0 Saipan Municipality 48,220
 Ohio Vinton 13,435 Franklin 1,310,300
 Oklahoma Cimarron 2,475 Oklahoma 718,633
 Oregon Wheeler 1,441 Multnomah 735,334
 Pennsylvania Cameron 5,085 Philadelphia 1,526,006
 Puerto Rico Culebra Municipality 1,818 San Juan Municipality 395,326
 Rhode Island Bristol 49,875 Providence 626,667
 South Carolina Allendale 8,903 Greenville 451,225
 South Dakota Jones 1,006 Minnehaha 169,468
 Tennessee Pickett 5,077 Shelby 927,644
 Texas Loving 113 Harris 4,092,459
U.S. Minor Outlying Islands 6 entities [note 8] 0 Wake Island 100 [note 9]
 Utah Daggett 1,059 Salt Lake 1,029,655
 Vermont Essex 6,306 Chittenden 156,545
Virgin Islands (U.S.) Saint John Island 4,170 Saint Thomas Island 51,634
 Virginia Highland 2,321 Fairfax 1,081,726
 Washington Garfield 2,266 King 1,931,249
 West Virginia Wirt 5,717 Kanawha 193,063
 Wisconsin Menominee 4,232 Milwaukee 947,735
 Wyoming Niobrara 2,484 Laramie 91,738

Area

Nationwide land area extremes
See also: List of the largest counties in the United States by area

The largest counties and county-equivalents are organized boroughs and the census areas of Alaska with the top two being Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area (145,504.79 sq mi or 376,855.7 km2) and North Slope Borough (88,695.41 sq mi or 229,720.1 km2). The smallest counties and county equivalents (in the 50 states) are the independent cities of Virginia with the extreme being Falls Church at 2.05 sq mi (5.3 km2; 1,310 acres).[9] If the U.S. territories are included, the smallest county-equivalent is Kingman Reef, with a land area of 0.012 square miles (3.1 ha; 7.7 acres).[10]

The following two tables exclude county-equivalents:

Largest counties by land area nationwide (excluding county-equivalents)[9]
Rank County Land area
(sq mi)		 Land area
(km²)
1 San Bernardino County, California 20,056.94 51,947.24
2 Coconino County, Arizona 18,618.89 48,222.70
3 Nye County, Nevada 18,181.92 47,090.96
4 Elko County, Nevada 17,169.83 44,469.66
5 Mohave County, Arizona 13,311.08 34,475.54
6 Apache County, Arizona 11,197.52 29,001.44
7 Lincoln County, Nevada 10,633.20 27,539.86
8 Sweetwater County, Wyoming 10,426.65 27,004.90
9 Inyo County, California 10,180.88 26,368.36
10 Harney County, Oregon 10,133.17 26,244.79
Smallest counties by land area nationwide (excluding county-equivalents)[9]
Rank County Land area
(sq mi)		 Land area
(km²)
1 Kalawao County, Hawaii 11.99 31.05
2 New York County, New York 22.83 59.13
3 Bristol County, Rhode Island 24.16 62.57
4 Arlington County, Virginia 25.97 67.26
5 Broomfield County, Colorado 33.03 85.55
6 Bronx County, New York 42.10 109.04
7 Nantucket County, Massachusetts 44.97 116.47
8 Hudson County, New Jersey 46.19 119.63
9 San Francisco County, California 46.87 121.39
10 Suffolk County, Massachusetts 58.15 150.61

The following two tables include county-equivalents: [note 10]

