List of U.S. states by population density
Map of states showing population density (2013)
New Jersey is the most densely populated state. It is also the second wealthiest in terms of absolute (as opposed to cost of living adjusted) household income.
Despite being home to the most populous city in the country, New York State ranks 7th in overall density.
Washington State is ranked 25th in density, but is still above the national average.
Despite a fairly average population density, Vermont has one of the smallest populations due to its small overall area.
Idaho's population has increased rapidly in recent decades, but its population density, relative to other states, is low.
About half of the population of Alaska lives in the Anchorage metropolitan area.
Puerto Rico ranks third among the most densely populated areas in the U.S. (behind DC and NJ)
This article includes a sortable table of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, and territories ordered by population density. Population density is calculated as resident population divided by total land area. Resident population is from the United States Census Bureau estimates for July 1, 2013 for the 50 States, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico and from the 2010 Census for the other four U.S. territories (which is the latest data available as of April 24, 2014.) [1] Total land area is from the 2010 Census.[2]
The population density of the United States is relatively low compared to many other developed countries due to its size and the advent of modern transportation during its settlement. For example, the population density of the U.S. is one twelfth that of the Netherlands, and one fifteenth that of South Korea.[3]
Population density for states, divisions, regions and territories
| Legend |
| Division totals – 9 divisions for 50 States and DC |
| Region totals – 4 regions ( 2 or 3 divisions each) |
| Individual territories |
| Total U.S. Territories |
| 50 States + DC and District of Columbia |
| Divisions & regions as defined by U.S. Census Bureau |
| Last col. shows larger region which contains entity in col. 2 |
| Rank | State/Territory/ Division/Region |
Dens. /sqmi |
Dens. /sqkm |
Geog. sort |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -- |  District of Columbia |
10,588.8 | 4,088.4 | MdAtl |
| 1 |  New Jersey |
1,210.1 | 467.2 | MdAtl |
| 1 |  Puerto Rico |
1,055.9 | 407.7 | Terr. |
| 2 |  Rhode Island |
1,017.1 | 392.7 | NEng |
| -- | Territories | 991.0 | 382.6 | USA |
| 3 |  Massachusetts |
858.0 | 331.3 | NEng |
| 2 |  U.S. Virgin Islands |
792.2 | 305.9 | Terr. |
| 3 |  Guam |
759.6 | 293.3 | Terr. |
| 4 |  Connecticut |
742.6 | 286.7 | NEng |
| 4 |  American Samoa |
726.1 | 280.4 | Terr. |
| 5 |  Maryland |
610.8 | 235.8 | MdAtl |
| 6 |  Delaware |
475.1 | 183.4 | MdAtl |
| 7 |  New York |
417.0 | 161.0 | MdAtl |
| 1 | Mid-Atlantic | 416.5 | 160.8 | NEast |
| 8 |  Florida |
364.6 | 140.8 | SAtl |
| 1 | Northeast | 345.5 | 133.4 | USA |
