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County statistics of the United States#Population

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In 45 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 Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, 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.https://www.census.gov/geo/reference/codes/cou.html ‘’2010 FIPS Codes for Counties and County Equivalent Entities.’’ Census.gov. Retrieved June 2019.https://www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/reference/GARM/Ch4GARM.pdf ‘’States, Counties, and Statistically Equivalent Entities (Chapter 4).’’ Census.gov. Retrieved July 6, 2018.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. 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.

File:Texas Locator Map.PNG

File:Delaware counties.png

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

class="wikitable sortable"

! Count

! State,
federal district
or territory

! Notes

254{{flagicon|Texas}} TexasThe most counties of any U.S. state
159{{flagicon|Georgia (U.S. state)}} Georgia
133{{flagicon|Virginia}} Virginia95 counties and 38 independent cities
120{{flagicon|Kentucky}} Kentucky
115{{flagicon|Missouri}} Missouri114 counties and 1 independent city
105{{flagicon|Kansas}} Kansas
102{{flagicon|Illinois}} Illinois
100{{flagicon|North Carolina}} North Carolina
99{{flagicon|Iowa}} Iowa
95{{flagicon|Tennessee}} Tennessee
93{{flagicon|Nebraska}} Nebraska
92{{flagicon|Indiana}} Indiana
88{{flagicon|Ohio}} Ohio
87{{flagicon|Minnesota}} Minnesota
83{{flagicon|Michigan}} Michigan
82{{flagicon|Mississippi}} Mississippi
78{{flagicon|Puerto Rico}} Puerto RicoPuerto Rico has no counties. The 78 municipalities of Puerto Rico are counted as county-equivalents by the U.S. Census Bureau
77{{flagicon|Oklahoma}} Oklahoma
75{{flagicon|Arkansas}} Arkansas
72{{flagicon|Wisconsin}} Wisconsin
67{{flagicon|Alabama}} Alabama
67{{flagicon|Florida}} Florida
67{{flagicon|Pennsylvania}} Pennsylvania
66{{flagicon|South Dakota}} South Dakota
64{{flagicon|Colorado}} Colorado
64{{flagicon|Louisiana}} LouisianaLouisiana has no counties. The 64 parishes of Louisiana are counted as county-equivalents by the U.S. Census Bureau
62{{flagicon|New York}} New YorkNew York City is a sui generis jurisdiction, in which the city government consists of 5 boroughs each coterminous with a county of the State of New York
58{{flagicon|California}} California
56{{flagicon|Montana}} Montana
55{{flagicon|West Virginia}} West Virginia
53{{flagicon|North Dakota}} North Dakota
46{{flagicon|South Carolina}} South Carolina
44{{flagicon|Idaho}} Idaho
39{{flagicon|Washington}} Washington
36{{flagicon|Oregon}} Oregon
33{{flagicon|New Mexico}} New Mexico
30{{flagicon|Alaska}} 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{{flagicon|Utah}} Utah
24{{flagicon|Maryland}} Maryland23 counties and 1 independent city
23{{flagicon|Wyoming}} Wyoming
21{{flagicon|New Jersey}} New Jersey
17{{flagicon|Nevada}} Nevada16 counties and 1 independent city
16{{flagicon|Maine}} Maine
15{{flagicon|Arizona}} Arizona
14{{flagicon|Massachusetts}} 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{{flagicon|Vermont}} Vermont
10{{flagicon|New Hampshire}} New Hampshire
9{{flagicon|United States}} 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
9{{flagicon|Connecticut}} ConnecticutThe U.S. Census Bureau uses Connecticut's nine planning regions instead of its eight historic counties for statistical purposes.
5{{flagicon|American Samoa}} 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")
5{{flagicon|Hawaii}} Hawaii
5{{flagicon|Rhode Island}} Rhode IslandCounties in Rhode Island have no governmental functions; local government is provided by eight cities and thirty-one towns
4{{flagicon|Northern Mariana Islands}} 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{{flagicon|Delaware}} DelawareThe fewest counties of any U.S. state
3{{flagicon|U.S. Virgin Islands}} 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{{flagicon|District of Columbia}} 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{{cite book |url=http://www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/reference/GARM/Ch4GARM.pdf |title=Geographic Areas Reference Manual |chapter=Chapter 4: States, Counties, and Statistically Equivalent Entities |date=November 1994 |publisher=U.S. Department of Commerce |page=4-2}}
1{{flagicon|Guam}} 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)

  • 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): 62.84{{refn|group=note|Number produced by diving 3,142 by 50 — Note it is 3,142 and not 3,143 (because the District of Columbia is not counted)}}
  • Average number of counties per state (including D.C. and the territories): 56.8947368421{{refn|group=note|Number produced by dividing 3,243 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}}

Population

=Nationwide population extremes=

{{Main|List of United States counties and county equivalents}}

These rankings include county equivalents.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="float:left; margin-right: 1em"

|+ Largest population counties nationwide
(2021 Census estimate){{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/losangelescountycalifornia|title=2021 Population and Housing State Data|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=April 12, 2022}}

