Average population density in Germany is about 230 people per square kilometer, but population distribution is very uneven. About 61 percent of the population lives in towns with 2,000 to 100,000 inhabitants; 30 percent, in cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants; and the remainder, in villages with fewer than 2,000 inhabitants. Urban areas in the east are more densely populated than those in the west. Compared with cities in the United States, German cities are fairly compact, and their inhabitants can quickly reach small villages and farmlands. Germany's population growth has been slow since the late 1960s. Many regions have shown little or no growth, or have even declined in population.