| 5 |  Northern Mariana Islands |
295.5 | 114.1 | Terr. |
| 9 |  Pennsylvania |
285.5 | 110.2 | MdAtl |
| 10 |  Ohio |
283.2 | 109.3 | ENC |
| 11 |  California |
246.1 | 95.0 | Pac |
| 2 | New England | 233.2 | 90.0 | NEast |
| 3 | South Atlantic | 233.1 | 90.0 | South |
| 12 |  Illinois |
232.0 | 89.6 | ENC |
| 13 |  Hawaii |
218.6 | 84.4 | Pac |
| 14 |  Virginia |
209.2 | 80.8 | SAtl |
| 15 |  North Carolina |
202.6 | 78.2 | SAtl |
| 4 | East North Central | 192.1 | 74.2 | MWest |
| 16 |  Indiana |
183.4 | 70.8 | ENC |
| 17 |  Michigan |
175.0 | 67.6 | ENC |
| 18 | .svg.png){kind=small} Georgia |
173.7 | 67.1 | SAtl |
| 19 |  South Carolina |
158.8 | 61.3 | SAtl |
| 20 |  Tennessee |
157.5 | 60.8 | ESC |
| 21 |  New Hampshire |
147.8 | 57.1 | NEng |
| 2 | South | 136.3 | 52.6 | USA |
| 22 |  Kentucky |
111.3 | 43.0 | ESC |
| 23 |  Louisiana |
107.1 | 41.3 | WSC |
| 24 |  Wisconsin |
106.0 | 40.9 | ENC |
| 5 | East South Central | 105.0 | 40.5 | South |
| 25 |  Washington |
104.9 | 40.5 | Pac |
| 26 |  Texas |
103.1 | 40.8 | WSC |
| 27 |  Alabama |
95.4 | 36.9 | ESC |
| 3 | Midwest | 90.0 | 34.7 | USA |
| -- |  50 States + DC |
89.5 | 34.6 | NAmer |
| 6 | West South Central | 89.1 | 34.4 | South |
| 28 |  Missouri |
87.9 | 33.9 | WNC |
| 29 |  West Virginia |
77.1 | 29.8 | SAtl |
| 30 |  Minnesota |
68.1 | 26.3 | WNC |
| 31 |  Vermont |
68.0 | 26.3 | NEng |
| 32 |  Mississippi |
63.7 | 24.6 | ESC |
| 33 |  Arizona |
58.3 | 22.5 | Mtn |
| 7 | Pacific | 57.4 | 22.2 | West |
| 34 |  Arkansas |
56.9 | 22.0 | WSC |
| 35 |  Oklahoma |
56.1 | 21.7 | WSC |
| 36 |  Iowa |
55.3 | 21.4 | WNC |
| 37 |  Colorado |
50.8 | 19.6 | Mtn |
| 38 |  Maine |
43.1 | 16.6 | NEng |
| 4 | West | 42.4 | 16.4 | USA |
| 8 | West North Central | 41.1 | 15.9 | MWest |
| 39 |  Oregon |
40.9 | 15.8 | Pac |
| 40 |  Kansas |
35.4 | 13.7 | WNC |
| 41 |  Utah |
35.3 | 13.6 | Mtn |
| 9 | Mountain | 26.7 | 10.3 | West |
| 42 |  Nevada |
25.4 | 9.8 | Mtn |
| 43 |  Nebraska |
24.3 | 9.4 | WNC |
| 44 |  Idaho |
19.5 | 7.5 | Mtn |
| 45 |  New Mexico |
17.2 | 6.6 | Mtn |
| 46 |  South Dakota |
11.1 | 4.3 | WNC |
| 47 |  North Dakota |
10.5 | 4.0 | WNC |
| 48 |  Montana |
7.0 | 2.7 | Mtn |
| 49 |  Wyoming |
6.0 | 2.3 | Mtn |
| 50 |  Alaska |
1.3 | 0.5 | Pac |
Summary of density by region showing population and land area
| Legend |
|---|
| Division totals – 9 divisions for 50 States and DC |
| Region totals – 4 regions ( 2 or 3 divisions each) |
| Individual territories |
| Total U.S. Territories |
| 50 States + DC and District of Columbia |
| Divisions & regions as defined by U.S. Census Bureau |
| Last col. shows larger region which contains entity in col. 1 |
| State/Territory/ Division/Region |
R a n k |
Pop. dens. /sqmi. |
R a n k |
2013 pop. |
R a n k |
Land area sqmi. |
Geog. sort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey |
1 | 1210.1 | 11 | 8,899,339 | 46 | 7,354 | MdAtl |
| Rhode Island |
2 | 1017.1 | 43 | 1,051,511 | 50 | 1,034 | NEng |
| Massachusetts |