Rank

! County

! Population

align="right" | 1

| Los Angeles County, California

| align="right" | 9,829,544

align="right" | 2

| Cook County, Illinois

| align="right" | 5,173,146

align="right" | 3

| Harris County, Texas

| align="right" | 4,728,030

align="right" | 4

| Maricopa County, Arizona

| align="right" | 4,496,588

align="right" | 5

| San Diego County, California

| align="right" | 3,286,069

align="right" | 6

| Orange County, California

| align="right" | 3,167,809

align="right" | 7

| Miami-Dade County, Florida

| align="right" | 2,662,777

align="right" | 8

| Kings County, New York

| align="right" | 2,641,052

align="right" | 9

| Dallas County, Texas

| align="right" | 2,586,050

align="right" | 10

| Riverside County, California

| align="right" | 2,458,395

align="right" | 11

| Queens County, New York

| align="right" | 2,331,143

align="right" | 12

| Clark County, Nevada

| align="right" | 2,292,476

|

class="wikitable sortable"

|+ Smallest population counties in the 50 states and District of Columbia
(2021 Census estimate)

Rank

! County

! Population

align="right" | 1

| Loving County, Texas

| align="right" | 57

align="right" | 2

| Kalawao County, Hawaii

| align="right" | 82

align="right" | 3

| King County, Texas

| align="right" | 258

align="right" | 4

| Kenedy County, Texas

| align="right" | 340

align="right" | 5

| McPherson County, Nebraska

| align="right" | 379

align="right" | 6

| Arthur County, Nebraska

| align="right" | 439

align="right" | 7

| Blaine County, Nebraska

| align="right" | 461

align="right" | 8

| Petroleum County, Montana

| align="right" | 519

align="right" | 9

| Grant County, Nebraska

| align="right" | 579

align="right" | 10

| Loup County, Nebraska

| align="right" | 604

align="right" | 11

| McMullen County, Texas

| align="right" | 608

align="right" | 12

| Borden County, Texas

| align="right" | 617

|}

{{-}}

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.CIA World Factbook — Palmyra Atoll. Retrieved June 2019.

class="wikitable sortable"

|+ Smallest population counties in all U.S. territory
(2020 Census){{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/2020-population-and-housing-state-data.html|title=2020 Population and Housing State Data|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=March 23, 2022}}

Rank

! County

! Population

align="right" | 1

| Baker Island, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands

| align="right" | 0

align="right" | 2

| Howland Island, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands

| align="right" | 0

align="right" | 3

| Jarvis Island, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands

| align="right" | 0

align="right" | 4

| Johnston Atoll, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands

| align="right" | 0

align="right" | 5

| Kingman Reef, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands

| align="right" | 0

align="right" | 6

| Navassa Island, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands

| align="right" | 0

align="right" | 7

| Northern Islands Municipality, Northern Mariana Islands

| align="right" | 0

align="right" | 8

| Rose Atoll, American Samoa

| align="right" | 0

align="right" | 9

| Swains Island, American Samoa

| align="right" | 0

align="right" | 10

| Palmyra Atoll, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands

| align="right" | 20 {{refn|group=note|Non-permanent human population}}


File:Clear Day at Baldwin Hills.jpg|Los Angeles in Los Angeles County, California, the most populous county in the United States

File:Swains Island 3.jpg|Swains Island, American Samoa — the least-populous inhabited county or county-equivalent in the United States

File:Loving County watertower.jpg|Loving County, Texas, the least populous county in the main 50-states in the United States.

=Population per state or territory=

{{see also|List of the most populous counties by U.S. state}}

class="wikitable sortable"

|+ Most and least populous counties per state/territory (2021 Census estimate){{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/US |title=Census QuickFacts |work=State & County QuickFacts |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |accessdate=April 3, 2022 }}

State,
federal district,
or territory

! Least populous

! Population

! Most populous

! Population

{{flag|Alabama}}

| Greene

| 7,629

| Jefferson

| 667,820

{{flag|Alaska}}

| Yakutat

| 704

| Anchorage

| 288,121

{{flag|American Samoa}}

| Rose Atoll

| 0

| Western District

| 31,819

{{flag|Arizona}}

| Greenlee

| 9,404

| Maricopa

| 4,496,588

{{flag|Arkansas}}

| Calhoun

| 4,741

| Pulaski

| 397,821

{{flag|California}}

| Alpine

| 1,235

| Los Angeles

| 9,829,544

{{flag|Colorado}}

| San Juan

| 733

| El Paso

| 737,867

{{flag|Connecticut}}

| Windham

| 116,418

| Fairfield

| 959,768

{{flag|Delaware}}

| Kent

| 184,149

| New Castle

| 571,708

{{flag|District of Columbia}}

| District of Columbia {{refn|group=note|The District of Columbia has only one county-equivalent: itself.}}

