DemographicsAug 24, 2024
🏙️ Mapping the Urban Population Across U.S. States
@visualcapitalist
What We’re Showing
This map shows the share of urban population per U.S. state, per latest estimates from the Census Bureau.
Key Takeaways
- For seven U.S. states, 90% or more of their population lives in an urban area. They are: California, Nevada, New Jersey, Florida, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Utah
- Only four states, Vermont, Maine, West Virginia, and Mississippi have majority rural populations
- Over the entire country, about 80% of the population is urban
What Counts as “Urban?”
Per the Census Bureau, an urban area must “encompass at least 2,000 housing units or have a population of at least 5,000.”
Dataset
| Rank | State | Urban Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington D.C.* | 100% |
| 2 | California | 94% |
| 3 | Nevada | 94% |
| 4 | New Jersey | 94% |
| 5 | Puerto Rico** | 92% |
| 6 | Florida | 92% |
| 7 | Massachusetts | 91% |
| 8 | Rhode Island | 91% |
| 9 | Utah | 90% |
| 10 | Arizona | 89% |
| 11 | New York | 87% |
| 12 | Illinois | 87% |
| 13 | Connecticut | 86% |
| 14 | Hawaii | 86% |
| 15 | Colorado | 86% |
| 16 | Maryland | 86% |
| 17 | Texas | 84% |
| 18 | Washington | 83% |
| 19 | Delaware | 83% |
| 20 | Oregon | 80% |
| 21 | Pennsylvania | 76% |
| 22 | Ohio | 76% |
| 23 | Virginia | 76% |
| 24 | New Mexico | 75% |
| 25 | Georgia | 74% |
| 26 | Michigan | 73% |
| 27 | Nebraska | 73% |
| 28 | Kansas | 72% |
| 29 | Minnesota | 72% |
| 30 | Louisiana | 72% |
| 31 | Indiana | 71% |
| 32 | Missouri | 69% |
| 33 | Idaho | 69% |
| 34 | South Carolina | 68% |
| 35 | Wisconsin | 67% |
| 36 | North Carolina | 67% |
| 37 | Tennessee | 66% |
| 38 | Alaska | 65% |
| 39 | Oklahoma | 65% |
| 40 | Iowa | 63% |
| 41 | Wyoming | 62% |
| 42 | North Dakota | 61% |
| 43 | Kentucky | 59% |
| 44 | New Hampshire | 58% |
| 45 | Alabama | 58% |
| 46 | South Dakota | 57% |
| 47 | Arkansas | 55% |
| 48 | Montana | 53% |
| 49 | Mississippi | 46% |
| 50 | West Virginia | 45% |
| 51 | Maine | 39% |
| 52 | Vermont | 35% |
Data sources
*Federal district. **U.S. territory. Urban areas are defined by housing density (minimum 2,000 units) or have a population of 5,000 people. All figures from 2020 decennial census.
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