Largest counties by land area nationwide (including county-equivalents)
Rank County Land area
(sq mi)		 Land area
(km²)
1 Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska 145,899.69 377,868.5
2 North Slope Borough, Alaska 88.817.12 230,035.3
3 Bethel Census Area, Alaska 40.633.31 105,239.8
4 Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska 35,898.34 92,976.3
5 Valdez-Cordova Census Area, Alaska 34,319.1 88,886
6 Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska 24,814.86 64,270.2
7 Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska 24,681.54 63,924.9
8 Lake and Peninsula Borough, Alaska 23,781.96 61,595.0
9 Nome Census Area, Alaska 23,000.91 59,572
10 San Bernardino County, California 20,052.5 51,936
Smallest counties by land area nationwide (including county-equivalents)
Rank County Land area
(sq mi)		 Land area
(km²)
1 Kingman Reef, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands 0.01 0.03
2 Rose Atoll, American Samoa 0.1 0.3
3 Baker Island, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands 0.5 1.4
4 Howland Island, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands 0.6 1.6
5 Swains Island, American Samoa 1 2.6
6 Johnston Atoll, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands 1.1 2.8
7 Jarvis Island, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands 1.7 4.5
8 Navassa Island, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands 2.08 5.4
9 City of Falls Church, Virginia 2.1 5.44
10 Midway Atoll, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands 2.4 6.2


Smallest, largest, and average area per state and territory
See also: List of U.S. states by area

The following is a list of counties and county-equivalents showing the average size of each state/territory’s counties, the smallest county (or equivalent) in each state/territory, and the largest county (or equivalent) in each state/territory. States/territories on the list are arranged by the average land area of their counties. Though not on the list, the North Slope Borough is the largest independently incorporated county equivalent. The Unorganized Borough is substantially larger, but is an extension of the State of Alaska government and not independently incorporated.[A]

Also note that the smallest land area with county-level governance in the U.S. is Falls Church, Virginia, but it is an independent city and not a county or part of one. Kingman Reef is the smallest county-equivalent in all U.S. territory (though it has no government). Kalawao County, Hawaii is the smallest true county by land area.