| 670,050

| District of Columbia

| 670,050

{{flag|Florida}}

| Liberty

| 7,900

| Miami-Dade

| 2,662,777

{{flagicon|Georgia (U.S. state)}} Georgia

| Taliaferro

| 1,558

| Fulton

| 1,065,334

{{flag|Guam}}

| Guam {{refn|group=note|Guam has only one county-equivalent: itself.}}

| 153,835

| Guam

| 153,835

{{flag|Hawaii}}

| Kalawao

| 82

| Honolulu

| 1,000,890

{{flag|Idaho}}

| Clark

| 792

| Ada

| 511,931

{{flag|Illinois}}

| Hardin

| 3,650

| Cook

| 5,173,146

{{flag|Indiana}}

| Ohio

| 5,978

| Marion

| 971,102

{{flag|Iowa}}

| Adams

| 3,641

| Polk

| 496,844

{{flag|Kansas}}

| Greeley

| 1,304

| Johnson

| 613,219

{{flag|Kentucky}}

| Robertson

| 2,257

| Jefferson

| 777,874

{{flag|Louisiana}}

| Tensas

| 4,043

| East Baton Rouge

| 453,301

{{flag|Maine}}

| Piscataquis

| 17,165

| Cumberland

| 305,231

{{flag|Maryland}}

| Kent

| 19,270

| Montgomery

| 1,054,827

{{flag|Massachusetts}}

| Nantucket

| 14,491

| Middlesex

| 1,614,742

{{flag|Michigan}}

| Keweenaw

| 2,107

| Wayne

| 1,774,816

{{flag|Minnesota}}

| Traverse

| 3,286

| Hennepin

| 1,267,416

{{flag|Mississippi}}

| Issaquena

| 1,280

| Hinds

| 222,679

{{flag|Missouri}}

| Worth

| 1,983

| St. Louis

| 997,187

{{flag|Montana}}

| Petroleum

| 519

| Yellowstone

| 167,146

{{flag|Nebraska}}

| McPherson

| 379

| Douglas

| 585,008

{{flag|Nevada}}

| Esmeralda

| 743

| Clark

| 2,292,476

{{flag|New Hampshire}}

| Coos

| 31,268

| Hillsborough

| 422,937

{{flag|New Jersey}}

| Salem

| 65,046

| Bergen

| 953,819

{{flag|New Mexico}}

| Harding

| 639

| Bernalillo

| 674,393

{{flag|New York}}

| Hamilton

| 5,119

| Kings

| 2,641,052

{{flag|North Carolina}}

| Tyrrell

| 3,254

| Wake

| 1,150,204

{{flag|North Dakota}}

| Slope

| 690

| Cass

| 186,562

{{flag|Northern Mariana Islands}}

| Northern Islands Municipality

| 7

| Saipan Municipality

| 43,385

{{flag|Ohio}}

| Vinton

| 12,696

| Franklin

| 1,321,414

{{flag|Oklahoma}}

| Cimarron

| 2,248

| Oklahoma

| 798,575

{{flag|Oregon}}

| Wheeler

| 1,451

| Multnomah

| 803,377

{{flag|Pennsylvania}}

| Cameron

| 4,459

| Philadelphia

| 1,576,251

{{flag|Puerto Rico}}

| Culebra Municipality

| 1,792

| San Juan Municipality

| 342,259

{{flag|Rhode Island}}

| Bristol

| 50,818

| Providence

| 658,221

{{flag|South Carolina}}

| Allendale

| 7,858

| Greenville

| 533,834

{{flag|South Dakota}}

| Jones

| 879

| Minnehaha

| 199,685

{{flag|Tennessee}}

| Pickett

| 5,079

| Shelby

| 924,454

{{flag|Texas}}

| Loving

| 57

| Harris

| 4,728,030

{{flagicon|United States}} U.S. Minor Outlying Islands*

| 6 entities {{refn|group=note|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.}}

| 0

| Wake Island

| 100 {{refn|group=note|Wake Island’s population is non-permanent.}}

{{flag|Utah}}

| Daggett

| 976

| Salt Lake

| 1,186,421

{{flag|Vermont}}

| Essex

| 5,925

| Chittenden

| 168,865

{{flagicon|U.S. Virgin Islands}} Virgin Islands (U.S.)

| Saint John Island

| 3,881

| Saint Thomas Island

| 42,261

{{flag|Virginia}}

| Highland

| 2,226

| Fairfax

| 1,139,720

{{flag|Washington}}

| Garfield

| 2,286

| King

| 2,269,675

{{flag|West Virginia}}

| Wirt

| 5,063

| Kanawha

| 177,952

{{flag|Wisconsin}}

| Menominee

| 4,289

| Milwaukee

| 928,059

{{flag|Wyoming}}

| Niobrara

| 2,438

| Laramie

| 100,863

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 ({{convert|145,504.79|sqmi|disp=or|abbr=on}}) and North Slope Borough ({{convert|88,695.41|sqmi|disp=or|abbr=on}}). The smallest counties and county equivalents (in the 50 states) are the independent cities of Virginia with the extreme being Falls Church at {{convert|2.05|sqmi|km2 acre|abbr=on}}. If the U.S. territories are included, the smallest county-equivalent is Kingman Reef, with a land area of {{Convert|0.012|sqmi|ha acre}}.https://www.britannica.com/place/Kingman-Reef ‘’Kingman Reef.’’ Britannica.com. Retrieved July 7, 2018.

