If everyone in Guttenberg were given the same amount of land, each of its approximately 11,700 residents would get about 61 square feet.

That’s slightly more than size of a pickup truck.

The fact that New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the country is one of the first things children learn in school about their home. But some of the minutiae that make up that statewide statistic is staggering.

The Garden State is home to the top four most densely populated municipalities in the United States, and seven of the top 10. The top four, all in Hudson County, are some of the most densely populated on the planet.

But not all of New Jersey is packed like sardines. The number of people per square mile scales from 0 to more than 60,000, showing even the most crowded state in the union hasn’t been completely overrun by people.

To provide some perspective, we created a 3D map showing the population per square mile of each town if it were vertical feet of elevation. We’ll then take a look at some of the most interesting points of the state’s population mountains.

Using the map: Double-click or use two fingers on a mobile phone to zoom. To rotate the map press CTRL, click and drag or pinch and rotate on a mobile phone.

The Big Four

Guttenberg, Union City, West New York and Hoboken stand head and shoulders above all other communities in New Jersey. Each boasts a population density in excess of 43,000 people per square mile, nearly 20,000 above any other town in the state, according to Census and state geographic data.

Tiny Guttenberg packs more than 11,700 into less than one-fifth of a square mile, which would make it the 14th most densely populated place in the world. The Marie Kondo-folded city, Union City and West New York are the only three towns on the list of the 50 most densely populated in the world.

The most densely populated cities in the state are all in Hudson County

The Cramped Shore

The Census' population figures don’t truly do the Jersey Shore justice, because it tracks the year-round population of our coastal towns.

Still, it’s clear that the state’s northern shore has been densely packed in recent years, with most Monmouth County coastal communities boasting a population density of more than 5,000 people per square mile.

The development of the coast has become an increasing concern to environmentalist and climate change advocates, who worry packing the beaches erodes the state’s ability to manage future storms like Hurricane Sandy.

Most New Jersey shore communities boast a population density of more than 5,000 people per square mile, even without the summertime population.

Heavily weighted Cape May

Cape May County, overall, is one of the less densely populated counties in New Jersey, but it’s average is brought up by its iconic beaches.

From Wildwood down to the southern tip of the state, population density surges where people have flocked to some of the state’s most iconically scenic communities.

Cape May County's coastline is among the most densely populated in the state.

Soaring plateaus amid vast valleys

The southwestern corner of the state, largely made up of Salem and Cumberland counties, have long remained some of the least populated in New Jersey.

But though the area remains largely farmland, communities have clustered around small, more tightly-packed community centers. Viewed in 3D, small but dense towns like Elmer, Bridgeton and Salem City stick out like sore thumbs.

Southwestern New Jersey is marked by several small but tightly packed cities that serve as regional population centers.

An oasis in the crowd

Amid all of these sprawling population mountain ranges in the state, the Pine Barrens stands out in opposition.

Federally protected since 1978, the state’s sprawling pine forest is one of the few places that still have less than 100 people per square mile. But the state’s lowest population density town isn’t actually located here.

Walpack, with about a dozen residents, covers about 25 square miles of land, largely made up of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. That puts its population density at less than one, with each resident represented by more than two square miles of land.

Still, the Pine Barrens covers a far greater swath of the state, and stands as the most notable valley on our 3D interpretation of New Jersey’s masses.