Urban area over the long-term in United States
United States: Urban area over the long-term was 230,837 km² per grid cell in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
230,837 km² per grid cell
Change on year
up 1.4%
World rank
1st
of 202 countries
All-time high
230,837 km² per grid cell
in 2025
All-time low
0.0222 km² per grid cell
in 1000
Years of data
108
1000–2025
Urban area over the long-term in United States, 1000–2025
Source: HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in km² per grid cell.
Analysis
United States recorded 230,837 km² per grid cell for urban area over the long-term in 2025. That is the highest value across all 108 years on record.
The figure is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 16.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban area over the long-term in United States peaked at 230,837 km² per grid cell in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.0222 km² per grid cell, in 1000.
United States ranks 1st of 202 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 0.0222 km² per grid cell | 0.0222 km² per grid cell | 0.0222 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1100s | 0.0718 km² per grid cell | 0.0718 km² per grid cell | 0.0718 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1200s | 0.2387 km² per grid cell | 0.2387 km² per grid cell | 0.2387 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1300s | 0.7747 km² per grid cell | 0.7747 km² per grid cell | 0.7747 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1400s | 2.57 km² per grid cell | 2.57 km² per grid cell | 2.57 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1500s | 8.37 km² per grid cell | 8.37 km² per grid cell | 8.37 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1600s | 10.36 km² per grid cell | 10.36 km² per grid cell | 10.36 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1700s | 37.01 km² per grid cell | 37.01 km² per grid cell | 37.01 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1710s | 54.47 km² per grid cell | 54.47 km² per grid cell | 54.47 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1720s | 81.18 km² per grid cell | 81.18 km² per grid cell | 81.18 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1730s | 113.71 km² per grid cell | 113.71 km² per grid cell | 113.71 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1740s | 153.1 km² per grid cell | 153.1 km² per grid cell | 153.1 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1750s | 200.57 km² per grid cell | 200.57 km² per grid cell | 200.57 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1760s | 257.52 km² per grid cell | 257.52 km² per grid cell | 257.52 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1770s | 325.56 km² per grid cell | 325.56 km² per grid cell | 325.56 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1780s | 406.59 km² per grid cell | 406.59 km² per grid cell | 406.59 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1790s | 502.79 km² per grid cell | 502.79 km² per grid cell | 502.79 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1800s | 768.82 km² per grid cell | 768.82 km² per grid cell | 768.82 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1810s | 1,191 km² per grid cell | 1,191 km² per grid cell | 1,191 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1820s | 1,523 km² per grid cell | 1,523 km² per grid cell | 1,523 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1830s | 2,431 km² per grid cell | 2,431 km² per grid cell | 2,431 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1840s | 3,884 km² per grid cell | 3,884 km² per grid cell | 3,884 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1850s | 7,265 km² per grid cell | 7,265 km² per grid cell | 7,265 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1860s | 12,597 km² per grid cell | 12,597 km² per grid cell | 12,597 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1870s | 19,930 km² per grid cell | 19,930 km² per grid cell | 19,930 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1880s | 28,112 km² per grid cell | 28,112 km² per grid cell | 28,112 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1890s | 42,401 km² per grid cell | 42,401 km² per grid cell | 42,401 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1900s | 53,032 km² per grid cell | 53,032 km² per grid cell | 53,032 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1910s | 62,886 km² per grid cell | 62,886 km² per grid cell | 62,886 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1920s | 65,617 km² per grid cell | 65,617 km² per grid cell | 65,617 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1930s | 65,879 km² per grid cell | 65,879 km² per grid cell | 65,879 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1940s | 65,806 km² per grid cell | 65,806 km² per grid cell | 65,806 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1950s | 66,872 km² per grid cell | 61,526 km² per grid cell | 73,160 km² per grid cell | 10 |
| 1960s | 81,736 km² per grid cell | 74,918 km² per grid cell | 88,919 km² per grid cell | 10 |
| 1970s | 96,629 km² per grid cell | 90,524 km² per grid cell | 102,970 km² per grid cell | 10 |
| 1980s | 112,780 km² per grid cell | 104,537 km² per grid cell | 121,942 km² per grid cell | 10 |
| 1990s | 139,296 km² per grid cell | 124,348 km² per grid cell | 154,556 km² per grid cell | 10 |
| 2000s | 169,621 km² per grid cell | 157,972 km² per grid cell | 180,736 km² per grid cell | 10 |
| 2010s | 197,048 km² per grid cell | 183,184 km² per grid cell | 211,622 km² per grid cell | 10 |
| 2020s | 222,878 km² per grid cell | 214,970 km² per grid cell | 230,837 km² per grid cell | 6 |
Countries ranked near United States
More reference data data for United States
- Spring temperature anomalies 2.51 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.5014 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.0594 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.8696 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.9189 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 143.86 2010 = 100 (2024)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban area over the long-term in United States?
- Urban area over the long-term in United States was 230,837 km² per grid cell in 2025, according to HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest urban area over the long-term recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 230,837 km² per grid cell in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban area over the long-term recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0222 km² per grid cell in 1000.
- How does United States rank for urban area over the long-term?
- United States ranks 1st out of 202 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban area over the long-term rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Urban area over the long-term. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 108 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total built-up area of a country over time.