US states by population density, 2025

Name: US states by population density, 2025
Creator: U.S. Census Bureau
License: Public domain (US federal government work, citation requested)

District of Columbia had the highest population density of 51 states in 2025, at 4,381.3 inhabitants per km². Alaska had the lowest, at 0.5 inhabitants per km². The median was 42.6 inhabitants per km² and the figure for the United States was 37.3 inhabitants per km². Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest4,381.3District of Columbia

Lowest0.5Alaska

Median42.651 states

United States37.3History

All states, 2025

CSV Chart (SVG)

inhabitants per km². Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Full ranking

Rank	States	2025 inhabitants per km²	Change on 2024
1	District of Columbia	4,381.3	+0.3%
2	New Jersey	501.2	+0.4%
3	Rhode Island	416.2	+0.4%
4	Massachusetts	354.1	+0.2%
5	Connecticut	294.1	+0.4%
6	Maryland	249.1	+0.3%
7	Delaware	210	+0.9%
8	Florida	168.8	+0.8%
9	New York	163.9	0%
10	Pennsylvania	112.7	+0.1%
11	Ohio	112.5	+0.3%
12	California	97.5	-0%
13	North Carolina	88.9	+1.3%
14	Illinois	88.5	+0.1%
15	Virginia	86.8	+0.7%
16	Hawaii	86.1	-0.1%
17	Georgia	75.6	+0.9%
18	Indiana	75.2	+0.6%
19	South Carolina	71.5	+1.5%
20	Michigan	69.1	+0.3%
21	Tennessee	68.5	+0.9%
22	New Hampshire	61	+0.5%
23	Texas	46.9	+1.2%
24	Washington	46.5	+0.9%
25	Kentucky	45	+0.5%
26	Wisconsin	42.6	+0.3%
27	Louisiana	41.3	+0.1%
28	Alabama	39.6	+0.6%
29	Missouri	35.2	+0.4%
30	West Virginia	28.4	-0.1%
31	Minnesota	28.3	+0.6%
32	Vermont	27	-0.3%
33	Arizona	25.9	+0.9%
34	Mississippi	24.3	+0.1%
35	Oklahoma	23.2	+0.6%
36	Arkansas	23.1	+0.6%
37	Colorado	22.4	+0.4%
38	Iowa	22.4	+0.2%
39	Maine	17.7	+0.5%
40	Oregon	17.2	+0.2%
41	Utah	16.5	+1%
42	Kansas	14.1	+0.4%
43	Nevada	11.5	+0.9%
44	Nebraska	10.1	+0.6%
45	Idaho	9.5	+1.4%
46	New Mexico	6.8	-0.1%
47	South Dakota	4.8	+0.9%
48	North Dakota	4.5	+0.7%
49	Montana	3	+0.6%
50	Wyoming	2.3	+0.3%
51	Alaska	0.5	0%

Other periods

About this ranking

Resident population divided by land area in km². World Bank figures use mid-year population and land area excluding inland water.

United States: Census Bureau population estimates for 1 July divided by land area (water excluded) from the latest Census Gazetteer files. US tables often give people per square mile; multiply persons per km² by 2.59 to compare.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the states are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Population Estimates Program resident population on 1 July divided by land area from the latest Census Gazetteer files, persons per km². https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

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Questions

Which state has the highest population density?

District of Columbia, with 4,381.3 inhabitants per km² in 2025, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest population density?

Alaska, with 0.5 inhabitants per km² in 2025.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program resident population on 1 July divided by land area from the latest Census Gazetteer files, persons per km². Retrieved 2026-10-09.