As of early 2017, the US population is just shy of 325 million people, a 130X increase over 241 years. Disclaimer: This web site contains data tables, figures, maps, analyses and technical notes from the current revision of the World Population Prospects. This mapping application includes state-, county-, and census tract-level data from the 2020 Census. The files include housing unit and group quarters counts, by census block. This application was developed to supplement the Address Count Listing files. Overall, there were estimated to be only 2.5 million people living in the original thirteen colonies in 1776, although that number should be taken with a grain of salt since the first census did not occur until 1790. Work with interactive mapping tools from across the Census Bureau. To put those numbers in some perspective, the densest areas in 1775 had slightly over 40 inhabitants per square mile (although density would have been higher in cities), whereas the Boston–Washington Corridor today has a density of over 930 inhabitants per square mile and the entire country has an average density of 91 people per square mile (including Alaska). Population density is the number of people per square mile. While the map maker does not specify, the map likely only includes white colonists in their population figures, thus excluding Slaves and Native Americans. This thematic map illustrates the population density in the United States in 2010. Even back then, what would become the Boston–Washington Corridor was clearly evident. This layer shows the population density in the United States in 2020 in persons per square mile in a multiscale map by country, state, county, ZIP Code, tract, and block group.
The map above shows the population density of the original thirteen American colonies, the year before they declared independence.