The following two tables exclude county-equivalents:

class="wikitable" style="float:left; margin-right: 1em"

|+ Largest counties by land area nationwide (excluding county-equivalents)

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

class="wikitable" style="float:left; margin-right: 1em"

|+ Smallest counties by land area nationwide (excluding county-equivalents)

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: {{refn|group=note|Note: the lists below rank locations by land area — the ranking would be different if they were ranked by total area.}}

class="wikitable" style="float:left; margin-right: 1em"

|+ 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

class="wikitable" style="float:left; margin-right: 1em"

|+ 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

| Independent City of Falls Church, Virginia

| 2.1

| 5.44

10

| Midway Atoll, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands

| 2.4

| 6.2

class="wikitable" style="float:left; margin-right: 1em"

|+ Smallest counties by land area in the 50 states and District of Columbia (including county-equivalents)

Rank

! County

! Land area
(sq mi)

! Land area
(km2)

1

| Independent City of Falls Church, Virginia

| 2.1

| 5.4

2

| Independent City of Lexington, Virginia

| 2.5

| 6.5

3

| Independent City of Manassas Park, Virginia

| 2.5

| 6.5

4

| Independent City of Covington, Virginia

| 4

| 10

5

| Independent City of Fairfax, Virginia

| 6

| 16

6

| Independent City of Buena Vista, Virginia

| 7

| 18

7

| Independent City of Emporia, Virginia

| 7

| 18

8

| Independent City of Norton, Virginia

| 7

| 18

9

| Independent City of Colonial Heights, Virginia

| 8

| 21

10

| Independent City of Franklin, Virginia

| 8

| 21

11

| Independent City of Galax, Virginia

| 8

| 21

{{-}}


File:Ivanpah_Solar_Power_Facility_(1).jpg|San Bernardino County, California, the largest county in the United States by land area (excluding county-equivalents)

File:Kalaupapa_penninsula.jpg|Kalawao County, Hawaii, the smallest county in the United States by land area (excluding county-equivalents)

File:White_Mountains_NRA_(16102401664).jpg|Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, the largest county or county-equivalent by land area in the United States

File:Kingman_Reef_Oct_2003.jpg|Kingman Reef, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands, the smallest county or county-equivalent by land area in the United States

File:City_of_Falls_Church_Community_Center_2018.jpg|Falls Church, Virginia, the smallest county-equivalent in the 50 states by land area

=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.{{Cref|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.

class="wikitable sortable"
bgcolor=#e6e6ef

|+ Smallest, largest and average land areas for counties and county-equivalents by state and territory

State
federal district
or territory

! data-sort-type="number" | Avg. county land area, sq. mi. (km2)

! Smallest county

! data-sort-type="number" | Area, sq. mi. (km2)

! Largest county

! data-sort-type="number" | area, sq. mi. (km2)

bgcolor="#e8e8e8" data-sort-value="z" | The 50 states & D.C.

| bgcolor="#e8e8e8" | {{convert|1124.09|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}{{refn|group=note|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}}

| bgcolor="#e8e8e8" | Independent City of Falls Church, Virginia

| bgcolor="#e8e8e8" | {{convert|2.0|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}

| bgcolor="#e8e8e8" | Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska{{refn|group=note|North Slope Borough, Alaska is the largest independently incorporated county-equivalent.}}

| bgcolor="#e8e8e8" | {{convert|145,505|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}

bgcolor="#e8e8e8" data-sort-value=“z” | The 50 states, D.C.
& U.S. territories

| bgcolor="#e8e8e8" | {{convert|1090.69|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}{{refn|group=note|If including water area, the average county size of counties and county-equivalents in all U.S. territory is 1,172.38 square miles}}

| bgcolor="#e8e8e8" | Kingman Reef, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands

| bgcolor="#e8e8e8" | {{convert|0.01|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}

| bgcolor="#e8e8e8" | Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska

| bgcolor="#e8e8e8" | {{convert|145,505|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}

