County facts · Population · October 25, 2026
New York Population by County, 2025 Census Estimates
New York population by county: July 2025 Census estimates for all 62 counties, change since 2020, density, and a link to each official parcel map.
Looking for New York population by county? The Census Bureau estimates that New York had 20,002,427 residents on July 1, 2025, spread across 62 counties. Kings County is the most populous, with 2,653,963 people (13% of the state), and Hamilton County is the least populous, with 5,006.
The table below lists every county with its 2025 estimate, its April 2020 starting point, the change, people per square mile, and a link to its official parcel viewer.
New York population at a glance
- Counties: 62
- Statewide, July 1, 2025: 20,002,427 (April 1, 2020 estimates base: 20,203,696; change −201,269, −1.0%)
- Most populous: Kings County (2,653,963); least populous: Hamilton County (5,006)
- Median county: about 85,918 residents (half of the counties are smaller)
- The 5 largest counties hold 48% of all New York residents
- Counties with 1,000,000+ residents: 7 · 100,000+: 28 · under 10,000: 1
- Statewide density: about 424 people per square mile of land
New York population by county, July 2025 (all 62)
Percent change runs from the April 1, 2020 estimates base to July 1, 2025. People per square mile is the July 2025 estimate divided by the county's land area in the Census Bureau's 2020 Gazetteer file, so lakes and bays are left out.
How New York's population is spread out
Grouping the counties by size shows how concentrated the state is:
| Residents (July 2025) | Counties | Total residents | Share of state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000,000 or more | 7 | 12,044,111 | 60% |
| 250,000 to 999,999 | 8 | 4,062,120 | 20% |
| 100,000 to 249,999 | 13 | 2,055,704 | 10% |
| 25,000 to 99,999 | 31 | 1,794,015 | 9% |
| 10,000 to 24,999 | 2 | 41,471 | 0% |
| Under 10,000 | 1 | 5,006 | 0% |
15 counties with at least 250,000 residents hold 81% of the state's population.
Most and least densely populated
The most crowded counties by people per square mile of land:
- New York County: 73,484 per sq mi (1,664,862 people on 23 sq mi)
- Kings County: 38,254 per sq mi (2,653,963 people on 69 sq mi)
- Bronx County: 33,348 per sq mi (1,406,332 people on 42 sq mi)
- Queens County: 21,690 per sq mi (2,358,182 people on 109 sq mi)
- Richmond County: 8,715 per sq mi (501,290 people on 58 sq mi)
The most thinly settled:
- Hamilton County: 2.9 per sq mi (5,006 people on 1,717 sq mi)
- Essex County: 20 per sq mi (36,438 people on 1,794 sq mi)
- Lewis County: 21 per sq mi (26,479 people on 1,275 sq mi)
- Franklin County: 29 per sq mi (46,500 people on 1,629 sq mi)
- Delaware County: 31 per sq mi (44,305 people on 1,443 sq mi)
About these numbers
- They are estimates. Between censuses the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program updates county totals each year from births, deaths and migration records. The next full count is the 2030 census.
- The base is April 1, 2020. The estimates start from an April 1, 2020 "estimates base" built from the 2020 census, which is why it is slightly different from the published census count.
- Each new release revises the past. A newer vintage can change earlier years as well, so compare numbers from the same release, as this page does.
- Statewide total. The counties add up exactly to the statewide figure of 20,002,427 in the same file.
Using population numbers in a land search
- Big counties, busy offices. In the most populous counties, parcel maps and deed records are usually online and searchable, but recording and permit offices are busier. Allow for that if you are on a deadline.
- Small counties, fewer sales. In counties with only a few thousand people, land changes hands less often, so there are fewer recent sales to compare a price with. Recorded deeds and the local assessor's sales records are the best source.
- Density hints at lot size. A low people-per-square-mile figure usually means farms, ranches and timber tracts; a high one means subdivided lots. The parcel viewer shows the actual parcel lines.
- Check the official map. Use the parcel viewer link in the table for boundaries, parcel numbers and owner names, then confirm anything important with the local assessor and the office that records deeds.
Related guides
- Fastest growing counties in New York
- Largest counties in New York
- New York county GIS websites by viewer
- New York plat maps
- New York statewide parcel map
- New York landowner maps for hunting
- Most populous counties in the US
- Where people are moving in the US
More: All New York counties on Platbookmapper
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, county totals, Vintage 2025 (April 1, 2020 estimates base and July 1, 2020–2025 estimates, with components of change). Statewide totals are the sum of the counties and match the file's state row.
- U.S. Census Bureau Gazetteer files, 2020 county land and water area (for people per square mile).
- Platbookmapper county GIS directory (live data file behind our county pages, pulled October 25, 2026) for each official parcel viewer.