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.

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.

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;

Population density (people per sq. km of land area) in United States was reported at 36.82 sq. Km in 2023, 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 October of 2025.

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).

Population density for Maryland's jurisdictions relies on two different data sources from the U.S. Census Bureau: intercensal population data (2010-2020) and the Population Estimates Program (vintage series) for the 2020–2024 period. In both instances, the population is divided by the jurisdiction's total square miles. The vintage sources will be replaced annually with new releases.

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.

This dataset provides a detailed overview of the population statistics for each U.S. state for the years 2023 and 2024. It includes the population count, growth rate, percentage of the U.S. population, and population density per square mile.

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.

The population density in the United States was 36.43 people in 2022. In a steady upward trend, the population density rose by 16.37 people from 1961.

This layer presents population density data by county for states bordering the U.S. Gulf, sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics. Population density is displayed as the number of people per square kilometer. Broadly speaking, population density indicates how many people would inhabit one square kilometer if the population were evenly distributed across the area. However, population distribution is uneven. People tend to cluster in urban areas, while those in rural regions are spread out over a much more sparsely populated landscape. Population density is a crucial metric for understanding and managing human population dynamics and their effects on society and the environment. It helps assess various environmental challenges, including urban sprawl, pollution, habitat loss, and resource depletion. Coastal areas frequently experience high population density due to urbanization, influencing land use, housing, and infrastructure development. This density can also stimulate tourism and recreation, necessitating careful planning for facilities, transportation, and environmental protection. Additionally, coastal regions are more susceptible to natural disasters such as hurricanes and flooding, making population density data essential for developing effective evacuation plans and emergency services. Data: U.S. Census BureauDocumentation: U.S. Census Bureau This is a component of the Gulf Data Atlas (V2.0) for the Socioeconomic Conditions topic area.

Monaco led the ranking for countries with the highest population density in 2024, with nearly 26,000 residents per square kilometer. The Special Administrative Region of Macao came in second, followed by Singapore. The world’s second smallest country Monaco is the world’s second-smallest country, with an area of about two square kilometers and a population of only around 40,000. It is a constitutional monarchy located by the Mediterranean Sea, and while Monaco is not part of the European Union, it does participate in some EU policies. The country is perhaps most famous for the Monte Carlo casino and for hosting the Monaco Grand Prix, the world's most prestigious Formula One race. The global population Globally, the population density per square kilometer is about 60 inhabitants, and Asia is the most densely populated region in the world. The global population is increasing rapidly, so population density is only expected to increase. In 1950, for example, the global population stood at about 2.54 billion people, and it reached over eight billion during 2023.

Resident population density for Maryland and Jurisdictions per square mile from 2010 to 2017. Source: U.S. Bureau of Census

Table contains total population and population density summarized at county, city, zip code, and census tract level. Population density is defined as number of people residing per square mile of area. Data are presented for zip codes (ZCTAs) fully within the county. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2016-2020 American Community Survey 5-year estimates, Table B01001; data accessed on April 11, 2022 from https://api.census.gov. The 2020 Decennial geographies are used for data summarization.METADATA:notes (String): Lists table title, notes, sourcesgeolevel (String): Level of geographyGEOID (String): Geography IDNAME (String): Name of geographyt_pop (Numeric): Total populationpop_density (Numeric): Area in square milesarea (Numeric): Population density

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.

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

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.

As of 2025, Barbados was the most densely populated country in Latin America and the Caribbean, with approximately 657.16 people per square kilometer. In that same year, Argentina's population density was estimated at approximately 16.75 people per square kilometer.

This dataset contains human population density for the state of California and a small portion of western Nevada for the year 2000. The population density is based on US Census Bureau data and has a cell size of 990 meters.

The purpose of the dataset is to provide a consistent statewide human density GIS layer for display, analysis and modeling purposes.

The state of California, and a very small portion of western Nevada, was divided into pixels with a cell size 0.98 km2, or 990 meters on each side. For each pixel, the US Census Bureau data was clipped, the total human population was calculated, and that population was divided by the area to get human density (people/km2) for each pixel.

The data included in this publication depict components of wildfire risk specifically for populated areas in the United States. These datasets represent where people live in the United States and the in situ risk from wildfire, i.e., the risk at the location where the adverse effects take place.National wildfire hazard datasets of annual burn probability and fire intensity, generated by the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station and Pyrologix LLC, form the foundation of the Wildfire Risk to Communities data. Vegetation and wildland fuels data from LANDFIRE 2020 (version 2.2.0) were used as input to two different but related geospatial fire simulation systems. Annual burn probability was produced with the USFS geospatial fire simulator (FSim) at a relatively coarse cell size of 270 meters (m). To bring the burn probability raster data down to a finer resolution more useful for assessing hazard and risk to communities, we upsampled them to the native 30 m resolution of the LANDFIRE fuel and vegetation data. In this upsampling process, we also spread values of modeled burn probability into developed areas represented in LANDFIRE fuels data as non-burnable. Burn probability rasters represent landscape conditions as of the end of 2020. Fire intensity characteristics were modeled at 30 m resolution using a process that performs a comprehensive set of FlamMap runs spanning the full range of weather-related characteristics that occur during a fire season and then integrates those runs into a variety of results based on the likelihood of those weather types occurring. Before the fire intensity modeling, the LANDFIRE 2020 data were updated to reflect fuels disturbances occurring in 2021 and 2022. As such, the fire intensity datasets represent landscape conditions as of the end of 2022. The data products in this publication that represent where people live, reflect 2021 estimates of housing unit and population counts from the U.S. Census Bureau, combined with building footprint data from Onegeo and USA Structures, both reflecting 2022 conditions.The specific raster datasets included in this publication include:Building Count: Building Count is a 30-m raster representing the count of buildings in the building footprint dataset located within each 30-m pixel.Building Density: Building Density is a 30-m raster representing the density of buildings in the building footprint dataset (buildings per square kilometer [km²]).Building Coverage: Building Coverage is a 30-m raster depicting the percentage of habitable land area covered by building footprints.Population Count (PopCount): PopCount is a 30-m raster with pixel values representing residential population count (persons) in each pixel.Population Density (PopDen): PopDen is a 30-m raster of residential population density (people/km²).Housing Unit Count (HUCount): HUCount is a 30-m raster representing the number of housing units in each pixel.Housing Unit Density (HUDen): HUDen is a 30-m raster of housing-unit density (housing units/km²).Housing Unit Exposure (HUExposure): HUExposure is a 30-m raster that represents the expected number of housing units within a pixel potentially exposed to wildfire in a year. This is a long-term annual average and not intended to represent the actual number of housing units exposed in any specific year.Housing Unit Impact (HUImpact): HUImpact is a 30-m raster that represents the relative potential impact of fire to housing units at any pixel, if a fire were to occur. It is an index that incorporates the general consequences of fire on a home as a function of fire intensity and uses flame length probabilities from wildfire modeling to capture likely intensity of fire.Housing Unit Risk (HURisk): HURisk is a 30-m raster that integrates all four primary elements of wildfire risk - likelihood, intensity, susceptibility, and exposure - on pixels where housing unit density is greater than zero.Additional methodology documentation is provided with the data publication download. Metadata and Downloads: (https://www.fs.usda.gov/rds/archive/catalog/RDS-2020-0060-2).Note: Pixel values in this image service have been altered from the original raster dataset due to data requirements in web services. The service is intended primarily for data visualization. Relative values and spatial patterns have been largely preserved in the service, but users are encouraged to download the source data for quantitative analysis.