{{flag|Alaska}}{{convert|8,545.7|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Skagway Municipality{{convert|452.3|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area{{convert|145,505|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|Arizona}}{{convert|7,572.9|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Santa Cruz County{{convert|1,236.9|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Coconino County{{convert|18,618.8|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|Nevada}}{{convert|6,457.7|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}City of Carson City{{convert|144.6|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Nye County{{convert|18,181.9|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|Wyoming}}{{convert|4,221.4|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Hot Springs County{{convert|2,004.0|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Sweetwater County{{convert|10,426.6|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|New Mexico}}{{convert|3,675.7|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Los Alamos County{{convert|109.1|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Catron County{{convert|6,923.6|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|Utah}}{{convert|2,833.4|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Davis County{{convert|298.7|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}San Juan County{{convert|7,819.9|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|California}}{{convert|2,685.8|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}San Francisco County{{convert|46.8|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}San Bernardino County{{convert|20,056.9|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|Oregon}}{{convert|2,666.3|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Multnomah County{{convert|431.3|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Harney County{{convert|10,133.1|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|Montana}}{{convert|2,599.0|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Silver Bow County{{convert|718.4|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Beaverhead County{{convert|5,541.6|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|Maine}}{{convert|1,927.7|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Sagadahoc County{{convert|253.6|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Aroostook County{{convert|6,671.3|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|Idaho}}{{convert|1,878.3|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Payette County{{convert|406.8|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Idaho County{{convert|8,477.3|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|Washington}}{{convert|1,704.0|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}San Juan County{{convert|173.9|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Okanogan County{{convert|5,267.9|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|Colorado}}{{convert|1,619.4|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Broomfield County{{convert|33.0|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Las Animas County{{convert|4,772.6|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|North Dakota}}{{convert|1,301.9|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Eddy County{{convert|630.1|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}McKenzie County{{convert|2,760.3|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|Hawaii}}{{convert|1,284.5|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Kalawao County{{convert|11.9|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Hawaii County{{convert|4,028.4|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|South Dakota}}{{convert|1,148.7|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Clay County{{convert|412.1|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Meade County{{convert|3,470.9|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|Texas}}{{convert|1,028.5|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Rockwall County{{convert|127.0|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Brewster County{{convert|6,183.7|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|Minnesota}}{{convert|915.2|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Ramsey County{{convert|152.2|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}St. Louis County{{convert|6,247.4|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|New Hampshire}}{{convert|895.3|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Strafford County{{convert|368.9|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Coos County{{convert|1,794.6|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|Oklahoma}}{{convert|890.8|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Marshall County{{convert|371.0|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Osage County{{convert|2,246.3|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|Nebraska}}{{convert|826.1|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Sarpy County{{convert|238.9|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Cherry County{{convert|5,960.4|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|Florida}}{{convert|800.4|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Union County{{convert|243.5|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Collier County{{convert|1,998.3|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|Kansas}}{{convert|778.7|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Wyandotte County{{convert|151.6|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Butler County{{convert|1,429.8|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|Alabama}}{{convert|767.4|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Etowah County{{convert|534.9|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Baldwin County{{convert|1,589.7|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|New York}}{{convert|760.1|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}New York County{{convert|22.8|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}St. Lawrence County{{convert|2,680.3|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|Wisconsin}}{{convert|752.2|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Pepin County{{convert|231.9|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Marathon County{{convert|1,544.9|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|Arkansas}}{{convert|693.8|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Lafayette County{{convert|528.2|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Union County{{convert|1,039.2|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|Michigan}}{{convert|681.2|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Benzie County{{convert|319.7|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Marquette County{{convert|1,808.4|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|Louisiana}}{{convert|675.1|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Orleans Parish{{convert|169.4|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Vernon Parish{{convert|1,327.9|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|Pennsylvania}}{{convert|667.8|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Montour County{{convert|130.2|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Lycoming County{{convert|1,228.5|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|Vermont}}{{convert|658.3|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Grand Isle County{{convert|81.8|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Windsor County{{convert|969.3|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|South Carolina}}{{convert|653.5|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}McCormick County{{convert|359.1|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Horry County{{convert|1,133.9|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|Delaware}}{{convert|649.5|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}New Castle County{{convert|426.2|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Sussex County{{convert|936.0|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|Connecticut}}{{convert|605.3|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Middlesex County{{convert|369.3|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Litchfield County{{convert|920.5|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|Missouri}}{{convert|597.8|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}City of St. Louis{{convert|61.9|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Texas County{{convert|1,177.2|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|Mississippi}}{{convert|572.2|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Alcorn County{{convert|400.0|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Yazoo County{{convert|922.9|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|Iowa}}{{convert|564.2|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Dickinson County{{convert|380.6|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Kossuth County{{convert|972.7|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|Massachusetts}}{{convert|557.1|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Nantucket County{{convert|44.9|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Worcester County{{convert|1,510.7|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|Illinois}}{{convert|544.3|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Putnam County{{convert|160.1|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}McLean County{{convert|1,183.3|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|North Carolina}}{{convert|486.2|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Chowan County{{convert|172.4|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Robeson County{{convert|949.2|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|Ohio}}{{convert|464.3|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Lake County{{convert|227.4|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Ashtabula County{{convert|701.9|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|West Virginia}}{{convert|437.1|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Hancock County{{convert|82.6|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Randolph County{{convert|1,039.6|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|Tennessee}}{{convert|434.1|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Trousdale County{{convert|114.1|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Shelby County{{convert|763.1|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|Maryland}}{{convert|404.5|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}City of Baltimore{{convert|80.9|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Frederick County{{convert|660.2|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|Indiana}}{{convert|389.4|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Ohio County{{convert|86.1|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Allen County{{convert|657.3|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flagicon|Georgia (U.S. state)}} Georgia{{convert|361.7|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Clarke County{{convert|119.2|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Ware County{{convert|892.4|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|New Jersey}}{{convert|350.2|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Hudson County{{convert|46.1|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Burlington County{{convert|798.5|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|Kentucky}}{{convert|329.1|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Robertson County{{convert|99.9|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Pike County{{convert|786.8|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|Virginia}}{{convert|294.7|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Independent City of Falls Church{{convert|2.0|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Pittsylvania County{{convert|968.9|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|Guam}}{{convert|210|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Guam{{convert|210|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Guam{{convert|210|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|Rhode Island}}{{convert|206.8|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Bristol County{{convert|24.1|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Providence County{{convert|409.5|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|District of Columbia}}{{convert|61.05|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}District of Columbia{{convert|61.05|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}District of Columbia{{convert|61.05|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|Puerto Rico}}{{convert|45.06|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Cataño Municipality{{convert|4.84|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Arecibo Municipality{{convert|125.95|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|Northern Mariana Islands}}{{convert|44.75|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Rota Municipality{{convert|32.97|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Northern Islands Municipality{{convert|59.75|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|U.S. Virgin Islands}}{{convert|44.57|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Saint John{{convert|20|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Saint Croix{{convert|84|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flag|American Samoa}}{{convert|15.4|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Rose Atoll{{convert|0.083|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Western District{{convert|28.87|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}
{{flagicon|United States}} U.S. Minor Outlying Islands{{convert|1.46|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Kingman Reef{{convert|0.01|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}Palmyra Atoll{{convert|4.59|sqmi|km2|abbr=values}}