Smallest, largest and average land areas for counties and county-equivalents by state and territory[11]
State
federal district
or territory		 Avg. county land area, sq. mi. (km²) Smallest county Area, sq. mi. (km²) Largest county area, sq. mi. (km²)
The 50 states & D.C. 1,124.09 (2,911.4)[note 11] City of Falls Church, Virginia 2.0 (5.2) Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska[note 12] 145,505 (376,860)
The 50 states, D.C.
& U.S. territories		 1,090.69 (2,824.9)[note 13] Kingman Reef, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands 0.01 (0.026) Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska 145,505 (376,860)
 Alaska8,545.7 (22,133)Skagway Municipality452.3 (1,171)Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area145,505 (376,860)
 Arizona7,572.9 (19,614)Santa Cruz County1,236.9 (3,204)Coconino County18,618.8 (48,222)
 Nevada6,457.7 (16,725)City of Carson City144.6 (375)Nye County18,181.9 (47,091)
 Wyoming4,221.4 (10,933)Hot Springs County2,004.0 (5,190)Sweetwater County10,426.6 (27,005)
 New Mexico3,675.7 (9,520)Los Alamos County109.1 (283)Catron County6,923.6 (17,932)
 Utah2,833.4 (7,338)Davis County298.7 (774)San Juan County7,819.9 (20,253)
 California2,685.8 (6,956)San Francisco County46.8 (121)San Bernardino County20,056.9 (51,947)
 Oregon2,666.3 (6,906)Multnomah County431.3 (1,117)Harney County10,133.1 (26,245)
 Montana2,599.0 (6,731)Silver Bow County718.4 (1,861)Beaverhead County5,541.6 (14,353)
 Maine1,927.7 (4,993)Sagadahoc County253.6 (657)Aroostook County6,671.3 (17,279)
 Idaho1,878.3 (4,865)Payette County406.8 (1,054)Idaho County8,477.3 (21,956)
 Washington1,704.0 (4,413)San Juan County173.9 (450)Okanogan County5,267.9 (13,644)
 Colorado1,619.4 (4,194)Broomfield County33.0 (85)Las Animas County4,772.6 (12,361)
 North Dakota1,301.9 (3,372)Eddy County630.1 (1,632)McKenzie County2,760.3 (7,149)
 Hawaii1,284.5 (3,327)Kalawao County11.9 (31)Hawaii County4,028.4 (10,434)
 South Dakota1,148.7 (2,975)Clay County412.1 (1,067)Meade County3,470.9 (8,990)
 Texas1,028.5 (2,664)Rockwall County127.0 (329)Brewster County6,183.7 (16,016)
 Minnesota915.2 (2,370)Ramsey County152.2 (394)St. Louis County6,247.4 (16,181)
 New Hampshire895.3 (2,319)Strafford County368.9 (955)Coos County1,794.6 (4,648)
 Oklahoma890.8 (2,307)Marshall County371.0 (961)Osage County2,246.3 (5,818)
 Nebraska826.1 (2,140)Sarpy County238.9 (619)Cherry County5,960.4 (15,437)
 Florida800.4 (2,073)Union County243.5 (631)Collier County1,998.3 (5,176)
 Kansas778.7 (2,017)Wyandotte County151.6 (393)Butler County1,429.8 (3,703)
 Alabama767.4 (1,988)Etowah County534.9 (1,385)Baldwin County1,589.7 (4,117)
 New York760.1 (1,969)New York County22.8 (59)St. Lawrence County2,680.3 (6,942)
 Wisconsin752.2 (1,948)Pepin County231.9 (601)Marathon County1,544.9 (4,001)
 Arkansas693.8 (1,797)Lafayette County528.2 (1,368)Union County1,039.2 (2,692)
 Michigan681.2 (1,764)Benzie County319.7 (828)Marquette County1,808.4 (4,684)
 Louisiana675.1 (1,749)Orleans Parish169.4 (439)Vernon Parish1,327.9 (3,439)
 Pennsylvania667.8 (1,730)Montour County130.2 (337)Lycoming County1,228.5 (3,182)
 Vermont658.3 (1,705)Grand Isle County81.8 (212)Windsor County969.3 (2,510)
 South Carolina653.5 (1,693)McCormick County359.1 (930)Horry County1,133.9 (2,937)
 Delaware649.5 (1,682)New Castle County426.2 (1,104)Sussex County936.0 (2,424)
 Connecticut605.3 (1,568)Middlesex County369.3 (956)Litchfield County920.5 (2,384)
 Missouri597.8 (1,548)City of St. Louis61.9 (160)Texas County1,177.2 (3,049)
 Mississippi572.2 (1,482)Alcorn County400.0 (1,036)Yazoo County922.9 (2,390)
 Iowa564.2 (1,461)Dickinson County380.6 (986)Kossuth County972.7 (2,519)
 Massachusetts557.1 (1,443)Nantucket County44.9 (116)Worcester County1,510.7 (3,913)
 Illinois544.3 (1,410)Putnam County160.1 (415)McLean County1,183.3 (3,065)
 North Carolina486.2 (1,259)Chowan County172.4 (447)Robeson County949.2 (2,458)
 Ohio464.3 (1,203)Lake County227.4 (589)Ashtabula County701.9 (1,818)
 West Virginia437.1 (1,132)Hancock County82.6 (214)Randolph County1,039.6 (2,693)
 Tennessee434.1 (1,124)Trousdale County114.1 (296)Shelby County763.1 (1,976)
 Maryland404.5 (1,048)City of Baltimore80.9 (210)Frederick County660.2 (1,710)
 Indiana389.4 (1,009)Ohio County86.1 (223)Allen County657.3 (1,702)
Georgia361.7 (937)Clarke County119.2 (309)Ware County892.4 (2,311)
 New Jersey350.2 (907)Hudson County46.1 (119)Burlington County798.5 (2,068)
 Kentucky329.1 (852)Robertson County99.9 (259)Pike County786.8 (2,038)
 Virginia294.7 (763)City of Falls Church2.0 (5.2)Pittsylvania County968.9 (2,509)
 Guam210 (540)Guam210 (540)Guam210 (540)
 Rhode Island206.8 (536)Bristol County24.1 (62)Providence County409.5 (1,061)
 District of Columbia61.05 (158.1)District of Columbia61.05 (158.1)District of Columbia61.05 (158.1)
 Puerto Rico45.06 (116.7)Cataño Municipality4.84 (12.5)Arecibo Municipality125.95 (326.2)
 Northern Mariana Islands44.75 (115.9)Rota Municipality32.97 (85.4)Northern Islands Municipality59.75 (154.8)
 U.S. Virgin Islands44.57 (115.4)Saint John20 (52)Saint Croix84 (220)
 American Samoa15.4 (40)Rose Atoll0.083 (0.21)Western District28.87 (74.8)
U.S. Minor Outlying Islands1.46 (3.8)Kingman Reef0.01 (0.026)Palmyra Atoll4.59 (11.9)

Population density
New York County, New York (Manhattan), the most densely populated county in the United States. At the top and top-left (beyond the East River) is Kings County (Brooklyn), the second-most densely populated county in the United States.

