Nearly half of America is almost empty

Every county below with fewer than 10 people per square mile — about the density of one house every 60 acres — is shaded in.

46.2%

of the country's land area has fewer than 10 people per square mile

1.3%

of the population lives in that same area

Fewer than 10 people / sq mi (579 counties)

10 or more people / sq mi

Almost half the map, barely anyone on it. Population feels evenly spread when you picture "330 million Americans," but geographically it's the opposite of even — most of the country's land is nearly empty, and nearly everyone is clustered into a small fraction of it.

This threshold — 10 people per square mile — happens to be close to the historical U.S. Census Bureau definition of the "frontier line": the edge of unsettled territory in the 1800s. By that standard, a huge share of the country would still count as frontier today.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2023 Population Estimates (county totals) and 2023 Gazetteer Files (land area). County boundaries: US Census via us-atlas. 579 of 3,144 counties (Puerto Rico excluded — not covered by this population estimates release).