In 2023, Washington, D.C. had the highest population density in the United States, with 11,130.69 people per square mile. As a whole, there were about 94.83 residents per square mile in the U.S., and Alaska was the state with the lowest population density, with 1.29 residents per square mile. The problem of population density Simply put, population density is the population of a country divided by the area of the country. While this can be an interesting measure of how many people live in a country and how large the country is, it does not account for the degree of urbanization, or the share of people who live in urban centers. For example, Russia is the largest country in the world and has a comparatively low population, so its population density is very low. However, much of the country is uninhabited, so cities in Russia are much more densely populated than the rest of the country. Urbanization in the United States While the United States is not very densely populated compared to other countries, its population density has increased significantly over the past few decades. The degree of urbanization has also increased, and well over half of the population lives in urban centers.

Historical chart and dataset showing U.S. population density by year from 1961 to 2022.

Grid of population density in the conterminous United States at a resolution of one kilometer. The grid was converted from an ASCII file obtained from the Consortium for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN).

In 2022, the population density in the United States remained nearly unchanged at around 36.43 inhabitants per square kilometer. Nevertheless, 2022 still represents a peak in the population density in the United States. Population density refers to the average number of residents per square kilometer of land across a given country or region. It is calculated by dividing the total midyear population by the total land area.Find more key insights for the population density in countries like Mexico.

United States US: Population Density: People per Square Km data was reported at 35.608 Person/sq km in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 35.355 Person/sq km for 2016. United States US: Population Density: People per Square Km data is updated yearly, averaging 26.948 Person/sq km from Dec 1961 (Median) to 2017, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 35.608 Person/sq km in 2017 and a record low of 20.056 Person/sq km in 1961. United States US: Population Density: People per Square Km data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Population density is midyear population divided by land area in square kilometers. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship--except for refugees not permanently settled in the country of asylum, who are generally considered part of the population of their country of origin. Land area is a country's total area, excluding area under inland water bodies, national claims to continental shelf, and exclusive economic zones. In most cases the definition of inland water bodies includes major rivers and lakes.; ; Food and Agriculture Organization and World Bank population estimates.; Weighted average;

This map shows the population density and total population in the United States in 2010. This is shown by state, county, tract, and block group. The color shows the population per square mile (population density), while the size of each feature shows the total population living there. This is a valuable way to represent population by understanding the quantity and density of the people living there. Areas with high population density are more tightly packed, while low population density means the population is more spread out.The map shows this pattern for states, counties, tracts, and block groups. There is increasing geographic detail as you zoom in, and only one geography is configured to show at any time. The data source is the US Census Bureau, and the vintage is 2010. The original service and data metadata can be found here.

The average for 2021 based on 12 countries was 25 people per square km. The highest value was in Ecuador: 72 people per square km and the lowest value was in Guyana: 4 people per square km. The indicator is available from 1961 to 2021. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

This graph shows the population density of the United States of America from 1790 to 2019. In 2019, the population density was approximately 92.9 residents per square mile of land area. Population density in the United States Population density has been tracked for over two hundred years in the United States. Over the last two centuries, the number of people living in the United States per square mile has grown from 4.5 in 1790 to 87.4 in 2010. After examining the data in detail, it becomes clear that a major population increase started around 1870. Population density was roughly 11 at the time and has doubled in the last century. Since then, population density grew by about 16 percent each decade. Population density doubled in 1900, and grew in total by around 800 percent until 2010.

The population density of the United States varies from state to state. The most densely populated state is New Jersey, with 1,208 people per square mile living there. Rhode Island is the second most densely populated state, with slightly over 1,000 inhabitants per square mile. A number of New England states follow at the top of the ranking, making the northeastern region of the United States the most densely populated region of the country.

The least populated U.S. state is the vast territory of Alaska. Only 1.3 inhabitants per square mile reside in the largest state of the U.S.

Compared to other countries around the world, the United States does not rank within the top 50, in terms of population density. Most of the leading countries and territories are city states. However, the U.S. is one of the most populous countries in the world, with a total population of over 327 million inhabitants, as of 2018.

This dataset consists of three raster datasets representing population density for the years 1990, 2000, and 2010. All three rasters are based on block-level census geography data. The 1990 and 2000 data are derived from data normalized to 2000 block boundaries, while the 2010 data are based on 2010 block boundaries. The 1990 and 2000 data are rasters at 100-meter (m) resolution, while the 2010 data are at 60-m resolution. See details about each dataset in the specific metadata for each raster.

This data set represents 2000 population density by block group as a 100-m grid using data from the 2000 Census of Population and Housing. The demographic data is from CensusCD 2000 Short Form Blocks published by GeoLytics, E. Brunswick, NJ, which uses the 2000 Census Summary File 1 (SF 1). Grid cell values represent population density in people per square kilometer multiplied by 10 so that the data could be stored as integer.

Our Population Density Grid Dataset for South America offers detailed, grid-based insights into the distribution of population across cities, towns, and rural areas. Free to explore and visualize, this dataset provides an invaluable resource for businesses and researchers looking to understand demographic patterns and optimize their location-based strategies.

By creating an account, you gain access to advanced tools for leveraging this data in geomarketing applications. Perfect for OOH advertising, retail planning, and more, our platform allows you to integrate population insights with your business intelligence, enabling you to make data-driven decisions for your marketing and expansion strategies.

In 2022, El Salvador had the highest population density in Central America, with over 300 people per square kilometer. The second place was Guatemala, slightly over half the density in El Salvador. In 2022, Guatemala ranked as the most populated country in the region, with over 18 million inhabitants.

As of 2024, Barbados was the most densely populated country in Latin America and the Caribbean, with approximately 652 people per square kilometer. In that same year, Argentina's population density was estimated at approximately 16.7 people per square kilometer.

