The least populated state in 2026 is Wyoming, with 588,753 residents in the latest official Census Bureau estimate. The figure comes from the July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 state population estimates, the latest state-level count available for 2026.
Small states tell a different population story than California, Texas, or Florida. Wyoming has fewer than 600,000 residents. Vermont has fewer than 650,000. Alaska covers more land than any other state, yet has fewer people than many large U.S. counties.
The United States reached 341,784,857 residents in the latest Census estimate, after adding 1.8 million people from July 2024 to July 2025. That was a 0.5% gain, the slowest national growth since the early pandemic period, according to the U.S. Census Bureau population growth release.
The 12 least populated states together have 13,053,488 residents. That is about 3.8% of the U.S. population. California alone has 39,355,309 residents, more than three times the combined population of these 12 states.
These Are the Least Populated States in US
The table below ranks the 12 least populated states using the latest official Census Bureau state population estimates. Population density is calculated with state land area data from the Census Bureau.
The full state population estimate series is available in the Census Bureau table for “State Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2025“.
| Rank | State | 2025 Population | Change From 2024 | Change Rate | Share Of U.S. Population | People Per Sq. Mile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wyoming | 588,753 | +2,031 | +0.35% | 0.17% | 6.1 |
| 2 | Vermont | 644,663 | -1,858 | -0.29% | 0.19% | 69.9 |
| 3 | Alaska | 737,270 | +733 | +0.10% | 0.22% | 1.3 |
| 4 | North Dakota | 799,358 | +5,971 | +0.75% | 0.23% | 11.6 |
| 5 | South Dakota | 935,094 | +7,984 | +0.86% | 0.27% | 12.3 |
| 6 | Delaware | 1,059,952 | +9,829 | +0.94% | 0.31% | 543.8 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | 1,114,521 | +4,106 | +0.37% | 0.33% | 1,077.9 |
| 8 | Montana | 1,144,694 | +7,137 | +0.63% | 0.33% | 7.9 |
| 9 | Maine | 1,414,874 | +6,436 | +0.46% | 0.41% | 45.9 |
| 10 | New Hampshire | 1,415,342 | +6,824 | +0.48% | 0.41% | 158.1 |
| 11 | Hawaii | 1,432,820 | -2,132 | -0.15% | 0.42% | 223.1 |
| 12 | West Virginia | 1,766,147 | -1,255 | -0.07% | 0.52% | 73.5 |
Wyoming remains the least populated state by a wide margin. The state had 588,753 residents in the latest estimate, about 55,900 fewer people than Vermont.
The list also shows that a small population does not always mean population decline. Delaware, South Dakota, Montana, Maine, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Wyoming, and Alaska all added residents in the latest year. Vermont, Hawaii, and West Virginia lost residents.
Delaware grew fastest among the 12 least populated states, adding 9,829 residents, a 0.94% gain. South Dakota added 7,984 residents. Montana added 7,137. New Hampshire barely stayed ahead of Maine, with only 468 more residents.
The density gap is just as important as the total population gap. Alaska has only about 1.3 people per square mile. Rhode Island has more than 1,000 people per square mile, even though both states rank among the smaller states by total population.
1. Wyoming Remains The Least Populated State
Wyoming has a smaller population than the other 49 states combined pic.twitter.com/4sB0ZRkiYS
— Terrible Maps (@TerribleMaps) June 15, 2026
Wyoming is the least populated state in 2026. The latest official estimate puts the state at 588,753 residents, up 2,031 from the prior year.
The state has a very small population for its land area. With about 6.1 residents per square mile, Wyoming has far more open space than most states and no large metro area comparable to Denver, Phoenix, or Salt Lake City.
Cheyenne is the state capital and largest city, while Casper anchors another major population center. The rest of the population is spread through smaller cities, energy communities, ranching areas, and mountain counties.
Why Wyoming Stays At The Bottom Of The Population?
Wyoming has limited large-city growth, a small labor market, and a geography built around energy, public lands, ranching, tourism, and long travel distances. Growth can happen, but the base population is so small that the state remains far below every other state.
The latest increase shows that Wyoming is not collapsing demographically. The state added residents in the most recent estimate year. The gap with Vermont is still large enough that Wyoming is almost certain to remain the least populated state in the near term.
2. Vermont Has Fewer Than 650,000 Residents
Vermont ranks second among the least populated states, with 644,663 residents. The state lost 1,858 residents from 2024 to 2025, a 0.29% decline.
The state has a very different profile from Wyoming. Vermont is small by land area, rural in character, and more densely settled than the large western states on this list. Burlington remains the largest city, while Montpelier is the state capital.
Vermont has an older population and limited large-scale housing growth. Those two conditions can weigh on labor supply, school enrollment, and local services, especially outside the Burlington area.
A population loss of fewer than 2,000 people can look minor in a large state. In Vermont, that decline carries more weight because the population base is small.
