Q&A for How to Calculate Population Density

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  • Question
    How do I create a population calculation formula?
    Community Answer
    Divide the number of people in that particular place and at a particular time by the land area.
  • Question
    What is a bio-reserve?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    A bio-reserve is a geographical area set aside for preservation of wildlife and other environmental components.
  • Question
    How do I calculate density when I am given the total area and number of dwelling units?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    You would have to know the average number of people living in each unit. Multiply that number by the number of units, and then divide that product by the total area.
  • Question
    How can I calculate growth rate in the absence of census?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    All you can do is estimate the current population and compare it to the earlier population. Subtract the smaller number from the larger, then divide the difference by the amount of elapsed time. For instance, your answer might be expressed in terms of people per year.
  • Question
    What does population density mean?
    Community Answer
    Population density is a measurement of population per unit of area.
  • Question
    What if my answer has decimal places or is smaller than 1?
    Community Answer
    Your answer could be expected to have decimal places. That would not be unusual. In the case of "smaller than 1," that just means there aren't very many people in that specific location.
  • Question
    Why are the units in a population density calculation squared and not cubed?
    Community Answer
    Because people live in areas measured in square units (such as miles or kilometers), not cube units.
  • Question
    If the size of an area is missing, and the given is the number of organisms and the population density, how do I solve for the size of the area?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    Divide the number of organisms by the density.
  • Question
    How do I find population density per square mile?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    Divide the total population being considered by the number of square miles occupied by that population.
  • Question
    How can I calculate agricultural density?
    Community Answer
    Agricultural density is calculated by determining the area of arable (farmable) land divided by the number of farmers in that region.
  • Question
    How do I calculate the population into population density when I'm given the population?
    Community Answer
    You would need to find the land size in order to find the density. Calculate the area of your land, then do the instructions listed in this article.
  • Question
    How do I know when to pick square miles or square kilometers when calculating population density?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    Use the unit of measurement commonly used in the area being depicted, or the unit commonly used by your target audience.
  • Question
    How do I find the area of the city with only population and residents per square mile?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    You would divide the total population by the density to get the area in square miles.
  • Question
    If the density is 460 people per square mile and it is 1980 square miles, what is the population?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    You know you have 1,980 square miles. You know that each square mile contains an average of 460 people. So you multiply 1,980 by 460 to find the total population.
  • Question
    How do I compare population in square miles to square kilometers?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    A square mile contains 2.59 square kilometers. So assuming homogenous density, you can divide the square-mile population by 2.59 to calculate the square-kilometer population.
  • Question
    What is the cut-off point to say: 'sparsely' or 'densely' populated landscape?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    There is no firm delineation. They are fairly vague terms.
  • Question
    How can you calculate total population from many population densities in a city?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    It can't be done without considerably more information (such as neighborhood areas and populations).
  • Question
    How can I calculate the population density if I have population census and percentage of male and female?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    The percentages of male and female are irrelevant. You need the total population and the amount of area in which they live or work (given in square units).
  • Question
    How do we calculate a population?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    If you know the area in square units and the density of that area, multiply the area by its density.
  • Question
    How can I calculate the square kilometers?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    If the area is square or rectangular, multiply the length by the width (each in kilometers). If you're dealing with some other shape, use an appropriate formula to find the amount of area. If the shape is irregular, break it into squares, rectangles, triangles, etc. and add all of their areas together.
  • Question
    How do I calculate the population density with a set of frequency and without the area?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    Without the area, it's not possible.
  • Question
    How do I calculate population density if I know the population over cubic kilometers?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    You probably mean square kilometers. Divide the population by the known number of square kilometers. The quotient will be expressed in "people per square kilometer." That's the density.
  • Question
    How can you calculate total population from many population densities in a city?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    You would have to know the land area associated with each density. In each case multiply the land area by the density. That gives the population of each area. Then add all the populations together.
  • Question
    How do I calculate land area? Is it based on rectangle (length=1km, breadth=1km) or a circle (with radius of 1km)?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    Population density is normally expressed as "people per square unit of land area." Typically the area unit is a square (square kilometer,1 km x 1 km, or square mile, 1 mile x 1 mile). If the density is described as "the density within a given distance of a fixed point, the area in question would be a circle whose radius is the given distance. Here the density would still be expressed as "people per square unit of area."
  • Question
    What if the number is a decimal? You can't have a fraction of a person!
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    If, for example, the density is 500.5 people per square mile, that just means that in two square miles they counted 1001 people, or in four square miles they counted 2002 people, etc.
  • Question
    What causes a population to have a higher population density?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    Population density is just a statistical description of real-life conditions. However, What causes it to be higher or lower is a matter of various factors, including socio-economic, geographical and meteorological conditions.
  • Question
    How do I calculate projected population?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    If you are considering a predicted percentage gain in population (say, 5%), the quickest thing to do is to multiply the current population by 1.05.
  • Question
    How do you figure the density of an area, for example, one mile within a given street address?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    In this case you'd be talking about a circular area with a one-mile radius. You'd have to know the population within the circle and then divide it by 3.14 to get "people per square mile."
  • Question
    How do I calculate the population density of 22 animals over a (1. 5m×1. 5m) land?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    22 / [(1.5)(1.5)] = 22 / 2.25 = 9.77 animals per square meter.
  • Question
    If a land mass of a community is in square km, then what is the unit to be used after calculating the population density?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    The unit of density is people (or persons) per square kilometer.
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