Most densely populated
See also: List of United States cities by population density

Data presented below is based on U.S. Census department data from 2010.[11] Calculations are made by dividing the population by the land area. All county equivalents are included. This list includes the 50 most densely-populated counties and county-equivalents in the 50 states and District of Columbia, plus the 9 highest-density municipalities (county-equivalents) of Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is the only U.S. territory with population densities (of county-equivalents) high enough to be on this list. Note that many of these high-density counties are coterminous with large cities (for example San Francisco and Philadelphia) or are independent cities in Virginia (as well as Baltimore and St. Louis) which are considered county-equivalents.

Rank County name Pop/sq mi Pop/km²
1 New York County, New York 69,468 26,822
2 Kings County, New York 35,369 13,656
3 Bronx County, New York 32,903 12,704
4 Queens County, New York 20,554 7,936
5 City and County of San Francisco, California 17,179 6,633
6 Hudson County, New Jersey 13,732 5,302
7 Suffolk County, Massachusetts 12,417 4,794
8 Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania 11,379 4,394
9 Washington, District of Columbia 9,857 3,806
10 Alexandria, Virginia 9,314 3,596
11 Arlington County, Virginia 8,853 3,520
12 San Juan Municipality, Puerto Rico 8,262 3,190
13 Richmond County, New York 8,030 3,101
14 City of Baltimore, Maryland 7,672 2,962
15 Essex County, New Jersey 6,212 2,398
16 Falls Church, Virginia 6,170 2,382
17 Cataño Municipality, Puerto Rico 5,809 2,243
18 Manassas Park, Virginia 5,633 2,175
19 Cook County, Illinois 5,495 2,122
20 Union County, New Jersey 5,216 2,014
21 City of Saint Louis, Missouri 5,157 1,991
22 Nassau County, New York 4,705 1,817
23 Bayamón Municipality, Puerto Rico 4,695 1,813
24 Norfolk, Virginia 4,486 1,732
25 Charlottesville, Virginia 4,242 1,638
26 Milwaukee County, Wisconsin 3,926 1,516
27 Denver County, Colorado 3,923 1,515
28 Carolina Municipality, Puerto Rico 3,900 1,506
29 Bergen County, New Jersey 3,884 1,500
30 Toa Baja Municipality, Puerto Rico 3,856 1,489
31 Manassas, Virginia 3,828 1,478
32 Orange County, California 3,808 1,470
33 Fairfax City, Virginia 3,617 1,396
34 Trujillo Alto Municipality, Puerto Rico 3,604 1,392
35 Guaynabo Municipality, Puerto Rico 3,551 1,371
36 Richmond, Virginia 3,415 1,318
37 Pinellas County, Florida 3,348 1,292
38 Ramsey County, Minnesota 3,342 1,290
39 Delaware County, Pennsylvania 3,039 1,173
40 Wayne County, Michigan 2,974 1,148
41 Portsmouth, Virginia 2,839 1,096
42 Winchester, Virginia 2,838 1,096
43 Lexington, Virginia 2,820 1,089
44 Harrisonburg, Virginia 2,808 1,084
45 Cuyahoga County, Ohio 2,800 1,081
46 DuPage County, Illinois 2,800 1,081
47 Fairfax County, Virginia 2,767 1,068
48 Toa Alta Municipality, Puerto Rico 2,742 1,058
49 Dallas County, Texas 2,718 1,049
50 Passaic County, New Jersey 2,715 1,048
51 Hampton, Virginia 2,674 1,032
52 Newport News, Virginia 2,634 1,017
53 Middlesex County, New Jersey 2,622 1,012
54 DeKalb County, Georgia 2,586 998
55 Caguas Municipality, Puerto Rico 2,439 942
56 Los Angeles County, California 2,420 934
57 Harris County, Texas 2,402 928
58 Fredericksburg, Virginia 2,326 898
59 Camden County, New Jersey 2,322 896

