How crowded is a state? Total population does not tell you, because states have very different amounts of land. California has the most people, but it also has a lot of room.
Key idea
Population density = people ÷ land area. It tells how many people there are for each square mile. In 2020, New Jersey was the most crowded state (about 1,263 people per square mile) and Alaska the least (about 1.3).
Why it works
Density is a unit rate: the number of people for one square mile. Dividing by area makes states of different sizes fair to compare, the same way price per ounce lets you compare a small box and a big box of cereal.
Worked example: Find a density
Rhode Island had about 1,100,000 people on about 1,000 square miles of land. What was its density?
- Density = people ÷ land area.
- 1,100,000 ÷ 1,000 = 1,100.
- About 1,100 people per square mile.
Answer: About 1,100 people per square mile (the Census Bureau's exact figure is about 1,061).
Worked example: More people, less crowded
Texas had about 29,000,000 people on about 261,000 square miles. Is it more crowded than Rhode Island?
- 29,000,000 ÷ 261,000 ≈ 111 people per square mile.
- Rhode Island has about 1,061.
- Texas has far more people, but far more land, so it is less crowded.
Answer: No. Texas is about one tenth as crowded.
Common mistake
People compare total population when the question is about crowding. Density divides people by land area, so a small state with fewer people, like Rhode Island, can be much more crowded than a big state with many people, like Texas.