3 | 858.0 | 14 | 6,692,824 | 45 | 7,800 | NEng |
| Connecticut |
4 | 742.6 | 29 | 3,596,080 | 48 | 4,842 | NEng |
| Maryland |
5 | 610.8 | 19 | 5,928,814 | 42 | 9,707 | SAtl |
| Delaware |
6 | 475.1 | 45 | 925,749 | 49 | 1,949 | SAtl |
| New York |
7 | 417.0 | 3 | 19,651,127 | 30 | 47,126 | MdAtl |
| Florida |
8 | 364.6 | 4 | 19,552,860 | 26 | 53,625 | SAtl |
| Pennsylvania |
9 | 285.5 | 6 | 12,773,801 | 32 | 44,743 | MdAtl |
| Ohio |
10 | 283.2 | 7 | 11,570,808 | 35 | 40,861 | ENC |
| California |
11 | 246.1 | 1 | 38,332,521 | 3 | 155,779 | Pac |
| Illinois |
12 | 232.0 | 5 | 12,882,135 | 24 | 55,519 | ENC |
| Hawaii |
13 | 218.6 | 40 | 1,404,054 | 47 | 6,423 | Pac |
| Virginia |
14 | 209.2 | 12 | 8,260,405 | 36 | 39,490 | SAtl |
| North Carolina |
15 | 202.6 | 10 | 9,848,060 | 29 | 48,618 | SAtl |
| Indiana |
16 | 183.4 | 16 | 6,570,902 | 38 | 35,826 | ENC |
| Michigan |
17 | 175.0 | 9 | 9,895,622 | 22 | 56,539 | ENC |
| Georgia |
18 | 173.7 | 8 | 9,992,167 | 21 | 57,513 | SAtl |
| South Carolina |
19 | 158.8 | 24 | 4,774,839 | 40 | 30,061 | SAtl |
| Tennessee |
20 | 157.5 | 17 | 6,495,978 | 34 | 41,235 | ESC |
| New Hampshire |
21 | 147.8 | 42 | 1,323,459 | 44 | 8,953 | NEng |
| Kentucky |
22 | 111.3 | 26 | 4,395,295 | 37 | 39,486 | ESC |
| Louisiana |
23 | 107.1 | 25 | 4,625,470 | 33 | 43,204 | WSC |
| Wisconsin |
24 | 106.0 | 20 | 5,742,713 | 25 | 54,158 | ENC |
| Washington |
25 | 104.9 | 13 | 6,971,406 | 20 | 66,456 | Pac |
| Texas |
26 | 101.2 | 2 | 26,448,193 | 2 | 261,232 | WSC |
| Alabama |
27 | 95.4 | 23 | 4,833,722 | 28 | 50,645 | ESC |
| Missouri |
28 | 87.9 | 18 | 6,044,171 | 18 | 68,742 | WNC |
| West Virginia |
29 | 77.1 | 38 | 1,854,304 | 41 | 24,038 | SAtl |
| Minnesota |
30 | 68.1 | 21 | 5,420,380 | 14 | 79,627 | WNC |
| Vermont |
31 | 68.0 | 49 | 626,630 | 43 | 9,217 | NEng |
| Mississippi |
32 | 63.7 | 31 | 2,991,207 | 31 | 46,923 | ESC |
| Arizona |
33 | 58.3 | 15 | 6,626,624 | 6 | 113,594 | Mtn |
| Arkansas |
34 | 56.9 | 32 | 2,959,373 | 27 | 52,035 | WSC |
| Oklahoma |
35 | 56.1 | 28 | 3,850,568 | 19 | 68,595 | WSC |
| Iowa |
36 | 55.3 | 30 | 3,090,416 | 23 | 55,857 | WNC |
| Colorado |
37 | 50.8 | 22 | 5,268,367 | 8 | 103,642 | Mtn |
| Maine |
38 | 43.1 | 41 | 1,328,302 | 39 | 30,843 | NEng |
| Oregon |
39 | 40.9 | 27 | 3,930,065 | 10 | 95,988 | Pac |
| Kansas |
40 | 35.4 | 34 | 2,893,957 | 13 | 81,759 | WNC |
| Utah |
41 | 35.3 | 33 | 2,900,872 | 12 | 82,170 | Mtn |
| Nevada |
42 | 25.4 | 35 | 2,790,136 | 7 | 109,781 | Mtn |
| Nebraska |
43 | 24.3 | 37 | 1,868,516 | 15 | 76,824 | WNC |
| Idaho |
44 | 19.5 | 39 | 1,612,136 | 11 | 82,643 | Mtn |
| New Mexico |
45 | 17.2 | 36 | 2,085,287 | 5 | 121,298 | Mtn |
| South Dakota |
46 | 11.1 | 46 | 844,877 | 16 | 75,811 | WNC |
| North Dakota |
47 | 10.5 | 48 | 723,393 | 17 | 69,001 | WNC |
| Montana |
48 | 7.0 | 44 | 1,015,165 | 4 | 145,546 | Mtn |
| Wyoming |
49 | 6.0 | 50 | 582,658 | 9 | 97,093 | Mtn |
| Alaska |
50 | 1.3 | 47 | 735,132 | 1 | 570,641 | Pac |
