It’s the state with the lowest population density that’s home to an N.F.L. team

On the May 20, 2025 episode of Jeopardy, the Final Jeopardy category was N.F.L. Geography, a topic that often merges sports knowledge with American demographics and state trivia. The clue read: “It’s the state with the lowest population density that’s home to an N.F.L. team.”

What is Nevada?

The correct response was Nevada.

At first glance, some might expect the answer to be a more rural state such as Wyoming or Montana—both of which indeed have very low population densities. However, neither of those states hosts a team in the National Football League. Nevada, despite its glitzy reputation for Las Vegas, actually holds the distinction of being the state with the lowest population density that does have an N.F.L. team, making it the correct and logical answer to this geography-meets-sports clue.

Understanding Population Density and N.F.L. Presence

Population density is typically measured by the number of residents per square mile. States like Alaska, Wyoming, and Montana rank at the top in terms of low population density, but none of them are home to an N.F.L. franchise. Nevada, with approximately 30 people per square mile, ranks as one of the sparsest in the continental United States.

Despite this, Nevada is home to the Las Vegas Raiders, an N.F.L. team that relocated from Oakland, California, in 2020. The team’s move to Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, just outside of the Las Vegas city limits, marked a significant milestone—not just for the franchise but for the broader national sports landscape. It demonstrated how major league sports have increasingly targeted growing entertainment hubs regardless of overall state population.

Why Nevada Stands Out in the League

Nevada’s unique profile—a blend of high tourism, a globally recognized entertainment industry, and a relatively small permanent population—makes it a statistical outlier in the N.F.L. The state’s overall low population density contrasts sharply with the vibrant urban concentration in Las Vegas, where the Raiders now play.

This juxtaposition is key to understanding why Nevada is the correct answer to the clue. While Las Vegas itself is densely populated and continues to grow, most of Nevada remains uninhabited desert and mountainous terrain. That brings down the state’s average population density significantly, while still allowing it to support a professional football franchise in its main metro area.

The Raiders’ Move and Nevada’s Role in the NFL

The Raiders’ move to Nevada was more than just a logistical shift. It represented the NFL’s willingness to embrace newer markets and capitalize on cities with strong tourism infrastructure. Allegiant Stadium, the team’s state-of-the-art venue, hosts not only N.F.L. games but also concerts, events, and even college football championships, making it a centerpiece of the Las Vegas sports scene.

Although the rest of the state is largely rural and sparsely populated, this one metropolitan area drives enough economic and media attention to support an N.F.L. presence. This makes Nevada a compelling case of how sports franchises sometimes transcend traditional metrics like total population when selecting markets.

A Strategic Geography Lesson

This Final Jeopardy clue offered a thoughtful test of geographic and sports knowledge. By framing the question in terms of population density rather than total population or team success, it required contestants to think critically about how geography and sports intersect. Nevada, with its combination of a booming urban center and vast empty stretches of land, stood out as the accurate and perhaps surprising choice.

For trivia fans and sports enthusiasts alike, this clue highlighted the importance of reading beyond the obvious. It wasn’t about which state has the fewest people, but which state with few people still manages to host one of the country’s most popular sports teams. Nevada checks both boxes, earning its spot in Final Jeopardy.