County statistics of the United States

In 45 of the 50 states of the United States, the county is used for the level of local government immediately below the state itself. Louisiana uses parishes, and Alaska uses boroughs. In Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, some or all counties within states have no governments of their own; the counties continue to exist as legal entities, however, and are used by states for some administrative functions and by the United States Census bureau for statistical analysis. There are 3,242 counties and county equivalent administrative units in total, including the District of Columbia and 100 county-equivalents in the U.S. territories.
There are 41 independent cities in the United States. In Virginia, any municipality that is incorporated as a city legally becomes independent of any county. Where indicated, the statistics below do not include Virginia's 38 independent cities.
In Alaska, most of the land area of the state has no county-level government. Those parts of the state are divided by the United States Census Bureau into census areas, which are not the same as boroughs. The state's largest statistical division by area is the Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area, which is larger than any of the state's boroughs. Although Anchorage is called a municipality, it is considered a consolidated city and borough.
There are 100 county-equivalents in the territories of the United States: they are the 3 districts and 2 atolls of American Samoa, all of Guam, the 4 municipalities in the Northern Mariana Islands, the 78 municipalities of Puerto Rico, the 3 main islands of the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the 9 islands in the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands. All of these territorial county-equivalents are defined by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Count

This is the number of counties and county-equivalents for each state, the District of Columbia, the 5 inhabited territories of the United States, and the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands.
Lists of counties and county equivalents by number per political division:

Count

State,
federal district
or territory

Notes

254

Population

Nationwide population extremes

These rankings include county equivalents.

The following is a list of the least populous counties and county-equivalents in all U.S. territory. Note that the only entity on this list with a permanent human population is Swains Island, American Samoa. The first 8 counties are uninhabited, while the 10th on the list has a small non-permanent human population whose maximum capacity is 20 people.

Rank	County	Population
1	Baker Island, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands	0
2	Howland Island, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands	0
3	Jarvis Island, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands	0
4	Johnston Atoll, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands	0
5	Kingman Reef, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands	0
6	Navassa Island, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands	0
7	Northern Islands Municipality, Northern Mariana Islands	0
8	Rose Atoll, American Samoa	0
9	Swains Island, American Samoa	0
10	Palmyra Atoll, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands	20

Population per state or territory

State,
federal district,
or territory

Least populous

Population

Most populous

Population

Alabama

Area

Nationwide land area extremes

The largest counties and county-equivalents are organized boroughs and the census areas of Alaska with the top two being Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area and North Slope Borough. The smallest counties and county equivalents are the independent cities of Virginia with the extreme being Falls Church at. If the U.S. territories are included, the smallest county-equivalent is Kingman Reef, with a land area of.
The following two tables exclude county-equivalents:

Rank	County	Land area	Land area
1	San Bernardino County, California	20,056.94	51,947.24
2	Coconino County, Arizona	18,618.89	48,222.70
3	Nye County, Nevada	18,181.92	47,090.96
4	Elko County, Nevada	17,169.83	44,469.66
5	Mohave County, Arizona	13,311.08	34,475.54
6	Apache County, Arizona	11,197.52	29,001.44
7	Lincoln County, Nevada	10,633.20	27,539.86
8	Sweetwater County, Wyoming	10,426.65	27,004.90
9	Inyo County, California	10,180.88	26,368.36
10	Harney County, Oregon	10,133.17	26,244.79

The following two tables include county-equivalents:

Rank	County	Land area	Land area
1	Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska	145,899.69	377,868.5
2	North Slope Borough, Alaska	88.817.12	230,035.3
3	Bethel Census Area, Alaska	40.633.31	105,239.8
4	Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska	35,898.34	92,976.3
5	Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska	24,814.86	64,270.2
6	Copper River Census Area, Alaska	24,692.00	63,951.98
7	Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska	24,681.54	63,924.9
8	Lake and Peninsula Borough, Alaska	23,781.96	61,595.0
9	Nome Census Area, Alaska	23,000.91	59,572
10	San Bernardino County, California	20,052.5	51,936

