The chart above shows the population density of each urban area with a population of over 500,000. The urban areas have been normalized so as to avoid any inconsistencies with how cities and their metropolitan areas are defined by their governments. Each urban area has similar characteristics making this the definitive method with which to compare cities across various countries. Los Angeles has the largest population density in the US followed by San Francisco.
Findings
- The difference between the urban area with the greatest population density, Los Angeles, and the urban area with the least, Knoxville, is 4,706 people per square mile (1,817 people per square kilometer).
- Los Angeles has 4.69 times the population density that Knoxville does.
- The median population density of urban areas with a minimum population of 500,000 in the 50 US states is 2,253 people per square mile (870 people per square kilometer) and the mean 2,574.03 people per square mile (994 people per square kilometer).
Caveats
- Data is from 2020.
- The methodology for how these urban areas have been defined can be found in the source link below. As of this writing this is the most reliable way to compare urban areas throughout the world.
- Some of these urban areas span several states, and the state that is being used here is the one where the core of the urban area is located. For instance, New Jersey has parts of the New York City and Philadelphia urban area within it but both of those cores are located in the states of New York and Pennsylvania and are thus included in those states and not New Jersey.
- All figures are rounded to the nearest whole.
Details
Only 34 of the 50 US states and Washington DC have urban areas with at least 500,000 people. Of these, Florida and California have seven; Texas has six; Ohio has five; New York and Pennsylvania each have four; Tennessee has three; Arizona, Colorado, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Virginia each have two; and Alabama, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin each have one.
Two urban areas with a population of over 500,000 people have a population density of over 5,000 people per square mile (1,931 people per square kilometer). Four have a population density of less than 1,500 people per square mile (579 people per square kilometer).
Hawaii has the largest mean population density in its urban areas of over 500,000 people with a mean of 4,718 people per square mile (1,822 people per square kilometer) distributed among its one urban area. Nevada follows with 4,523 people per square mile (1,746 people per square kilometer) among its one urban area. They are followed by California (4,179 people per square mile), Oregon (4,628), Illinois (3,336), Washington DC (3,249), Colorado (3,230), Utah (3,083), New Mexico (2,917), New York (2,776), Arizona (2,729), Texas (2,713), Washington (2,707), Nebraska (2,675), Louisiana (2,489), Wisconsin (2,435), Minnesota (2,386), Virginia (2,313), Florida (2,311), Michigan (2,276), Iowa (2,239), Missouri (2,231), Kansas (2,200), Ohio (2,180), Indiana (2,071), Pennsylvania (2,040), Oklahoma (2,006), Kentucky (1,990), Massachusetts (1,831), Connecticut (1,762), Tennessee (1,701), South Carolina (1,659), Georgia (1,639), North Carolina (1,602), and Alabama (1,413).
Hawaii has the largest median population density in its urban areas of over 500,000 people with a median of 4,718 people per square mile (1,822 people per square kilometer) distributed among its one urban area. Nevada follows with 4,523 people per square mile (1,746 people per square kilometer) among its one urban area. They are followed by California (4,179), Oregon (3,439), Illinois (3,336), Washington DC (3,249), Colorado (3,230), Utah (3,083), New Mexico (2,917), Texas (2,713), Arizona (2,729), Washington (2,707), Nebraska (2,675), Louisiana (2,489), Wisconsin (2,435), Minnesota (2,386), New York (2,776), Virginia (2,313), Michigan (2,276), Iowa (2,239), Missouri (2,231), Kansas (2,200), Indiana (2,071), Ohio (2,180), Oklahoma (2,006), Kentucky (1,990), Florida (2,311), Pennsylvania (2,040), Massachusetts (1,831), Connecticut (1,762), Tennessee (1,701), South Carolina (1,659), Georgia (1,639), North Carolina (1,602), and Alabama (1,413).
Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Idaho, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming do not have any urban areas with a population of over 500,000 inhabitants.
Data
| State | Mean Density | Median Area | Number of Large Urban Areas |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 1,413 | 1,413 | 1,413 |
| Arizona | 5,458 | 2,729 | 2,729 |
| California | 29,252 | 4,179 | 3,830 |
| Colorado | 6,459 | 3,230 | 3,230 |
| Connecticut | 1,762 | 1,762 | 1,762 |
| Florida | 16,179 | 2,311 | 1,966 |
| Georgia | 1,639 | 1,639 | 1,639 |
| Hawaii | 4,718 | 4,718 | 4,718 |
| Illinois | 3,336 | 3,336 | 3,336 |
| Indiana | 2,071 | 2,071 | 2,071 |
| Iowa | 2,239 | 2,239 | 2,239 |
| Kansas | 2,200 | 2,200 | 2,200 |
| Kentucky | 1,990 | 1,990 | 1,990 |
| Louisiana | 4,977 | 2,488 | 2,488 |
| Massachusetts | 3,661 | 1,830 | 1,830 |
| Michigan | 4,552 | 2,276 | 2,276 |
| Minnesota | 2,386 | 2,386 | 2,386 |
| Missouri | 4,462 | 2,231 | 2,231 |
| Nebraska | 2,675 | 2,675 | 2,675 |
| Nevada | 4,523 | 4,523 | 4,523 |
| New Mexico | 2,917 | 2,917 | 2,917 |
| New York | 11,102 | 2,776 | 2,344 |
| North Carolina | 3,203 | 1,602 | 1,602 |
| Ohio | 10,898 | 2,180 | 2,063 |
| Oklahoma | 4,011 | 2,006 | 2,006 |
| Oregon | 3,439 | 3,439 | 3,439 |
| Pennsylvania | 8,158 | 2,040 | 1,902 |
| South Carolina | 3,317 | 1,658 | 1,658 |
| Tennessee | 5,103 | 1,701 | 1,675 |
| Texas | 16,278 | 2,713 | 2,778 |
| Utah | 3,083 | 3,083 | 3,083 |
| Virginia | 4,626 | 2,313 | 2,313 |
| Washington | 2,707 | 2,707 | 2,707 |
| Washington DC | 3,249 | 3,249 | 3,249 |
| Wisconsin | 2,435 | 2,435 | 2,435 |
Sources
Demographia. 2021. "Demographia World Urban Areas: 16th Annual Edition." Accessed March 9, 2021. http://demographia.com/db-worldua.pdf.