Least densely populated
Baker Island, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands — one of the 8 county-equivalents with zero people

This list was generated by dividing the population by the land area. All county equivalents are included. The list is dominated by just a few states: Alaska, Montana, and Texas together comprise about two-thirds of the entries.The Unorganized Borough is not included here as a unit, but its census areas (non-governmental entities) are. If the census areas were removed from the list, the Unorganized Borough would rank fourteenth with a density of 0.38 per square mile (0.15/km2).

The 8 uninhabited county-equivalents in the U.S. territories are listed at the top of the table — these are technically the least-densely populated counties/county-equivalents in the United States, but since they have no people, they are listed unranked.

Counties with lowest population densities[11]
Rank County name Pop/sq mi Pop/km²
— Baker Island, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands 0 0
— Howland Island, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands 0 0
— Jarvis Island, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands 0 0
— Johnston Atoll, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands 0 0
— Kingman Reef, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands 0 0
— Navassa Island, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands 0 0
— Northern Islands Municipality, Northern Mariana Islands 0 0
— Rose Atoll, American Samoa 0 0
1 Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska 0.03 0.01
2 Lake and Peninsula Borough, Alaska 0.06 0.02
3 Yakutat Borough, Alaska 0.08 0.03
4 North Slope Borough, Alaska 0.10 0.04
5 Loving County, Texas 0.12 0.04
6 Denali Borough, Alaska 0.14 0.05
7 Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska 0.21 0.08
8 Esmeralda County, Nevada 0.21 0.08
9 Garfield County, Montana 0.25 0.10
10 Dillingham Census Area, Alaska 0.26 0.10
11 Valdez-Cordova Census Area, Alaska 0.28 0.10
12 Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska 0.28 0.11
13 Kenedy County, Texas 0.28 0.11
14 Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, Alaska 0.28 0.11
15 Petroleum County, Montana 0.29 0.11
16 King County, Texas 0.31 0.12
17 Harding County, New Mexico 0.32 0.12
18 Carter County, Montana 0.34 0.13
19 Nome Census Area, Alaska 0.41 0.16
20 Terrell County, Texas 0.41 0.16
21 Bethel Census Area, Alaska 0.41 0.16
22 Kusilvak Census Area, Alaska 0.43 0.16
23 Aleutians East Borough, Alaska 0.45 0.17
24 Harding County, South Dakota 0.47 0.18
25 Eureka County, Nevada 0.47 0.18
26 Lincoln County, Nevada 0.50 0.19
27 Powder River County, Montana 0.52 0.20
28 Catron County, New Mexico 0.53 0.20
29 Clark County, Idaho 0.55 0.21
30 Slope County, North Dakota 0.59 0.23
31 McMullen County, Texas 0.62 0.24
32 McPherson County, Nebraska 0.62 0.24
33 Culberson County, Texas 0.62 0.24
34 Sioux County, Nebraska 0.63 0.24
35 Arthur County, Nebraska 0.64 0.24
36 McCone County, Montana 0.65 0.25
37 Blaine County, Nebraska 0.67 0.26
38 Prairie County, Montana 0.67 0.26
39 Billings County, North Dakota 0.68 0.26
40 Borden County, Texas 0.71 0.27
41 Harney County, Oregon 0.73 0.28
42 Treasure County, Montana 0.73 0.28
43 Golden Valley County, Montana 0.75 0.29
44 Hinsdale County, Colorado 0.75 0.29
45 Hudspeth County, Texas 0.76 0.29
46 Meagher County, Montana 0.79 0.30
47 Kiowa County, Colorado 0.79 0.30
48 Grant County, Nebraska 0.79 0.30
49 Mineral County, Colorado 0.81 0.31
50 Phillips County, Montana 0.82 0.31

Population density per state and territory

Data presented below is based on U.S. Census Bureau data from 2010.[11] Calculations are made by dividing the population by the land area. All county equivalents are included.

