This 10-Second Video Shows How Much The Population Density In The US Has Changed In The Past 200 Years

In 1790, there were only 4.5 residents per square mile in the US. Fast forward to a little over 200 years later, the picture of population density is very different now: in 2019, population density has swelled to 92.9 residents per square mile and land use is no longer concentrated on the east coast as it was in the late 18th century.

To effectively show this spread in the population, Reddit user u/jmerlinb put together this data visualization that condenses 200 years of population growth in 10 seconds. And if you're interested in viewing this data viz in more minute detail, you can see it a slowed-up version of the animation here.

It's also interesting to compare the animation with another data visualization that we've featured before, this animation by cartographer Steven Bernard that charts population growth from 1810 to 2015 and highlights how population growth is correlated with the development of transportation infrastructures, such as railroads and highways.

[Via Reddit]