Census region 3
The South region
The South region has 16 states and DC with 132,665,693 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimates, 39.0% of the US total, on 868,649 square miles of land. It ranks 1st of 4 regions by population and 2nd by land area.
- Residents 2024
- 132,665,693
- 39.0% of the US
- Land area
- 868,649 sq mi
- Density
- 152.7 / sq mi
- Member states
- 17
- 1,422 counties
Member states shaded by density; others hatched. Pins mark capitals.
South population and land
The South region has 16 states and DC with 132,665,693 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimates, 39.0% of the US total, on 868,649 square miles of land. It ranks 1st of 4 regions by population and 2nd by land area. It averages 152.7 people per square mile, 1.6 times the national figure of 96.3, and ranks 2nd of 4 by density.
Texas is the most populous member with 31,290,831 residents, 24% of the region, and it is also the largest by land. District of Columbia is the least populous, with 702,250.
States in the South region
The Census Bureau groups the states into 4 regions and 9 divisions for statistics. The South region is region 3 and contains 3 divisions: South Atlantic and East South Central and West South Central. Totals below are sums of Vintage 2024 county estimates and 2024 Gazetteer land area.
| State | Residents | Share | Land sq mi | Per sq mi | Counties |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 31,290,831 | 23.6% | 261,259 | 119.8 | 254 |
| Florida | 23,372,215 | 17.6% | 53,655 | 435.6 | 67 |
| Georgia | 11,180,878 | 8.4% | 57,717 | 193.7 | 159 |
| North Carolina | 11,046,024 | 8.3% | 48,624 | 227.2 | 100 |
| Virginia | 8,811,195 | 6.6% | 39,481 | 223.2 | 133 |
| Tennessee | 7,227,750 | 5.4% | 41,224 | 175.3 | 95 |
| Maryland | 6,263,220 | 4.7% | 9,711 | 645.0 | 24 |
| South Carolina | 5,478,831 | 4.1% | 30,064 | 182.2 | 46 |
| Alabama | 5,157,699 | 3.9% | 50,651 | 101.8 | 67 |
| Louisiana | 4,597,740 | 3.5% | 43,213 | 106.4 | 64 |
| Kentucky | 4,588,372 | 3.5% | 39,485 | 116.2 | 120 |
| Oklahoma | 4,095,393 | 3.1% | 68,597 | 59.7 | 77 |
| Arkansas | 3,088,354 | 2.3% | 51,992 | 59.4 | 75 |
| Mississippi | 2,943,045 | 2.2% | 46,925 | 62.7 | 82 |
| West Virginia | 1,769,979 | 1.3% | 24,041 | 73.6 | 55 |
| Delaware | 1,051,917 | 0.8% | 1,949 | 539.8 | 3 |
| District of Columbia | 702,250 | 0.5% | 61 | 11,487.8 | 1 |
Counties in the South region
Its 1,422 county-equivalents have a median of 26,363 residents, close to the national median county of 26,122. The most populous is Harris County, TX, with 5,009,302; the largest by land is Brewster County, TX, at 6,184 square miles.
The median county household income here is $57,011 in SAIPE 2023, 9% below the national median county, $62,851. It ranges from $28,579 in Claiborne County, MS to $173,655 in Loudoun County, VA.
- 01Harris County, TX5,009,302
- 02Miami-Dade County, FL2,838,461
- 03Dallas County, TX2,656,028
- 04Tarrant County, TX2,230,708
- 05Bexar County, TX2,127,737
- 06Broward County, FL2,037,472
- 07Palm Beach County, FL1,582,055
- 08Hillsborough County, FL1,581,426
- 09Orange County, FL1,533,646
- 10Travis County, TX1,363,767
Distances and center
The two member capitals farthest apart are Austin and Dover, 1,398 miles in a straight line. Weighting every county's internal point by population puts the region's center of population near 33.02° N, 86.70° W. The method is explained in the center of population guide.
Bordering states compared
30 pairs of member states share a border. Each comparison puts population, land, counties and capitals side by side.
Questions people ask
What states are in the South region?
Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, per the Census Bureau's regions and divisions.
What is the population of the South region?
132,665,693 in the Census Vintage 2024 estimates, 39.0% of the US.
What is the largest state in the South region?
Texas, both by land (261,259 square miles) and by population (31,290,831).
What is the most populous county in the South region?
Harris County, TX, with 5,009,302 residents.
Sources and data as of
Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.
- 01Census Bureau regions and divisions of the United States (last verified 2026-09-30)
- 02Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
- 03Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
- 04Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.