Excluding the census areas of Alaska, Lake and Peninsula Borough is the least densely populated county equivalent with 0.069/sq mi (0.027/km2).

The District of Columbia and Guam each only have one county-equivalent, so their most/least densely-populated county is the same.

State
federal district
or territory		 Least densely populated county Population density Most densely populated county Population density
 Alabama Wilcox County 13.13/sq mi (5.07/km2) Jefferson County 592.53/sq mi (228.78/km2)
 Alaska Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area 0.03/sq mi (0.012/km2) Anchorage Municipality 171.19/sq mi (66.10/km2)
 American Samoa Rose Atoll [note 14] 0.00/sq mi (0/km2) Western District 1,139.00/sq mi (439.77/km2)
 Arizona La Paz County 4.55/sq mi (1.76/km2) Maricopa County 414.89/sq mi (160.19/km2)
 Arkansas Calhoun County 8.53/sq mi (3.29/km2) Pulaski County 503.77/sq mi (194.51/km2)
 California Alpine County 1.59/sq mi (0.61/km2) San Francisco County 17,179.15/sq mi (6,632.91/km2)
 Colorado Hinsdale County 0.75/sq mi (0.29/km2) Denver County 3,922.59/sq mi (1,514.52/km2)
 Connecticut Litchfield County 206.31/sq mi (79.66/km2) Fairfield County 1,467.18/sq mi (566.48/km2)
 Delaware Sussex County 210.60/sq mi (81.31/km2) New Castle County 1,263.18/sq mi (487.72/km2)
 District of Columbia District of Columbia 9,857.20/sq mi (3,805.89/km2) District of Columbia 9,857.20/sq mi (3,805.89/km2)
 Florida Liberty County 10.01/sq mi (3.86/km2) Pinellas County 3,347.50/sq mi (1,292.48/km2)
Georgia Clinch County 8.49/sq mi (3.28/km2) DeKalb County 2,585.72/sq mi (998.35/km2)
 Guam Guam 759.60/sq mi (293.28/km2) Guam 759.60/sq mi (293.28/km2)
 Hawaii Kalawao County 7.50/sq mi (2.90/km2) Honolulu County 1,586.71/sq mi (612.63/km2)
 Idaho Clark County 0.55/sq mi (0.21/km2) Ada County 372.76/sq mi (143.92/km2)
 Illinois Pope County 12.12/sq mi (4.68/km2) Cook County 5,495.11/sq mi (2,121.67/km2)
 Indiana Benton County 21.78/sq mi (8.41/km2) Marion County 2,279.57/sq mi (880.15/km2)
 Iowa Adams County 9.51/sq mi (3.67/km2) Polk County 750.51/sq mi (289.77/km2)
 Kansas Greeley County 1.60/sq mi (0.62/km2) Johnson County 1,149.57/sq mi (443.85/km2)
 Kentucky Hickman County 20.23/sq mi (7.81/km2) Jefferson County 1,948.11/sq mi (752.17/km2)
 Louisiana Cameron Parish 5.32/sq mi (2.05/km2) Orleans Parish 2,029.41/sq mi (783.56/km2)
 Maine Piscataquis County 4.42/sq mi (1.71/km2) Cumberland County 337.23/sq mi (130.21/km2)
 Maryland Garrett County 46.51/sq mi (17.96/km2) City of Baltimore 7,671.51/sq mi (2,961.99/km2)
 Massachusetts Franklin County 102.05/sq mi (39.40/km2) Suffolk County 12,416.78/sq mi (4,794.15/km2)
 Michigan Keweenaw County 3.99/sq mi (1.54/km2) Wayne County 2,974.42/sq mi (1,148.43/km2)
 Minnesota Lake of the Woods County 3.11/sq mi (1.20/km2) Ramsey County 3,341.64/sq mi (1,290.21/km2)
 Mississippi Issaquena County 3.40/sq mi (1.31/km2) DeSoto County 338.66/sq mi (130.76/km2)
