Changing Patterns of Population Density in the United States

Abstract

Changing population density is often ignored in studies of population growth and population transfer in the United States. We show that there is a complex relationship between patterns of population growth and density increase by state. The largest gains in density are in the states of the northeastern megalopolis, California, and Florida. Analysis of the 150 counties with the greatest increases in density between 1980 and 1990 shows that they are well distributed across the United States including the larger metropolitan areas of the “Rustbelt.” In general, the most densely populated states and places are becoming more densely populated, a concept we refer to as densification.