Rank	County	Land area	Land area
1	Independent City of Falls Church, Virginia	2.1	5.4
2	Independent City of Lexington, Virginia	2.5	6.5
3	Independent City of Manassas Park, Virginia	2.5	6.5
4	Independent City of Covington, Virginia	4	10
5	Independent City of Fairfax, Virginia	6	16
6	Independent City of Buena Vista, Virginia	7	18
7	Independent City of Emporia, Virginia	7	18
8	Independent City of Norton, Virginia	7	18
9	Independent City of Colonial Heights, Virginia	8	21
10	Independent City of Franklin, Virginia	8	21
11	Independent City of Galax, Virginia	8	21

Largest county or county-equivalent: Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska
Largest true county: San Bernardino County, California
Smallest county or county-equivalent: Kingman Reef, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands
Smallest county or county-equivalent in the 50 states: Independent City of Falls Church, Virginia
Smallest true county: Kalawao County, Hawaii

Smallest, largest, and average area per state and territory

The following is a list of civil right appeal of jury appeal of judge counties and county-equivalents showing the average size of each state/territory's counties, the smallest county in each state/territory, and the largest county in each state/territory. States/territories on the list are arranged by the average land area of their counties. Though not on the list, the North Slope Borough is the largest independently incorporated county equivalent. The Unorganized Borough is substantially larger, but is an extension of the State of Alaska government and not independently incorporated.
Also note that the smallest land area with county-level governance in the U.S. is Falls Church, Virginia, but it is an independent city and not a county or part of one. Kingman Reef is the smallest county-equivalent in all U.S. territory. Kalawao County, Hawaii is the smallest true county by land area.

State
federal district
or territory

Avg. county land area, sq. mi.

Smallest county

Area, sq. mi.

Largest county

area, sq. mi.

The 50 states & D.C.

Independent City of Falls Church, Virginia

Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska

The 50 states, D.C.
& U.S. territories

Kingman Reef, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands

Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska

Alaskaconvert|8,545.7|sqmi|km2|abbr=valuesconvert|452.3|sqmi|km2|abbr=valuesconvert|145,505|sqmi|km2|abbr=values

Population density

Most densely populated

Data presented below is based on U.S. Census department data from 2010. Calculations are made by dividing the population by the land area. All county equivalents are included. This list includes the 50 most densely populated counties and county-equivalents in the 50 states and District of Columbia, plus the 9 highest-density municipalities of Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is the only U.S. territory with population densities high enough to be on this list. Note that many of these high-density counties are coterminous with large cities or are independent cities in Virginia which are considered county-equivalents.