Population density

File:Above_Gotham.jpg, 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.{{cite web|title=2010 Census Summary File 1: GEOGRAPHIC IDENTIFIERS|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_SF1_G001&prodType=table|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150408083711/http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_SF1_G001&prodType=table|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 April 2015|work=American Factfinder|publisher=US Census|accessdate=18 October 2013}} 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.{{Cite web |title=Puerto Rico Population Density 1950-2024 |url=https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/countries/PRI/puerto-rico/population-density |access-date=2024-08-22 |website=www.macrotrends.net}} 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.

class="wikitable"

! Rank

! County name

! Principal cities

! Pop/sq mi

! Pop/km2

1

| New York County, New York

| Manhattan, New York City

| 69,468

| 26,822

2

| Kings County, New York

| Brooklyn, New York City

| 35,369

| 13,656

3

| Bronx County, New York

| The Bronx, New York City

| 32,903

| 12,704

4

| Queens County, New York

| Queens, New York City

| 20,554

| 7,936

5

| City and County of San Francisco, California

| San Francisco

| 17,179

| 6,633

6

| Hudson County, New Jersey

| Hoboken, Jersey City

| 13,732

| 5,302

7

| Suffolk County, Massachusetts

| Boston

| 12,417

| 4,794

8

| Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania

| Philadelphia

| 11,379

| 4,394

9

| Washington, District of Columbia

|

| 9,857

| 3,806

10

| Alexandria, Virginia

|

| 9,314

| 3,596

11

| Arlington County, Virginia

| Arlington

| 8,853

| 3,520

12

| San Juan Municipality, Puerto Rico

|

| 8,262

| 3,190

13

| Richmond County, New York

| Staten Island, New York City

| 8,030

| 3,101

14

| City of Baltimore, Maryland

|

| 7,672

| 2,962

15

| Essex County, New Jersey

| Newark

| 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

| Chicago

| 5,495

| 2,122

20

| Union County, New Jersey

| Elizabeth

| 5,216

| 2,014

21

| City of Saint Louis, Missouri

|

| 5,157

| 1,991

22

| Nassau County, New York

| Hempstead, western Long Island

| 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

| Milwaukee

| 3,926

| 1,516

27

| Denver County, Colorado

| Denver

| 3,923

| 1,515

28

| Carolina Municipality, Puerto Rico

|

| 3,900

| 1,506

29

| Bergen County, New Jersey

| Northern New Jersey suburbs of New York City

| 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

| Anaheim, Santa Ana, Irvine

| 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

| St. Petersburg

| 3,348

| 1,292

38

| Ramsey County, Minnesota

| St. Paul

| 3,342

| 1,290

39

| Delaware County, Pennsylvania

| Southwest Philadelphia suburbs

| 3,039

| 1,173

40

| Wayne County, Michigan

| Detroit

| 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

| Cleveland

| 2,800

| 1,081

46

| DuPage County, Illinois

| Western Chicago suburbs

| 2,800

| 1,081

47

| Fairfax County, Virginia

| Washington, D.C. suburbs

| 2,767

| 1,068

48

| Toa Alta Municipality, Puerto Rico

|

| 2,742

| 1,058

49

| Dallas County, Texas

| Dallas

| 2,718

| 1,049

50

| Passaic County, New Jersey

| Paterson

| 2,715

| 1,048

51

| Hampton, Virginia

|

| 2,674

| 1,032

52

| Newport News, Virginia

|

| 2,634

| 1,017

53

| Middlesex County, New Jersey

| New Brunswick, Edison

| 2,622

| 1,012

54

| DeKalb County, Georgia

| Atlanta suburbs and small part of Atlanta

| 2,586

| 998

55

| Caguas Municipality, Puerto Rico

|

| 2,439

| 942

56

| Los Angeles County, California

| Los Angeles

| 2,420

| 934

57

| Harris County, Texas

| Houston

| 2,402

| 928

58

| Fredericksburg, Virginia

|

| 2,326

| 898

59

| Camden County, New Jersey

| Camden

| 2,322

| 896

=Least densely populated=

File:Baker_settlement_remains.jpg — 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 {{convert|0.38|/sqmi|/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.

class="wikitable"

|+ Counties with lowest population densities

bgcolor=lightgrey

! 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. 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 {{convert|0.069|PD/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}.

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

class="wikitable sortable"

!State
federal district
or territory

!Least densely populated county

!data-sort-type="number" | Population density

!Most densely populated county

!data-sort-type="number" | Population density

{{flag|Alabama}}

| Wilcox County

| {{convert|13.13|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Jefferson County

| {{convert|592.53|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|Alaska}}

| Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area

| {{convert|0.03|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Anchorage Municipality

| {{convert|171.19|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|American Samoa}}

