County Maps US

The least densely populated counties in the United States

Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska 0.03 per sq mi

Which US county is the least densely populated?

What this list shows

  • 3,144 of the 3,144 US counties and county-equivalents have a published figure for population density.
  • Alaska accounts for 20 of the top 100, ahead of Texas with 17 and Nebraska with 15.
  • The top 100 is not made up only of counties. It includes 11 census areas, 7 boroughs, and 2 cities and boroughs. County-equivalents are ranked alongside counties here, and the type column says which is which.

The top 100

The least densely populated counties in the United States. Sortable on any column.
RankCountyStateTypeDensity
1Yukon-Koyukuk Census AreaAlaskaCensus Area0.03 per sq mi
2Lake and Peninsula BoroughAlaskaBorough0.06 per sq mi
3Loving CountyTexasCounty0.08 per sq mi
4Yakutat City and BoroughAlaskaCity and Borough0.09 per sq mi
5Copper River Census AreaAlaskaCensus Area0.11 per sq mi
6North Slope BoroughAlaskaBorough0.12 per sq mi
7Denali BoroughAlaskaBorough0.13 per sq mi
8Northwest Arctic BoroughAlaskaBorough0.20 per sq mi
9Esmeralda CountyNevadaCounty0.20 per sq mi
10King CountyTexasCounty0.21 per sq mi
11Kenedy CountyTexasCounty0.22 per sq mi
12Dillingham Census AreaAlaskaCensus Area0.24 per sq mi
13Garfield CountyMontanaCounty0.25 per sq mi
14Harding CountyNew MexicoCounty0.29 per sq mi
15Southeast Fairbanks Census AreaAlaskaCensus Area0.29 per sq mi
16Terrell CountyTexasCounty0.30 per sq mi
17Petroleum CountyMontanaCounty0.33 per sq mi
18Hoonah-Angoon Census AreaAlaskaCensus Area0.35 per sq mi
19Lincoln CountyNevadaCounty0.41 per sq mi
20Carter CountyMontanaCounty0.41 per sq mi
21Nome Census AreaAlaskaCensus Area0.43 per sq mi
22McPherson CountyNebraskaCounty0.43 per sq mi
23Clark CountyIdahoCounty0.44 per sq mi
24Eureka CountyNevadaCounty0.45 per sq mi
25Bethel Census AreaAlaskaCensus Area0.45 per sq mi
26Kusilvak Census AreaAlaskaCensus Area0.46 per sq mi
27McMullen CountyTexasCounty0.48 per sq mi
28Aleutians East BoroughAlaskaBorough0.50 per sq mi
29Harding CountySouth DakotaCounty0.50 per sq mi
30Slope CountyNorth DakotaCounty0.52 per sq mi
31Powder River CountyMontanaCounty0.54 per sq mi
32Catron CountyNew MexicoCounty0.55 per sq mi
33Arthur CountyNebraskaCounty0.55 per sq mi
34Sioux CountyNebraskaCounty0.58 per sq mi
35Culberson CountyTexasCounty0.60 per sq mi
36Borden CountyTexasCounty0.63 per sq mi
37Prairie CountyMontanaCounty0.64 per sq mi
38Blaine CountyNebraskaCounty0.64 per sq mi
39Edwards CountyTexasCounty0.65 per sq mi
40McCone CountyMontanaCounty0.65 per sq mi
41Hinsdale CountyColoradoCounty0.67 per sq mi
42Chugach Census AreaAlaskaCensus Area0.68 per sq mi
43De Baca CountyNew MexicoCounty0.71 per sq mi
44Golden Valley CountyMontanaCounty0.72 per sq mi
45Grant CountyNebraskaCounty0.72 per sq mi
46Harney CountyOregonCounty0.73 per sq mi
47Treasure CountyMontanaCounty0.75 per sq mi
48Kent CountyTexasCounty0.75 per sq mi
49Jackson CountyColoradoCounty0.75 per sq mi
50Hudspeth CountyTexasCounty0.75 per sq mi
51Jeff Davis CountyTexasCounty0.76 per sq mi
52Wrangell City and BoroughAlaskaCity and Borough0.79 per sq mi
53Kiowa CountyColoradoCounty0.80 per sq mi
54Phillips CountyMontanaCounty0.82 per sq mi
55Wheeler CountyOregonCounty0.86 per sq mi
56Haines BoroughAlaskaBorough0.89 per sq mi
57Niobrara CountyWyomingCounty0.89 per sq mi
58Meagher CountyMontanaCounty0.89 per sq mi
59Thomas CountyNebraskaCounty0.90 per sq mi
60Banner CountyNebraskaCounty0.92 per sq mi
61Cherry CountyNebraskaCounty0.93 per sq mi
62Billings CountyNorth DakotaCounty0.93 per sq mi
63Roberts CountyTexasCounty0.94 per sq mi
64Custer CountyIdahoCounty0.94 per sq mi
65Jones CountySouth DakotaCounty0.94 per sq mi
66Hooker CountyNebraskaCounty0.95 per sq mi
67Cheyenne CountyColoradoCounty0.96 per sq mi
68White Pine CountyNevadaCounty0.98 per sq mi
69Crockett CountyTexasCounty0.99 per sq mi
70Perkins CountySouth DakotaCounty0.99 per sq mi
71Wibaux CountyMontanaCounty1.00 per sq mi
72Haakon CountySouth DakotaCounty1.00 per sq mi
73Union CountyNew MexicoCounty1.0 per sq mi
74Loup CountyNebraskaCounty1.0 per sq mi
75Lake CountyOregonCounty1.0 per sq mi
76Garfield CountyUtahCounty1.0 per sq mi
77Keya Paha CountyNebraskaCounty1.0 per sq mi
78Mineral CountyColoradoCounty1.0 per sq mi
79Motley CountyTexasCounty1.1 per sq mi
80Wayne CountyUtahCounty1.1 per sq mi
81Garden CountyNebraskaCounty1.1 per sq mi
82Lander CountyNevadaCounty1.1 per sq mi
83Pershing CountyNevadaCounty1.1 per sq mi
84Prince of Wales-Hyder Census AreaAlaskaCensus Area1.1 per sq mi
85Cimarron CountyOklahomaCounty1.1 per sq mi
86Daniels CountyMontanaCounty1.1 per sq mi
87Hidalgo CountyNew MexicoCounty1.1 per sq mi
88Hayes CountyNebraskaCounty1.2 per sq mi
89Judith Basin CountyMontanaCounty1.2 per sq mi
90Petersburg BoroughAlaskaBorough1.2 per sq mi
91Logan CountyNebraskaCounty1.2 per sq mi
92Mineral CountyNevadaCounty1.2 per sq mi
93Aleutians West Census AreaAlaskaCensus Area1.2 per sq mi
94Oldham CountyTexasCounty1.2 per sq mi
95Ziebach CountySouth DakotaCounty1.2 per sq mi
96Camas CountyIdahoCounty1.2 per sq mi
97Butte CountyIdahoCounty1.2 per sq mi
98Rock CountyNebraskaCounty1.3 per sq mi
99Glasscock CountyTexasCounty1.3 per sq mi
100Stonewall CountyTexasCounty1.3 per sq mi

Sources: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026; US Census Bureau, Gazetteer Files, 2025 Gazetteer Files, released 10 September 2025. Density is computed here, not published by the Census Bureau. It divides the Vintage 2025 population estimate by the 2025 Gazetteer land area, which are two different Census products. Retrieved 30 August 2026.

This is the top 100. See the complete table of all 3,144 counties.

Other rankings

Rebuilt from source data 30 August 2026. How these figures are produced.