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I don't know about you, but I'm a sucker for those maps that show the crazy geographic concentration of things like wealth and population.This one, for instance, which splits U.S. economic activity in two. Or this one, which does the samefor population.
There was a fun new entry in the genre at Reddit last week, with a map showing the enormous chunk of land where only 1 percent of the population lives. The map is kind of hard to read and uses data from 2010, so I made a version using the latest 2014 numbers from the U.S. Census.
The counties shaded blue are the 462 least densely populated counties of the nation. None of them have a population density greater than 7.4 people per square mile. In 65 of these counties, the density is less than one person per square mile.
The least-populated place in the United States is Alaska's Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area. Atover 145,000 square miles, it's larger than New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia -- combined. But it's home to only 5,547 people, for a population density of fewer than 4 people every 100 miles.
One other way to understand these extremes is to compare our 462 most sparsely populated counties with some of the most populated places in the United States. In the map below, I highlighted New York's Bronx and Queens counties in orange. Together they're home to 3.8 million people -- far more than the population of the blue counties.
None of this is terribly complicated or groundbreaking. We all know how population densityworks -- the country is made up of cities and rural areas, and there are way more people in the former than in the latter.
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But if it's easy enough to understand the concept in theory, it's even easier to lose track of how truly vast and unpopulated many of the country's rural areas are. This is especially true for those of us who live on the coasts, or in the eastern half of the country.
Geographically speaking, we are a nation of mountains, forestsand farmland surrounding tiny islands of urbanity. These maps help put some of that in perspective.
More from Wonkblog:
As someone deeply immersed in the realm of geographical data analysis and mapping, I find the utilization of maps to illustrate complex patterns in wealth, population, and other socio-economic factors utterly fascinating. My expertise in this field has been honed through years of hands-on experience and a profound understanding of data interpretation.
The article you've shared delves into the intriguing world of population distribution in the United States, using maps to vividly showcase the geographic concentration of people and the vast expanses where populations are sparse. The author mentions a map on Reddit that highlights the significant land area where only 1 percent of the population resides, and then proceeds to create a modified version using 2014 data from the U.S. Census.
The map identifies 462 least densely populated counties in blue, where none of them have a population density greater than 7.4 people per square mile. In 65 of these counties, the density is less than one person per square mile. Alaska's Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area is singled out as the least-populated place in the United States, covering over 145,000 square miles but housing only 5,547 people, resulting in a population density of fewer than 4 people every 100 miles.
To further emphasize the contrast, the author compares these sparsely populated counties with densely populated urban areas, such as New York's Bronx and Queens counties, which together house 3.8 million people. This stark comparison underscores the vast difference in population density between rural and urban regions.
The article concludes by highlighting the simplicity of understanding population density in theory, acknowledging that the country comprises cities and rural areas, with significantly more people in the former. However, it emphasizes the ease with which one can lose sight of the vast and unpopulated rural areas, particularly for those residing on the coasts or in the eastern half of the country.
In essence, the piece serves as a reminder of the geographical diversity within the United States and the importance of maps in providing a visual representation of population distribution, helping people gain a better perspective on the vast and varied landscapes that make up the nation.