| Mid-Atlantic | 1 | 416.5 | 4 | 41,324,267 | 8 | 99,223 | NEast |
| New England | 2 | 233.2 | 9 | 14,618,806 | 9 | 62,688 | NEast |
| South Atlantic | 3 | 233.1 | 1 | 61,783,647 | 5 | 265,062 | South |
| East North Central | 4 | 192.1 | 3 | 46,662,180 | 6 | 242,902 | MWest |
| East South Central | 5 | 105.0 | 8 | 18,716,202 | 7 | 178,290 | South |
| West South Central | 6 | 89.1 | 5 | 37,883,604 | 4 | 425,066 | South |
| Pacific | 7 | 57.4 | 2 | 51,373,178 | 1 | 895,286 | West |
| West North Central | 8 | 41.1 | 7 | 20,885,710 | 3 | 507,620 | MWest |
| Mountain | 9 | 26.7 | 6 | 22,881,245 | 2 | 855,767 | West |
| Northeast | 1 | 345.5 | 4 | 55,943,073 | 4 | 161,912 | USA |
| South | 2 | 136.3 | 1 | 118,383,453 | 2 | 868,418 | USA |
| Midwest | 3 | 90.0 | 3 | 67,547,890 | 3 | 750,523 | USA |
| West | 4 | 42.4 | 2 | 74,254,423 | 1 | 1,751,053 | USA |
| District of Columbia |
-- | 10588.8 | -- | 646,449 | -- | 61 | SAtl |
| 50 States & DC |
-- | 89.5 | -- | 316,128,839 | -- | 3,531,905 | NAmer |
| Puerto Rico |
1 | 1055.9 | 1 | 3,615,086 | 1 | 3,424 | Terr. |
| U.S. Virgin Islands |
2 | 792.2 | 3 | 106,405 | 4 | 134 | Terr. |
| Guam |
3 | 759.6 | 2 | 159,358 | 2 | 210 | Terr. |
| American Samoa |
4 | 726.1 | 4 | 55,519 | 5 | 76 | Terr. |
| Northern Mariana Islands |
5 | 295.5 | 5 | 53,883 | 3 | 182 | Terr. |
| Total Territories | -- | 991.0 | -- | 3,990,251 | -- | 4,027 | USA |
See also
- Outline of the United States
- Index of United States-related articles
- United States
- Demographics of the United States
- U.S. state
- List of U.S. states
- List of U.S. states by African-American population
- List of U.S. states by area
- List of U.S. states by coastline
- List of U.S. states by date of statehood
- List of U.S. states by elevation
- List of U.S. states by fertility rate
- List of U.S. states by GDP (nominal)
- List of U.S. states by GDP per capita (nominal)
- List of U.S. states by historical population
- List of U.S. states by income equality
- List of U.S. states by population
- List of U.S. states by population density
- List of U.S. states by population growth rate
- List of U.S. states by time zone
- List of U.S. states by vehicles per capita
- List of U.S. states
- Population density
References
- General
- Resident Population Data - 2010 Census. United States Census Bureau. Last accessed January 10, 2011.
- Specific
- ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Population for the United States, Regions, States, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2013" (CSV). 2013 Population Estimates. United States Census Bureau, Population Division. December 2013. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
- ↑ "State Area Measurements and Internal Point Coordinates". 2010 United States Census. United States Census Bureau. February 11, 2011. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
- ↑ United Nations World Population Prospects
External links
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