How can the same country look almost empty — and unbelievably crowded?

Same counties. Same population. Three different density thresholds.

Nearly Empty

fewer than 10 people / sq mi

of U.S. land

of Americans

Dense

500–999 people / sq mi

of U.S. land

of Americans

Extremely Dense

1,000+ people / sq mi

of U.S. land

of Americans

America is both almost empty and intensely crowded.
Nothing about the country changes between these maps. Only the slice of the distribution we choose to see.

How should I read these three maps?

These three percentages are not supposed to add up to 100%. The maps show three selected slices of the density distribution rather than dividing every county into three complete categories.

Nearly Empty shows counties below 10 people per square mile.
Dense shows counties from 500–999.
Extremely Dense shows counties at 1,000 or more.

Counties from 10–499 people per square mile are intentionally left out so the contrast between the sparse and crowded ends of the distribution is easier to see.

Each county or county-equivalent unit can appear in only one of the three displayed ranges—but many appear in none of them.

The underlying population does not change from map to map. Only the threshold changes. That is why choosing a cutoff can dramatically change the picture a map seems to show.

How much can a threshold change the picture without changing the underlying data?

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2023 Population Estimates and 2023 Gazetteer Files. County and county-equivalent boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 cartographic boundary files. Puerto Rico excluded because it is not covered by this population-estimates release. Connecticut is shown using its nine Census county-equivalent planning regions.