Rank	County name	Principal cities	Pop/sq mi	Pop/km²
1	New York County, New York	Manhattan, New York City	69,468	26,822
2	Kings County, New York	Brooklyn, New York City	35,369	13,656
3	Bronx County, New York	The Bronx, New York City	32,903	12,704
4	Queens County, New York	Queens, New York City	20,554	7,936
5	City and County of San Francisco, California	San Francisco	17,179	6,633
6	Hudson County, New Jersey	Hoboken, Jersey City	13,732	5,302
7	Suffolk County, Massachusetts	Boston	12,417	4,794
8	Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania	Philadelphia	11,379	4,394
9	Washington, District of Columbia		9,857	3,806
10	Alexandria, Virginia		9,314	3,596
11	Arlington County, Virginia	Arlington	8,853	3,520
12	San Juan Municipality, Puerto Rico		8,262	3,190
13	Richmond County, New York	Staten Island, New York City	8,030	3,101
14	City of Baltimore, Maryland		7,672	2,962
15	Essex County, New Jersey	Newark	6,212	2,398
16	Falls Church, Virginia		6,170	2,382
17	Cataño Municipality, Puerto Rico		5,809	2,243
18	Manassas Park, Virginia		5,633	2,175
19	Cook County, Illinois	Chicago	5,495	2,122
20	Union County, New Jersey	Elizabeth	5,216	2,014
21	City of Saint Louis, Missouri		5,157	1,991
22	Nassau County, New York	Hempstead, western Long Island	4,705	1,817
23	Bayamón Municipality, Puerto Rico		4,695	1,813
24	Norfolk, Virginia		4,486	1,732
25	Charlottesville, Virginia		4,242	1,638
26	Milwaukee County, Wisconsin	Milwaukee	3,926	1,516
27	Denver County, Colorado	Denver	3,923	1,515
28	Carolina Municipality, Puerto Rico		3,900	1,506
29	Bergen County, New Jersey	Hackensack	3,884	1,500
30	Toa Baja Municipality, Puerto Rico		3,856	1,489
31	Manassas, Virginia		3,828	1,478
32	Orange County, California	Anaheim, Santa Ana, Irvine	3,808	1,470
33	Fairfax City, Virginia		3,617	1,396
34	Trujillo Alto Municipality, Puerto Rico		3,604	1,392
35	Guaynabo Municipality, Puerto Rico		3,551	1,371
36	Richmond, Virginia		3,415	1,318
37	Pinellas County, Florida	St. Petersburg	3,348	1,292
38	Ramsey County, Minnesota	St. Paul	3,342	1,290
39	Delaware County, Pennsylvania	Southwest Philadelphia suburbs	3,039	1,173
40	Wayne County, Michigan	Detroit	2,974	1,148
41	Portsmouth, Virginia		2,839	1,096
42	Winchester, Virginia		2,838	1,096
43	Lexington, Virginia		2,820	1,089
44	Harrisonburg, Virginia		2,808	1,084
45	Cuyahoga County, Ohio	Cleveland	2,800	1,081
46	DuPage County, Illinois	Western Chicago suburbs	2,800	1,081
47	Fairfax County, Virginia	Washington, D.C. suburbs	2,767	1,068
48	Toa Alta Municipality, Puerto Rico		2,742	1,058
49	Dallas County, Texas	Dallas	2,718	1,049
50	Passaic County, New Jersey	Paterson	2,715	1,048
51	Hampton, Virginia		2,674	1,032
52	Newport News, Virginia		2,634	1,017
53	Middlesex County, New Jersey	New Brunswick, Edison	2,622	1,012
54	DeKalb County, Georgia	Atlanta suburbs and small part of Atlanta	2,586	998
55	Caguas Municipality, Puerto Rico		2,439	942
56	Los Angeles County, California	Los Angeles	2,420	934
57	Harris County, Texas	Houston	2,402	928
58	Fredericksburg, Virginia		2,326	898
59	Camden County, New Jersey	Camden	2,322	896

Least densely populated

This list was generated by dividing the population by the land area. All county equivalents are included. The list is dominated by just a few states: Alaska, Montana, and Texas together comprise about two-thirds of the entries. The Unorganized Borough is not included here as a unit, but its census areas are. If the census areas were removed from the list, the Unorganized Borough would rank fourteenth with a density of.
The 8 uninhabited county-equivalents in the U.S. territories are listed at the top of the table — these are technically the least-densely populated counties/county-equivalents in the United States, but since they have no people, they are listed unranked.