| Rose Atoll {{refn|group=note|The least-densely populated inhabited county-equivalent in American Samoa is Swains Island, which has 18.1 people per square mile.}}

| {{convert|0.00|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Western District

| {{convert|1139.00|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|Arizona}}

| La Paz County

| {{convert|4.55|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Maricopa County

| {{convert|414.89|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|Arkansas}}

| Calhoun County

| {{convert|8.53|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Pulaski County

| {{convert|503.77|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|California}}

| Alpine County

| {{convert|1.59|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| San Francisco County

| {{convert|17179.15|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|Colorado}}

| Hinsdale County

| {{convert|0.75|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Denver County

| {{convert|3922.59|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|Connecticut}}

| Litchfield County

| {{convert|206.31|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Fairfield County

| {{convert|1467.18|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|Delaware}}

| Sussex County

| {{convert|210.60|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| New Castle County

| {{convert|1263.18|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|District of Columbia}}

| District of Columbia

| {{convert|9857.20|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| District of Columbia

| {{convert|9857.20|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|Florida}}

| Liberty County

| {{convert|10.01|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Pinellas County

| {{convert|3347.50|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flagicon|Georgia (U.S. state)}} Georgia

| Clinch County

| {{convert|8.49|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| DeKalb County

| {{convert|2585.72|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|Guam}}

| Guam

| {{convert|759.60|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Guam

| {{convert|759.60|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|Hawaii}}

| Kalawao County

| {{convert|7.50|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Honolulu County

| {{convert|1586.71|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|Idaho}}

| Clark County

| {{convert|0.55|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Ada County

| {{convert|372.76|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|Illinois}}

| Pope County

| {{convert|12.12|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Cook County

| {{convert|5495.11|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|Indiana}}

| Benton County

| {{convert|21.78|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Marion County

| {{convert|2279.57|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|Iowa}}

| Adams County

| {{convert|9.51|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Polk County

| {{convert|750.51|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|Kansas}}

| Greeley County

| {{convert|1.60|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Johnson County

| {{convert|1149.57|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|Kentucky}}

| Hickman County

| {{convert|20.23|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Jefferson County

| {{convert|1948.11|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|Louisiana}}

| Cameron Parish

| {{convert|5.32|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Orleans Parish

| {{convert|2029.41|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|Maine}}

| Piscataquis County

| {{convert|4.42|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Cumberland County

| {{convert|337.23|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|Maryland}}

| Garrett County

| {{convert|46.51|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| City of Baltimore

| {{convert|7671.51|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|Massachusetts}}

| Franklin County

| {{convert|102.05|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Suffolk County

| {{convert|12416.78|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|Michigan}}

| Keweenaw County

| {{convert|3.99|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Wayne County

| {{convert|2974.42|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|Minnesota}}

| Lake of the Woods County

| {{convert|3.11|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Ramsey County

| {{convert|3341.64|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|Mississippi}}

| Issaquena County

| {{convert|3.40|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| DeSoto County

| {{convert|338.66|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|Missouri}}

| Worth County

| {{convert|8.14|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| City of St. Louis

