The most densely populated counties in the United States
New York County, New York 73,478 per sq mi
Which US county is the most densely populated?
What this list shows
- 3,144 of the 3,144 US counties and county-equivalents have a published figure for population density.
- Virginia accounts for 26 of the top 100, ahead of New York with 9 and New Jersey with 8.
- The top 100 is not made up only of counties. It includes 1 county-equivalent, 26 independent cities, 1 planning region, and 1 parish. County-equivalents are ranked alongside counties here, and the type column says which is which.
The top 100
| Rank | County | State | Type | Density |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York County | New York | County | 73,478 per sq mi |
| 2 | Kings County | New York | County | 38,254 per sq mi |
| 3 | Bronx County | New York | County | 33,325 per sq mi |
| 4 | Queens County | New York | County | 21,690 per sq mi |
| 5 | San Francisco County | California | County | 17,695 per sq mi |
| 6 | Hudson County | New Jersey | County | 15,912 per sq mi |
| 7 | Suffolk County | Massachusetts | County | 13,593 per sq mi |
| 8 | Philadelphia County | Pennsylvania | County | 11,720 per sq mi |
| 9 | District of Columbia | District of Columbia | County-equivalent | 11,348 per sq mi |
| 10 | Alexandria city | Virginia | Independent city | 10,757 per sq mi |
| 11 | Arlington County | Virginia | County | 9,383 per sq mi |
| 12 | Richmond County | New York | County | 8,715 per sq mi |
| 13 | Falls Church city | Virginia | Independent city | 7,409 per sq mi |
| 14 | Essex County | New Jersey | County | 7,109 per sq mi |
| 15 | Baltimore city | Maryland | Independent city | 7,042 per sq mi |
| 16 | Union County | New Jersey | County | 5,857 per sq mi |
| 17 | Cook County | Illinois | County | 5,497 per sq mi |
| 18 | Manassas Park city | Virginia | Independent city | 5,474 per sq mi |
| 19 | Nassau County | New York | County | 4,916 per sq mi |
| 20 | Denver County | Colorado | County | 4,838 per sq mi |
| 21 | St. Louis city | Missouri | Independent city | 4,507 per sq mi |
| 22 | Manassas city | Virginia | Independent city | 4,504 per sq mi |
| 23 | Norfolk city | Virginia | Independent city | 4,336 per sq mi |
| 24 | Charlottesville city | Virginia | Independent city | 4,333 per sq mi |
| 25 | Fairfax city | Virginia | Independent city | 4,290 per sq mi |
| 26 | Bergen County | New Jersey | County | 4,197 per sq mi |
| 27 | Orange County | California | County | 3,970 per sq mi |
| 28 | Richmond city | Virginia | Independent city | 3,959 per sq mi |
| 29 | Milwaukee County | Wisconsin | County | 3,828 per sq mi |
| 30 | Ramsey County | Minnesota | County | 3,557 per sq mi |
| 31 | Pinellas County | Florida | County | 3,465 per sq mi |
| 32 | Delaware County | Pennsylvania | County | 3,161 per sq mi |
| 33 | Lexington city | Virginia | Independent city | 3,109 per sq mi |
| 34 | Winchester city | Virginia | Independent city | 3,075 per sq mi |
| 35 | Dallas County | Texas | County | 3,048 per sq mi |
| 36 | Fairfax County | Virginia | County | 2,987 per sq mi |
| 37 | Harris County | Texas | County | 2,955 per sq mi |
| 38 | Harrisonburg city | Virginia | Independent city | 2,933 per sq mi |
| 39 | Fredericksburg city | Virginia | Independent city | 2,908 per sq mi |
| 40 | Portsmouth city | Virginia | Independent city | 2,906 per sq mi |
| 41 | DeKalb County | Georgia | County | 2,893 per sq mi |
| 42 | Wayne County | Michigan | County | 2,891 per sq mi |
| 43 | Middlesex County | New Jersey | County | 2,856 per sq mi |
| 44 | Passaic County | New Jersey | County | 2,856 per sq mi |
| 45 | DuPage County | Illinois | County | 2,849 per sq mi |
| 46 | Cuyahoga County | Ohio | County | 2,696 per sq mi |
| 47 | Hampton city | Virginia | Independent city | 2,668 per sq mi |
| 48 | Newport News city | Virginia | Independent city | 2,656 per sq mi |
| 49 | Tarrant County | Texas | County | 2,598 per sq mi |
| 50 | Franklin County | Ohio | County | 2,557 per sq mi |