 Missouri Worth County 8.14/sq mi (3.14/km2) City of St. Louis 5,157.48/sq mi (1,991.31/km2)
 Montana Garfield County 0.25/sq mi (0.097/km2) Yellowstone County 56.19/sq mi (21.70/km2)
 Nebraska McPherson County 0.63/sq mi (0.24/km2) Douglas County 1,574.37/sq mi (607.87/km2)
 Nevada Esmeralda County 0.21/sq mi (0.081/km2) Carson City 382.09/sq mi (147.53/km2)
 New Hampshire Coos County 18.41/sq mi (7.11/km2) Hillsborough County 457.37/sq mi (176.59/km2)
 New Jersey Salem County 199.10/sq mi (76.87/km2) Hudson County 13,731.61/sq mi (5,301.80/km2)
 New Mexico Harding County 0.32/sq mi (0.12/km2) Bernalillo County 570.76/sq mi (220.37/km2)
 New York Hamilton County 2.81/sq mi (1.08/km2) New York County 69,468.42/sq mi (26,821.91/km2)
 North Carolina Hyde County 9.48/sq mi (3.66/km2) Mecklenburg County 1,755.54/sq mi (677.82/km2)
 North Dakota Billings County 0.68/sq mi (0.26/km2) Cass County 84.86/sq mi (32.76/km2)
 Northern Mariana Islands Northern Islands Municipality [note 15] 0.00/sq mi (0/km2) Saipan Municipality 1,050.80/sq mi (405.72/km2)
 Ohio Monroe County 32.12/sq mi (12.40/km2) Cuyahoga County 2,799.95/sq mi (1,081.07/km2)
 Oklahoma Cimarron County 1.34/sq mi (0.52/km2) Tulsa County 1,058.14/sq mi (408.55/km2)
 Oregon Harney County 0.73/sq mi (0.28/km2) Multnomah County 1,704.93/sq mi (658.28/km2)
 Pennsylvania Cameron County 12.83/sq mi (4.95/km2) Philadelphia County 11,379.49/sq mi (4,393.65/km2)
 Puerto Rico Culebra Municipality 156.40/sq mi (60.39/km2) San Juan Municipality 8,262.30/sq mi (3,190.09/km2)
 Rhode Island Washington County 385.67/sq mi (148.91/km2) Bristol County 2,064.00/sq mi (796.91/km2)
 South Carolina Allendale County 25.53/sq mi (9.86/km2) Greenville County 574.72/sq mi (221.90/km2)
 South Dakota Harding County 0.47/sq mi (0.18/km2) Minnehaha County 209.95/sq mi (81.06/km2)
 Tennessee Perry County 19.08/sq mi (7.37/km2) Davidson County 1,243.33/sq mi (480.05/km2)
 Texas Loving County 0.12/sq mi (0.046/km2) Dallas County 2,718.00/sq mi (1,049.43/km2)
U.S. Minor Outlying Islands 6 entities [note 16] 0.00/sq mi (0/km2) Wake Island 39.80/sq mi (15.37/km2)
 Utah Garfield County 0.99/sq mi (0.38/km2) Salt Lake County 1,387.14/sq mi (535.58/km2)
 Vermont Essex County 9.50/sq mi (3.67/km2) Chittenden County 291.74/sq mi (112.64/km2)
Virgin Islands (U.S.) Saint John Island 211.80/sq mi (81.78/km2) Saint Thomas Island 1,649.10/sq mi (636.72/km2)
 Virginia Highland County 5.59/sq mi (2.16/km2) Alexandria City 9,314.30/sq mi (3,596.27/km2)
 Washington Garfield County 3.18/sq mi (1.23/km2) King County 912.87/sq mi (352.46/km2)
 West Virginia Pocahontas County 9.27/sq mi (3.58/km2) Ohio County 419.98/sq mi (162.16/km2)
 Wisconsin Iron County 7.80/sq mi (3.01/km2) Milwaukee County 3,925.95/sq mi (1,515.82/km2)
 Wyoming Niobrara County 0.94/sq mi (0.36/km2) Laramie County 34.15/sq mi (13.19/km2)