| {{convert|5157.48|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|Montana}}

| Garfield County

| {{convert|0.25|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Yellowstone County

| {{convert|56.19|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|Nebraska}}

| McPherson County

| {{convert|0.63|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Douglas County

| {{convert|1574.37|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|Nevada}}

| Esmeralda County

| {{convert|0.21|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Carson City

| {{convert|382.09|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|New Hampshire}}

| Coos County

| {{convert|18.41|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Hillsborough County

| {{convert|457.37|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|New Jersey}}

| Salem County

| {{convert|199.10|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Hudson County

| {{convert|13731.61|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|New Mexico}}

| Harding County

| {{convert|0.32|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Bernalillo County

| {{convert|570.76|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|New York}}

| Hamilton County

| {{convert|2.81|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| New York County

| {{convert|69468.42|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|North Carolina}}

| Hyde County

| {{convert|9.48|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Mecklenburg County

| {{convert|1755.54|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|North Dakota}}

| Billings County

| {{convert|0.68|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Cass County

| {{convert|84.86|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|Northern Mariana Islands}}

| Northern Islands Municipality {{refn|group=note|The least-densely populated inhabited county-equivalent in the Northern Mariana Islands is Tinian Municipality, which has 75.0 people per square mile.}}

| {{convert|0.00|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Saipan Municipality

| {{convert|1050.80|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|Ohio}}

| Monroe County

| {{convert|32.12|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Cuyahoga County

| {{convert|2799.95|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|Oklahoma}}

| Cimarron County

| {{convert|1.34|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Tulsa County

| {{convert|1058.14|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|Oregon}}

| Harney County

| {{convert|0.73|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Multnomah County

| {{convert|1704.93|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|Pennsylvania}}

| Cameron County

| {{convert|12.83|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Philadelphia County

| {{convert|11379.49|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|Puerto Rico}}

| Culebra Municipality

| {{convert|156.40|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| San Juan Municipality

| {{convert|8262.30|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|Rhode Island}}

| Washington County

| {{convert|385.67|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Bristol County

| {{convert|2064.00|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|South Carolina}}

| Allendale County

| {{convert|25.53|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Greenville County

| {{convert|574.72|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|South Dakota}}

| Harding County

| {{convert|0.47|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Minnehaha County

| {{convert|209.95|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|Tennessee}}

| Perry County

| {{convert|19.08|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Davidson County

| {{convert|1243.33|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|Texas}}

| Loving County

| {{convert|0.12|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Dallas County

| {{convert|2718.00|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flagicon|United States}} U.S. Minor Outlying Islands

| 6 entities {{refn|group=note|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.}}

| {{convert|0.00|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Wake Island

| {{convert|39.80|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|Utah}}

| Garfield County

| {{convert|0.99|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Salt Lake County

| {{convert|1387.14|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|Vermont}}

| Essex County

| {{convert|9.50|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Chittenden County

| {{convert|291.74|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flagicon|U.S. Virgin Islands}} Virgin Islands (U.S.)

| Saint John Island

| {{convert|211.80|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Saint Thomas Island

| {{convert|1649.10|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|Virginia}}

| Highland County

| {{convert|5.59|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Alexandria City

| {{convert|9314.30|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|Washington}}

| Garfield County

| {{convert|3.18|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| King County

| {{convert|912.87|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|West Virginia}}

| Pocahontas County

| {{convert|9.27|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Ohio County

| {{convert|419.98|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|Wisconsin}}

| Iron County

| {{convert|7.80|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Milwaukee County

| {{convert|3925.95|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

{{flag|Wyoming}}

| Niobrara County

| {{convert|0.94|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

| Laramie County

| {{convert|34.15|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}

See also

Notes

{{Refbegin}}

{{Cnote|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,{{Cite web

| title=Alaska Statutes Title 29 Chapter 03. The Unorganized Borough

| date=August 18, 1998

| publisher=Local Government On-Line, Division of Community and Regional Affairs, Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development

| url=http://commerce.alaska.gov/dca/LOGON/pubs/29_03.htm

| accessdate=2008-07-17

}} 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.

{{Cite web

| title=Local Government in Alaska

| date=February 2001

| publisher=Local Boundary Commission, Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development

| url=http://www.commerce.state.ak.us/dca/lbc/pubs/Local_Gov_AK.pdf

| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080718230624/http://www.commerce.state.ak.us/dca/lbc/pubs/Local_Gov_AK.pdf

| archive-date=2008-07-18

| url-status=dead

| accessdate=2008-07-17

}}}}

{{Refend}}

{{Reflist|group=note}}

References

{{Reflist|2}}

External links

  • [http://www.bls.gov/data/ Labor Statistics] County Employment and Wages

{{USCountyLists}}

{{U.S. Counties}}

{{Articles on second-level administrative divisions of North American countries}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:County Statistics Of The United States}}

Category:Counties of the United States

Category:Political divisions of the United States

de:County (Vereinigte Staaten)#Statistiken