If many of the nation’s suburbs seem to have grown crowded over the last decade, it’s because they did. Seven of the nation’s 10 counties registering the biggest increases in population density were found in suburban areas, according to a Social Explorer analysis of 2020 Census data. The three exceptions included a pair of North Dakota oil boomtowns and the smallest county (geographically speaking) in Tennessee.

The biggest percentage increases in population density were found in McKenzie County, N.D., which grew from 2.3 people per square mile to 5.3 people per square mile – a 131.2 percent increase, although still about 74,776 fewer people than New York County. It was followed by Williams County, N.D. (82 percent increase, with 19.7 people per square mile) and Hays County, Texas (53.56 percent, and 356.2 people per square mile). Use Social Explorer’s easy-to-use mapping and report tools to view trends in population density over the decade for all U.S. counties.

Population Density Change, 2010-20. Click here to explore further.

Author: Frank Bass