States by population density

The densest states sit between Massachusetts and Maryland

The seven most densely populated places in the ranking form one unbroken block along the Atlantic seaboard: the District of Columbia, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Massachusetts (917.1 people per square mile), Connecticut (761.7 people per square mile), Maryland (645.2 people per square mile) and Delaware (544.0 people per square mile). Each of these states is small by area. Even the seventh, Delaware, is 462% above the US figure (96.7 people per square mile)¹.

New Jersey1,298.2

Rhode Island1,078.0

Massachusetts917.1

Connecticut761.7

Maryland645.2

Delaware544.0

Florida437.3

New York424.5

Pennsylvania291.9

Ohio291.3

California252.5

United States96.7

Source: States Demographics, Computed. Period: July 1, 2025.

Show the numbers

State	People per sq mi
New Jersey	1,298.2
Rhode Island	1,078.0
Massachusetts	917.1
Connecticut	761.7
Maryland	645.2
Delaware	544.0
Florida	437.3
New York	424.5
Pennsylvania	291.9
Ohio	291.3
California	252.5
United States	96.7

New Jersey is the most densely populated of any state (the District of Columbia is higher): 9.5 million² residents on 7,355 square miles³ of land, 1242% above the US figure (96.7 people per square mile). Rhode Island, the smallest state by area, is denser than every bordering state (Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York)¹.

Outside that block, density depends on population more than on size. Florida (437.3 people per square mile) and New York (424.5 people per square mile) have two of the four largest state populations, and Florida is denser than every bordering state (Alabama and Georgia). New York, by contrast, is denser than Pennsylvania and Vermont; less dense than Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Rhode Island. Pennsylvania (291.9 people per square mile) and Ohio (291.3 people per square mile) are almost level in tenth and eleventh place; Ohio is the densest state in the Midwest. California, the most populous state, is only 12th most densely populated, at 252.5 people per square mile¹.

The District of Columbia, at 11,347.8 people per square mile¹, is not comparable with any state. It has 693,645² residents on 61 square miles³ of land and no rural territory: in the 2020 Census 100.0%⁴ of its residents lived in urban areas.

The emptiest states are in the West and the northern Plains

Oregon44.5

Utah42.8

Kansas36.4

Nevada29.9

Nebraska26.3

Idaho24.6

New Mexico17.5

South Dakota12.3

North Dakota11.6

Montana7.9

Wyoming6.1

Alaska1.3

Source: States Demographics, Computed. Period: July 1, 2025.

Show the numbers

State	People per sq mi
Oregon	44.5
Utah	42.8
Kansas	36.4
Nevada	29.9
Nebraska	26.3
Idaho	24.6
New Mexico	17.5
South Dakota	12.3
North Dakota	11.6
Montana	7.9
Wyoming	6.1
Alaska	1.3

Alaska has 1.3 people per square mile, the least densely populated in the nation and 99% below the US figure (96.7 people per square mile). The next five are Wyoming (6.1 people per square mile), Montana (7.9 people per square mile), North Dakota (11.6 people per square mile), South Dakota (12.3 people per square mile) and New Mexico (17.5 people per square mile). Idaho, Nebraska, Nevada and Kansas¹ complete the bottom ten, all of them in the West or on the Great Plains.

Two different things put states here. Wyoming has the smallest population of any state (589,000). Alaska has the largest land area, 571,242 square miles³, and a population of about 737,000², slightly more than the District of Columbia's.

Most states are denser than the country

28 of the 51 are above the US figure and 23 are below it. The middle value, 110.3 people per square mile, is Wisconsin's, and it is higher than the national 96.7 people per square mile¹. The national figure divides all residents by all land, so the large, thinly settled states of the West, which hold much of the nation's land and a smaller part of its people, pull it down.

The map shows how unevenly the regions compare with that national figure:

• Northeast. Every state is above it except Maine (45.9 people per square mile) and Vermont (69.9 people per square mile), which is less dense than every bordering state (Massachusetts, New Hampshire and New York).
• South. Arkansas is the least dense Southern state, at 59.9 people per square mile; only it, Oklahoma, Mississippi and West Virginia fall below the US figure. Texas is denser than every bordering state (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico and Oklahoma).
• Midwest. The eastern half is dense and the western half sparse: from Ohio (291.3 people per square mile) to North Dakota (11.6 people per square mile). Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin are above the US figure; Missouri (91.2 people per square mile) is just below it.
• West. Only California, Hawaii (223.1 people per square mile) and Washington (120.4 people per square mile) are above the US figure. The region holds the three least dense states, Alaska¹, Wyoming and Montana.

Density is not the same as urban

A state can be thinly settled on average and still have almost all of its residents in towns and cities. The Census Bureau's urban and rural classification for the 2020 Census measures where people live; density averages them over every square mile of land, including mountains, deserts and forests where few people live.

• Nevada is the 3rd highest state by urban share (94.1%), almost level with California (94.2%), yet it is the 9th least densely populated state, at 29.9 people per square mile.
• Utah (89.8% urban, 8th highest) and Arizona (89.3%, 9th highest) are also more urban than the nation (80.0%) but well below it in density: 42.8 people per square mile and 67.1 people per square mile.
• Vermont is the lowest state by urban share (35.1%), so most of its residents live in rural areas, but at 69.9 people per square mile it is denser than Arizona. West Virginia (44.6% urban) has 73.5 people per square mile, and Maine (38.6%⁴ urban) has 45.9 people per square mile¹, more than Utah.

For questions about how rural a state is, the rural share is the better measure; density answers how much land there is per resident. Rural shares for every state are in the rural population ranking.

How density changes

Land area stays the same from year to year, so a state's density moves in step with its population. Since the April 2020 Census, Idaho has grown fastest (10.36%), and its density has risen by the same percentage; at 24.6 people per square mile it is still the 7th least densely populated¹ state. Florida (8.93%) and South Carolina (8.83%) follow. Density fell in every state that lost residents since 2020; the largest drops were in West Virginia and Hawaii (−1.54%² each). The growth column in the table shows the change for every state.

Reading density figures correctly

• Land area, not total area. Each state's July 1, 2025 population estimate is divided by its land area in square miles from the Census Bureau's 2024 Gazetteer. Water is left out; dividing by total area gives lower figures for states with large lakes or coastal waters, such as Michigan and Florida. Land and total area for every state are on the land area ranking.
• Square miles. Many international sources use square kilometers, which give smaller numbers for the same state. Convert before comparing.
• Ties. Colorado and Iowa both have 58.0 people per square mile¹ and share a rank.
• Averages hide the spread inside a state. A single figure covers cities and empty land alike, and this site covers states only, not counties or cities.
• Different dates give different figures. Densities from the 2020 Census use the April 1, 2020 count; this page uses the latest estimate, which the Census Bureau revises every December.