Small changes can affect county services, workforce supply, and school districts faster than they would in a state with several million residents.
3. Alaska Is Huge, But Has Fewer Than 740,000 People
Alaska ranks third among the least populated states, with 737,270 residents. The state added 733 people in the latest year.
Alaska is the largest state by area and the most sparsely populated state by density. It has about 1.3 residents per square mile, far below Wyoming, Montana, and the Dakotas.
Most residents live in and around Anchorage, the Mat-Su area, Fairbanks, Juneau, and other regional centers. Many communities remain isolated by distance, terrain, weather, and transportation limits.
Alaska is small only by population. By land area, it sits in a category of its own. That creates high infrastructure costs, long supply chains, and unique pressure on schools, health care, transportation, and energy systems.
4. North Dakota Has Nearly 800,000 Residents
North Dakota had 799,358 residents in the latest estimate, up 5,971 from the prior year. The state is now very close to the 800,000 mark.
Fargo remains the largest city, while Bismarck, Grand Forks, and Minot anchor other parts of the state. Energy, agriculture, universities, and health care help support the economy.
North Dakota has about 11.6 residents per square mile, which keeps it among the least densely populated states. The population is still small, but the state has grown more steadily than some other northern rural states.
North Dakota has benefited from energy development, university centers, regional health care employment, and growth around Fargo. The state remains rural, but the latest estimate shows more growth than several other small-population states.
5. South Dakota Keeps Growing
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South Dakota ranks fifth on the least-populated-state list, with 935,094 residents. The state added 7,984 residents, a 0.86% increase.
Sioux Falls drives much of the state’s population growth. Rapid City, the Black Hills area, and several eastern counties also shape the population pattern.
South Dakota remains a small state, but it is moving closer to one million residents. Continued growth would put it on a different path from states such as Vermont, Hawaii, and West Virginia, where the latest estimate showed a decline.
Sioux Falls gives South Dakota a larger urban anchor than many readers expect from a state with fewer than one million people. The city and nearby counties help offset rural losses and keep statewide growth positive.
6. Delaware Is Small, But Has Around 1.06 Million People
Delaware had 1,059,952 residents in the latest Census estimate. The state added 9,829 people, the largest numerical gain among the 12 least populated states.
Delaware is small by land area, but it is not sparse. With about 543.8 residents per square mile, it is much denser than Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, or the Dakotas.
New Castle County, Wilmington, and suburban links to Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington help explain why the population base is larger than the land area would suggest.
7. Rhode Island Is Tiny By Area, but Dense By Population
Rhode Island had 1,114,521 residents in the latest estimate, up 4,106 from the prior year.
The state is the smallest by land area, but it is densely settled. Providence, Warwick, Cranston, and Pawtucket sit inside a compact urban and suburban corridor.
Rhode Island shows why population rank and density rank can point in opposite directions. The state has fewer total residents than most states, yet its density is among the highest in the country.
8. Montana Has A Large Land Area And A Small Population
Montana had 1,144,694 residents in the latest estimate, up 7,137 from the prior year.
Montana is the fourth-largest state by land area, but the population remains smaller than that of many large U.S. counties. The state has about 7.9 residents per square mile.
Billings is the largest city, with Missoula, Bozeman, Great Falls, and Helena also serving as major population centers. Growth has been more visible in western and south-central parts of the state, while many rural areas remain thinly populated.
A gain of about 7,100 residents may look modest nationally. In Montana, that gain can place pressure on housing, roads, local services, and schools because much of the population is concentrated in a small number of growing communities.
9. Maine Keeps Growing Slowly
Maine had 1,414,874 residents in the latest estimate, up 6,436 from 2024.
Portland and Cumberland County remain the largest population anchors. Much of the state is rural, forested, or lightly settled, especially farther north and inland.
Maine has about 45.9 residents per square mile. That is much denser than Alaska, Wyoming, or Montana, but still low for the Northeast.
10. New Hampshire Barely Ranks Ahead Of Maine
Report: New Hampshire population has increased, with some areas seeing more growth than others | Click on the image to read the full story https://t.co/BSutzwarXE
— WMUR TV (@WMUR9) June 23, 2026
New Hampshire had 1,415,342 residents in the latest estimate, up 6,824 from the prior year. That leaves the state only 468 residents ahead of Maine.
Manchester is the largest city, while Nashua, Concord, Derry, and Dover help anchor the southern part of the state. The northern counties remain much less densely settled.
The state has about 158.1 residents per square mile, higher than Maine and most western states in the least-populated group.
11. Hawaii Lost Population Again
Hawaii had 1,432,820 residents in the latest estimate, down 2,132 from the prior year.
Hawaii is small by land area and isolated by geography, but it has a higher density than many states in this ranking. Most residents live on Oahu, with Honolulu as the largest population center.
The latest decline follows a longer pattern of domestic outmigration. Housing costs, limited land, distance from the mainland, and local job structure all shape the population picture.
