Urban population, per square kilometre in United States of America
United States of America: Urban population, per square kilometre was 29.48 units per square kilometre in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
29.48 units per square kilometre
Change on year
up 0.9%
World rank
149th
of 216 countries
All-time high
29.48 units per square kilometre
in 2023
All-time low
14.13 units per square kilometre
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Urban population, per square kilometre in United States of America, 1961–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in units per square kilometre.
Analysis
United States of America recorded 29.48 units per square kilometre for urban population, per square kilometre in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is up 0.9% on the previous year and up 5.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population, per square kilometre in United States of America peaked at 29.48 units per square kilometre in 2023 and was at its lowest, 14.13 units per square kilometre, in 1961.
United States of America ranks 149th of 216 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Urban population, per square kilometre in United States of America, year by year
| Year | units per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 14.13 units per square kilometre | — |
| 1962 | 14.44 units per square kilometre | +2.2% |
| 1963 | 14.75 units per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 1964 | 15.05 units per square kilometre | +2.0% |
| 1965 | 15.33 units per square kilometre | +1.9% |
| 1966 | 15.59 units per square kilometre | +1.7% |
| 1967 | 15.84 units per square kilometre | +1.5% |
| 1968 | 16.05 units per square kilometre | +1.4% |
| 1969 | 16.25 units per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 1970 | 16.45 units per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 1971 | 16.67 units per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 1972 | 16.86 units per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 1973 | 17.03 units per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 1974 | 17.19 units per square kilometre | +0.9% |
| 1975 | 17.36 units per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 1976 | 17.53 units per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 1977 | 17.71 units per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 1978 | 17.91 units per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 1979 | 18.11 units per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 1980 | 18.3 units per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 1981 | 18.49 units per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 1982 | 18.69 units per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 1983 | 18.89 units per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 1984 | 19.09 units per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 1985 | 19.3 units per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 1986 | 19.52 units per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 1987 | 19.75 units per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 1988 | 19.98 units per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 20.23 units per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 20.51 units per square kilometre | +1.4% |
| 1991 | 20.87 units per square kilometre | +1.7% |
| 1992 | 21.26 units per square kilometre | +1.9% |
| 1993 | 21.65 units per square kilometre | +1.9% |
| 1994 | 22.05 units per square kilometre | +1.8% |
| 1995 | 22.44 units per square kilometre | +1.8% |
| 1996 | 22.84 units per square kilometre | +1.8% |
| 1997 | 23.25 units per square kilometre | +1.8% |
| 1998 | 23.64 units per square kilometre | +1.7% |
| 1999 | 24.01 units per square kilometre | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 24.35 units per square kilometre | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 24.67 units per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 24.97 units per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 25.26 units per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 25.57 units per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 25.87 units per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 26.17 units per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 26.47 units per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 26.8 units per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 27.06 units per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 27.29 units per square kilometre | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 27.51 units per square kilometre | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 27.73 units per square kilometre | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 27.93 units per square kilometre | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 28.14 units per square kilometre | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 28.35 units per square kilometre | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 28.54 units per square kilometre | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 28.71 units per square kilometre | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 28.83 units per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 28.93 units per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 29 units per square kilometre | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 29.05 units per square kilometre | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 29.22 units per square kilometre | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 29.48 units per square kilometre | +0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 15.27 units per square kilometre | 14.13 units per square kilometre | 16.25 units per square kilometre | 9 |
| 1970s | 17.28 units per square kilometre | 16.45 units per square kilometre | 18.11 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 19.22 units per square kilometre | 18.3 units per square kilometre | 20.23 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 22.25 units per square kilometre | 20.51 units per square kilometre | 24.01 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 25.72 units per square kilometre | 24.35 units per square kilometre | 27.06 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 28.2 units per square kilometre | 27.29 units per square kilometre | 28.93 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 29.19 units per square kilometre | 29 units per square kilometre | 29.48 units per square kilometre | 4 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
- 146 Montenegro 30.35 units per square kilometre compare
- 147 Kenya 30.14 units per square kilometre compare
- 148 Fiji 29.64 units per square kilometre compare
- 150 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 28.64 units per square kilometre compare
- 151 Yemen 27.28 units per square kilometre compare
- 152 Tanzania, United Republic of 26.68 units per square kilometre compare
More climate change data for United States of America
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 4.1% (2100)
- Population, total, annual growth rate 0.5238 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population, total, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, annual growth rate 0.6086 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, per capita 0.8019 units per person (2025)
- Urban population 80.2% (2025)
- Urban population 274.08 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.6% (2025)
- Population, total 341.79 million (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population, per square kilometre in United States of America?
- Urban population, per square kilometre in United States of America was 29.48 units per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest urban population, per square kilometre recorded in United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 29.48 units per square kilometre in 2023.
- What is the lowest urban population, per square kilometre recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.13 units per square kilometre in 1961.
- How does United States of America rank for urban population, per square kilometre?
- United States of America ranks 149th out of 216 countries with data for 2023.
- Is urban population, per square kilometre rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States of America data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Urban population, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Urban population divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Urban population ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- Urban population World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN)
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Urban population divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.