| 51 | Marion County | Indiana | County | 2,506 per sq mi |
| 52 | Colonial Heights city | Virginia | Independent city | 2,492 per sq mi |
| 53 | Camden County | New Jersey | County | 2,420 per sq mi |
| 54 | Greater Bridgeport Planning Region | Connecticut | Planning Region | 2,409 per sq mi |
| 55 | Broomfield County | Colorado | County | 2,402 per sq mi |
| 56 | Los Angeles County | California | County | 2,388 per sq mi |
| 57 | Gwinnett County | Georgia | County | 2,361 per sq mi |
| 58 | Westchester County | New York | County | 2,358 per sq mi |
| 59 | Mecklenburg County | North Carolina | County | 2,356 per sq mi |
| 60 | Cobb County | Georgia | County | 2,335 per sq mi |
| 61 | Roanoke city | Virginia | Independent city | 2,331 per sq mi |
| 62 | Hennepin County | Minnesota | County | 2,319 per sq mi |
| 63 | Hopewell city | Virginia | Independent city | 2,247 per sq mi |
| 64 | Alameda County | California | County | 2,219 per sq mi |
| 65 | Montgomery County | Maryland | County | 2,179 per sq mi |
| 66 | Orleans Parish | Louisiana | Parish | 2,136 per sq mi |
| 67 | Clayton County | Georgia | County | 2,099 per sq mi |
| 68 | Jefferson County | Kentucky | County | 2,088 per sq mi |
| 69 | Fulton County | Georgia | County | 2,086 per sq mi |
| 70 | Bristol County | Rhode Island | County | 2,072 per sq mi |
| 71 | Hamilton County | Ohio | County | 2,068 per sq mi |
| 72 | Rockland County | New York | County | 2,058 per sq mi |
| 73 | Middlesex County | Massachusetts | County | 2,042 per sq mi |
| 74 | Prince George's County | Maryland | County | 2,011 per sq mi |
| 75 | St. Louis County | Missouri | County | 1,949 per sq mi |
| 76 | Norfolk County | Massachusetts | County | 1,868 per sq mi |
| 77 | Douglas County | Nebraska | County | 1,857 per sq mi |
| 78 | Virginia Beach city | Virginia | Independent city | 1,854 per sq mi |
| 79 | Macomb County | Michigan | County | 1,849 per sq mi |
| 80 | Multnomah County | Oregon | County | 1,845 per sq mi |
| 81 | Montgomery County | Pennsylvania | County | 1,817 per sq mi |
| 82 | Radford city | Virginia | Independent city | 1,782 per sq mi |
| 83 | Mercer County | New Jersey | County | 1,779 per sq mi |
| 84 | Salem city | Virginia | Independent city | 1,778 per sq mi |
| 85 | Williamsburg city | Virginia | Independent city | 1,775 per sq mi |
| 86 | Bexar County | Texas | County | 1,741 per sq mi |
| 87 | Suffolk County | New York | County | 1,697 per sq mi |
| 88 | Orange County | Florida | County | 1,692 per sq mi |
| 89 | Essex County | Massachusetts | County | 1,678 per sq mi |
| 90 | Allegheny County | Pennsylvania | County | 1,678 per sq mi |
| 91 | Sacramento County | California | County | 1,677 per sq mi |
| 92 | Broward County | Florida | County | 1,674 per sq mi |
| 93 | Lynchburg city | Virginia | Independent city | 1,663 per sq mi |
| 94 | San Mateo County | California | County | 1,658 per sq mi |
| 95 | Providence County | Rhode Island | County | 1,656 per sq mi |
| 96 | Honolulu County | Hawaii | County | 1,646 per sq mi |
| 97 | Contra Costa County | California | County | 1,632 per sq mi |
| 98 | Salt Lake County | Utah | County | 1,622 per sq mi |
| 99 | Lake County | Illinois | County | 1,621 per sq mi |
| 100 | Waynesboro city | Virginia | Independent city | 1,600 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
- The most populous counties in the United States
- The least populous counties in the United States
- The largest counties in the United States by land area
- The smallest counties in the United States by land area
- The least densely populated counties in the United States
- The fastest growing counties in the United States
- The fastest shrinking counties in the United States
- The highest median household income counties in the United States
- The lowest median household income counties in the United States
- The highest median home value counties in the United States
- The oldest counties in the United States by median age
Rebuilt from source data 30 August 2026. How these figures are produced.