The density of the population in the U.S., measured as the number of people per square mile, affects the way goods and people are transported. The newly released 2010 Census data show that, on a state by state basis, the District of Columbia has the most dense population, followed by New Jersey and Rhode Island. In the western states, the population is generally less dense, with the exceptions being California, Hawaii, and Washington. Every state except Michigan experienced increased population density from the 2000 Census to the 2010 Census.

U.S. Population Density by State, 2010 (people per square mile)

 

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Note: Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, was excluded from this analysis.

Supporting Information

U.S. Population, Population Density, and Rank by State, 2010
State Population Population Density
(People per Square Mile)
Population Density Rank
District of Columbia 601,723 9,856.5 1
New Jersey 8,791,894 1,195.5 2
Rhode Island 1,052,567 1,018.1 3
Massachusetts 6,547,629 839.4 4
Connecticut 3,574,097 738.1 5
Maryland 5,773,552 594.8 6
Delaware 897,934 460.8 7
New York 19,378,102 411.2 8
Florida 18,801,310 350.6 9
Pennsylvania 12,702,379 283.9 10
Ohio 11,536,504 282.3 11
California 37,253,956 239.1 12
Illinois 12,830,632 231.1 13
Hawaii 1,360,301 211.8 14
Virginia 8,001,024 202.6 15
North Carolina 9,535,483 196.1 16
Indiana 6,483,802 181.0 17
Michigan 9,883,640 174.8 18
Georgia 9,687,653 168.4 19
Tennessee 6,346,105 153.9 20
South Carolina 4,625,364 153.9 21
New Hampshire 1,316,470 147.0 22
Kentucky 4,339,367 109.9 23
Wisconsin 5,686,986 105.0 24
Louisiana 4,533,372 104.9 25
Washington 6,724,540 101.2 26
Texas 25,145,561 96.3 27
Alabama 4,779,736 94.4 28
Missouri 5,988,927 87.1 29
West Virginia 1,852,994 77.1 30
Vermont 625,741 67.9 31
Minnesota 5,303,925 66.6 32
Mississippi 2,967,297 63.2 33
Arizona 6,392,017 56.3 34
Arkansas 2,915,918 56.0 35
Oklahoma 3,751,351 54.7 36
Iowa 3,046,355 54.5 37
Colorado 5,029,196 48.5 38
Maine 1,328,361 43.1 39
Oregon 3,831,074 39.9 40
Kansas 2,853,118 34.9 41
Utah 2,763,885 33.6 42
Nevada 2,700,551 24.6 43
Nebraska 1,826,341 23.8 44
Idaho 1,567,582 19.0 45
New Mexico 2,059,179 17.0 46
South Dakota 814,180 10.7 47
North Dakota 672,591 9.7 48
Montana 989,415 6.8 49
Wyoming 563,626 5.8 50
Alaska 710,231 1.2 51
United States 308,745,538 87.4  

Note: Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, was excluded from this analysis.
Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census

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