This map shows density surfaces derived from the 2010 US Census block points.This data shows % of people who identified themselves as single race and whiteThe block points were interpolated using the density function to a 2km x 2km grid of the continental US (with water and coastal data masks). There are many stories in these Maps:- What is that clean North/South Line through the center? Why do so many people live East of that line?- Notice the paths of the towns in the west – why are they so linear? And it seems there is a pattern to the spaces between the towns, why?- Looking at the ethnic maps, what explains the patterns? Look at the % Native American map – what are the areas of higher values? (note I did not make a % Asian map as at this scale there was not enough % to show any significant clusters.)

Historical chart and dataset showing North America population density by year from 1961 to 2022.

As of 2021, Ecuador had a population density of 72 people per squared kilometer, the highest in South America. Colombia ranked second, with 42 people per km2 of land area. When it comes to total population in South America, Brazil had the largest number, with over 216 million inhabitants.

This map shows population density of the United States. Areas in darker magenta have much higher population per square mile than areas in orange or yellow. Data is from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics. The map's layers contain total population counts by sex, age, and race groups for Nation, State, County, Census Tract, and Block Group in the United States and Puerto Rico. From the Census:"Population density allows for broad comparison of settlement intensity across geographic areas. In the U.S., population density is typically expressed as the number of people per square mile of land area. The U.S. value is calculated by dividing the total U.S. population (316 million in 2013) by the total U.S. land area (3.5 million square miles).When comparing population density values for different geographic areas, then, it is helpful to keep in mind that the values are most useful for small areas, such as neighborhoods. For larger areas (especially at the state or country scale), overall population density values are less likely to provide a meaningful measure of the density levels at which people actually live, but can be useful for comparing settlement intensity across geographies of similar scale." SourceAbout the dataYou can use this map as is and you can also modify it to use other attributes included in its layers. This map's layers contain total population counts by sex, age, and race groups data from the 2020 Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics. This is shown by Nation, State, County, Census Tract, Block Group boundaries. Each geography layer contains a common set of Census counts based on available attributes from the U.S. Census Bureau. There are also additional calculated attributes related to this topic, which can be mapped or used within analysis.Vintage of boundaries and attributes: 2020 Demographic and Housing Characteristics Table(s): P1, H1, H3, P2, P3, P5, P12, P13, P17, PCT12 (Not all lines of these DHC tables are available in this feature layer.)Data downloaded from: U.S. Census Bureau’s data.census.gov siteDate the Data was Downloaded: May 25, 2023Geography Levels included: Nation, State, County, Census Tract, Block GroupNational Figures: included in Nation layer The United States Census Bureau Demographic and Housing Characteristics: 2020 Census Results 2020 Census Data Quality Geography & 2020 Census Technical Documentation Data Table Guide: includes the final list of tables, lowest level of geography by table and table shells for the Demographic Profile and Demographic and Housing Characteristics.News & Updates This map is ready to be used in ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online and its configurable apps, Story Maps, dashboards, Notebooks, Python, custom apps, and mobile apps. Data can also be exported for offline workflows. Please cite the U.S. Census Bureau when using this data. Data Processing Notes: These 2020 Census boundaries come from the US Census TIGER geodatabases. These are Census boundaries with water and/or coastlines erased for cartographic and mapping purposes. For Census tracts and block groups, the water cutouts are derived from a subset of the 2020 Areal Hydrography boundaries offered by TIGER. Water bodies and rivers which are 50 million square meters or larger (mid to large sized water bodies) are erased from the tract and block group boundaries, as well as additional important features. For state and county boundaries, the water and coastlines are derived from the coastlines of the 2020 500k TIGER Cartographic Boundary Shapefiles. These are erased to more accurately portray the coastlines and Great Lakes. The original AWATER and ALAND fields are unchanged and available as attributes within the data table (units are square meters).  The layer contains all US states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. Census tracts with no population that occur in areas of water, such as oceans, are removed from this data service (Census Tracts beginning with 99). Block groups that fall within the same criteria (Block Group denoted as 0 with no area land) have also been removed.Percentages and derived counts, are calculated values (that can be identified by the "_calc_" stub in the field name). Field alias names were created based on the Table Shells file available from the Data Table Guide for the Demographic Profile and Demographic and Housing Characteristics. Not all lines of all tables listed above are included in this layer. Duplicative counts were dropped. For example, P0030001 was dropped, as it is duplicative of P0010001.To protect the privacy and confidentiality of respondents, their data has been protected using differential privacy techniques by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Urban and regional planners rely on Average Household Size as a foundational indicator for many of their models, calculations, and plans. Average household size (also known as "people per household") is a reflection of many dynamics at play, for example:Age of the population, as many older people tend to live in smaller households (one-person or two-person households)Housing prices in the area, proximity to colleges and universities, and how likely people are to live with roommatesFamily norms and traditions (e.g., multigenerational families are more common in some areas and with some population groups)This feature layer contains the Average Household Size and Population Density for states, counties, and tracts. Data from U.S. Census Bureau's 2014-2018 American Community Survey's 5-year estimates, Tables B25010 and B01001. Population Density was calculated based on the total population and area of land fields, which both came from the U.S. Census Bureau. See the field description for the formula used.This layer is symbolized to show the average household size. Population density, as well as average household size breakdown by housing tenure is presented in the pop-up. Click the Data tab -> Fields list to see all available attributes and their definitions.

Population density (people per sq. km of land area) in United States was reported at 36.43 sq. Km in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. United States - Population density (people per sq. km) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

This data set represents 1990 population density by block group as a 100-m grid using data from the 1990 Census of Population and Housing (Public Law 94-171 redistricting data). Grid cell values represent population density in people per square kilometer multiplied by 10 so that the data could be stored as integer.