Rank	County name	Pop/sq mi	Pop/km²
—	Baker Island, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands	0	0
—	Howland Island, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands	0	0
—	Jarvis Island, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands	0	0
—	Johnston Atoll, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands	0	0
—	Kingman Reef, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands	0	0
—	Navassa Island, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands	0	0
—	Northern Islands Municipality, Northern Mariana Islands	0	0
—	Rose Atoll, American Samoa	0	0
1	Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska	0.03	0.01
2	Lake and Peninsula Borough, Alaska	0.06	0.02
3	Yakutat Borough, Alaska	0.08	0.03
4	North Slope Borough, Alaska	0.10	0.04
5	Loving County, Texas	0.12	0.04
6	Denali Borough, Alaska	0.14	0.05
7	Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska	0.21	0.08
8	Esmeralda County, Nevada	0.21	0.08
9	Garfield County, Montana	0.25	0.10
10	Dillingham Census Area, Alaska	0.26	0.10
11	Valdez-Cordova Census Area, Alaska	0.28	0.10
12	Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska	0.28	0.11
13	Kenedy County, Texas	0.28	0.11
14	Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, Alaska	0.28	0.11
15	Petroleum County, Montana	0.29	0.11
16	King County, Texas	0.31	0.12
17	Harding County, New Mexico	0.32	0.12
18	Carter County, Montana	0.34	0.13
19	Nome Census Area, Alaska	0.41	0.16
20	Terrell County, Texas	0.41	0.16
21	Bethel Census Area, Alaska	0.41	0.16
22	Kusilvak Census Area, Alaska	0.43	0.16
23	Aleutians East Borough, Alaska	0.45	0.17
24	Harding County, South Dakota	0.47	0.18
25	Eureka County, Nevada	0.47	0.18
26	Lincoln County, Nevada	0.50	0.19
27	Powder River County, Montana	0.52	0.20
28	Catron County, New Mexico	0.53	0.20
29	Clark County, Idaho	0.55	0.21
30	Slope County, North Dakota	0.59	0.23
31	McMullen County, Texas	0.62	0.24
32	McPherson County, Nebraska	0.62	0.24
33	Culberson County, Texas	0.62	0.24
34	Sioux County, Nebraska	0.63	0.24
35	Arthur County, Nebraska	0.64	0.24
36	McCone County, Montana	0.65	0.25
37	Blaine County, Nebraska	0.67	0.26
38	Prairie County, Montana	0.67	0.26
39	Billings County, North Dakota	0.68	0.26
40	Borden County, Texas	0.71	0.27
41	Harney County, Oregon	0.73	0.28
42	Treasure County, Montana	0.73	0.28
43	Golden Valley County, Montana	0.75	0.29
44	Hinsdale County, Colorado	0.75	0.29
45	Hudspeth County, Texas	0.76	0.29
46	Meagher County, Montana	0.79	0.30
47	Kiowa County, Colorado	0.79	0.30
48	Grant County, Nebraska	0.79	0.30
49	Mineral County, Colorado	0.81	0.31
50	Phillips County, Montana	0.82	0.31

Population density per state and territory

Data presented below is based on U.S. Census Bureau data from 2010. Calculations are made by dividing the population by the land area. All county equivalents are included.
Excluding the census areas of Alaska, Lake and Peninsula Borough is the least densely populated county equivalent with.
The District of Columbia and Guam each only have one county-equivalent, so their most/least densely populated county is the same.

State federal district or territory	Least densely populated county	Population density	Most densely populated county	Population density
Alabamaconvert\|13.13\|/sqmi\|/km2\|abbr=onconvert\|592.53\|/sqmi\|/km2\|abbr=on Books 1 Wuthering Heights 118,587 2 Tales of Dunk and Egg 23,854 3 Project Hail Mary 12,936 4 Lord of the Flies 11,294 5 A Song of Ice and Fire 10,337 6 The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao 10,100 7 Nobody's Girl (memoir) 7,986 8 Hamlet 7,026 9 Frankenstein 6,782 10 Dungeon Crawler Carl 6,600 Films 1 Wuthering Heights (2026 film) 95,843 2 Marty Supreme 50,577 3 The Housemaid (2025 film) 49,096 4 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple 48,316 5 Dhurandhar 45,834 6 One Battle After Another 33,762 7 Goat (2026 film) 33,528 8 XXX (2002 film) 29,905 9 Psycho Killer (film) 29,842 10 Toy Story 5 27,866 Programming Languages 1 C (programming language) 3,639 2 Python (programming language) 3,490 3 C++ 1,676 4 JavaScript 1,631 5 Rust (programming language) 1,504 6 Go (programming language) 1,434 7 R (programming language) 1,421 8 Scratch (programming language) 1,374 9 Java (programming language) 1,333 10 Assembly language 899 TV Series 1 A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (TV series) 104,072 2 The Night Agent 73,897 3 Love Story (2026 TV series) 64,192 4 Famous Last Words (TV series) 64,170 5 America's Next Top Model 53,934 6 The Pitt 44,764 7 Heated Rivalry 36,398 8 Euphoria (American TV series) 33,909 9 How to Get to Heaven from Belfast 33,789 10 Grey's Anatomy 32,330 Video Games 1 Ecco the Dolphin (video game) 39,935 2 Wordle 26,024 3 Poppy Playtime 18,118 4 Resident Evil Requiem 15,300 5 Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen 13,433 6 Roblox 12,144 7 Minecraft 10,844 8 Grand Theft Auto V 9,575 9 Reanimal 9,006 10 Pokémon (video game series) 8,881 © 2026 OWIKI.org. Content is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Status: ONLINE Version: 1.05