See also

Notes

^ A: The Unorganized Borough, Alaska, formed by the Borough Act of 1961, is a legal entity, run by the Alaska state government as an extension of State government,[12] it and the independently incorporated Unified, Home Rule, First Class and Second Class boroughs roughly correspond to parishes in Louisiana and to counties in the other 48 states.[13]

  1. Number produced by diving 3,141 by 50 — Note it is 3,141 and not 3,142 (because the District of Columbia is not counted)
  2. Number produced by dividing 3,242 by 57 (the number 57 represents the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the 5 inhabited territories, and the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands as one entity
  3. Swains Island is the least-populous county in the United States with a permanent human population — Swains Island is a county-equivalent
  4. Non-permanent human population
  5. The District of Columbia has only one county-equivalent: itself.
  6. The 2019 population estimate for the District of Columbia is 705,749.
  7. Guam has only one county-equivalent: itself.
  8. The 6 county-equivalents in the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands with zero people are Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef and Navassa Island. The other 3 island territories in the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands have small non-permanent human populations.
  9. Wake Island’s population is non-permanent.
  10. Note: the lists below rank locations by land area — the ranking would be different if they were ranked by total area.
  11. If including water area, the average county size of counties and county-equivalents in the 50 states and D.C. is 1,208.38 square miles
  12. North Slope Borough, Alaska is the largest independently incorporated county-equivalent.
  13. If including water area, the average county size of counties and county-equivalents in all U.S. territory is 1,172.38 square miles
  14. The least-densely populated inhabited county-equivalent in American Samoa is Swains Island, which has 18.1 people per square mile.
  15. The least-densely populated inhabited county-equivalent in the Northern Mariana Islands is Tinian Municipality, which has 75.0 people per square mile.
  16. The 6 county-equivalents in the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands with zero people are Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef and Navassa Island. The least-densely populated entity with a human population is Palmyra Atoll, which has 4.3 people per square mile.

References
  1. https://www.census.gov/geo/reference/codes/cou.html ‘’2010 FIPS Codes for Counties and County Equivalent Entities.’’ Census.gov. Retrieved June 2019.
  2. https://www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/reference/GARM/Ch4GARM.pdf ‘’States, Counties, and Statistically Equivalent Entities (Chapter 4).’’ Census.gov. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
  3. https://web.archive.org/web/20151018122108/http://www.census.gov/geo/reference/ansi_statetables.html FIPS State Codes for the Outlying Areas of the United States and the Freely Associated States. [info about USMOI] (archived). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved June 2019.
  4. An Overview of County Government Archived July 8, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, National Association of Counties website, accessed January 5, 2008
  5. "Chapter 4: States, Counties, and Statistically Equivalent Entities". Geographic Areas Reference Manual (PDF). U.S. Department of Commerce. November 1994. p. 4-2.
  6. "American FactFinder". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2020-02-14. Retrieved 2018-12-19.
  7. CIA World Factbook — Palmyra Atoll. Retrieved June 2019.
  8. http://media1.britannica.com/eb-media/30/77730-004-369421B0.pdf ‘’American Samoa Infographic.’’ Britannica.com. Retrieved June 2019.
  9. "DataSet.txt". State & County QuickFacts. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on September 30, 2013. Retrieved November 16, 2012. (See "Download the DatabaseArchived 2015-08-07 at the Wayback Machine" for an explanation of this data set.)
  10. https://www.britannica.com/place/Kingman-Reef ‘’Kingman Reef.’’ Britannica.com. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  11. "2010 Census Summary File 1: GEOGRAPHIC IDENTIFIERS". American Factfinder. US Census. Archived from the original on 8 April 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  12. "Alaska Statutes Title 29 Chapter 03. The Unorganized Borough". Local Government On-Line, Division of Community and Regional Affairs, Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development. August 18, 1998. Retrieved 2008-07-17.
  13. "Local Government in Alaska" (PDF). Local Boundary Commission, Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development. February 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-07-18. Retrieved 2008-07-17.
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