Hawaii has fewer people than most states, but it is not empty. The state has about 223.1 residents per square mile because the land area is small and the population is concentrated on a few islands.
12. West Virginia Remains Below 1.8 Million
West Virginia had 1,766,147 residents in the latest estimate, down 1,255 from the prior year.
The state remains below 1.8 million residents and continues to face long-running demographic pressure. Rural population decline, aging, health challenges, and limited job growth in some regions all affect the population base.
Charleston remains the capital and one of the main population centers. Huntington, Morgantown, Parkersburg, and parts of the Eastern Panhandle also shape the state population map.
West Virginia has struggled with population loss for decades. The latest decline is small in numerical terms, but it continues the larger pattern of slow demographic contraction.
We recently covered shrinking-state patterns in our report on population decline in the U.S. by state, which helps explain why West Virginia remains a major case in state-level demographic decline.
Why The Least Populated States Still Have Political Weight?
Population size shapes the U.S. House, federal funding formulas, labor markets, and long-term planning. Small states still have major political influence because every state gets two U.S. senators and at least one House seat.
That gives Wyoming, Vermont, Alaska, and the Dakotas a much larger Senate voice per resident than California, Texas, Florida, or New York. A state can have fewer than one million people and still carry the same Senate vote as a state with tens of millions of residents.
Small states also face different public-service problems. A large state can spread hospital networks, universities, and transportation systems over a larger population. A small rural state may have long travel distances, fewer large employers, and higher service costs per resident.
Population Growth Slowed In 2025
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The latest Census release showed a clear slowdown in national growth. The U.S. added 1.8 million residents from July 2024 to July 2025, compared with a much larger increase the year before.
One reason was a sharp decline in net international migration. Pew Charitable Trusts reported that population growth slowed in 48 states in 2025 as international migration declined, and that states increasingly depend on domestic and international migration because the country is aging and birth rates remain low.
Pew analyzed that trend in its report on state population growth slowing in 2025.
That national slowdown matters for the smallest states because they have less room to absorb weak migration or natural decrease. A loss of only a few thousand residents can shift rankings, school enrollment, housing demand, and state revenue projections.
Least Populated Does Not Mean Small By Area
The least populated state is not the smallest state by area. Wyoming is geographically large, while Rhode Island is the smallest state by land area. Alaska has the third-smallest state population but the largest land area in the country.
That contrast is why population density gives a better reading than population alone. Census state area measurements show how large the land differences are between states. Alaska has 570,641 square miles of land, while Rhode Island has about 1,034. The Census Bureau maintains the underlying land-area file in its state area measurements table.
Alaska is the most sparsely populated state in the country. Rhode Island is one of the most densely populated states. Both appear in the least-populated-state ranking because total residents and density measure different things.
Why Small States Are Not All The Same
Large, Sparse Western And Northern States
Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota have large land areas, low population density, and long travel distances. Public services are harder to distribute because people live far apart.
Small, Dense Northeastern States
Delaware and Rhode Island have small land areas but much higher density. Their issues are less about distance and more about housing, commuting, aging infrastructure and metro-area pressure.
Older, Slow-Growth States
Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, and West Virginia have aging populations and slower natural growth. Maine and New Hampshire still added residents in the latest estimate, while Vermont and West Virginia declined.
Island Geography
Hawaii has a small population for national ranking purposes, but its geography creates different pressures: housing costs, migration to the mainland, high transportation costs and heavy concentration around Honolulu.
The Effects of Small Population on Schools, Health Care, and Housing
A small population affects daily services. Rural states need hospitals, schools, roads, and emergency response systems even when the population is spread thinly over a large area.
For schools, a small or shrinking child population can make it harder to keep classrooms full and maintain programs. For health care, small patient bases can make rural hospitals and clinics financially fragile. For housing, a small statewide population does not prevent local shortages if growth is concentrated in a few cities or resort counties.
The Congressional Budget Office projects that the U.S. population will keep aging in the decades ahead, with deaths eventually exceeding births and immigration accounting for future population growth. That long-range demographic outlook is described in the CBO demographic outlook.
That national aging trend places extra pressure on small states because many already have older populations and smaller labor pools.
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Bottom Line
@lukepingu Least Populated States in America? 🧠@megarobbieknox ♬ original sound – LukePingu
Wyoming remains the least populated state in 2026, with 588,753 residents in the latest official Census estimate. Vermont follows with 644,663, and Alaska ranks third with 737,270.
The 12 least populated states together account for only about 3.8% of the U.S. population. They are not all alike. Alaska and Montana are huge and sparse. Rhode Island and Delaware are small and dense. Vermont, Hawaii, and West Virginia lost residents, while Delaware and South Dakota kept growing.
The most useful way to read the ranking is simple: population size, land area, and density tell different stories. Wyoming has the fewest people. Alaska has the most land. Rhode Island has the highest density on the list. Together, the smallest states by population show how uneven the U.S. population map remains in 2026.
