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We have measured the spatial density of cones and rods in eight wholemounted human retinas, obtained from seven individuals between 27 and 44 years of age, and constructed maps of photoreceptor density and between‐individual variability. The average human retina contains 4.6 million cones (4.08–5.29 million). Peak foveal cone density averages 199,000 cones/mm² and is highly variable between individuals (100,000–324,000 cones/mm²). The point of highest density may be found in an area as large as 0.032 deg². Cone density falls steeply with increasing eccentricity and is an order of magnitude lower 1 mm away from the foveal center. Superimposed on this gradient is a streak of high cone density along the horizontal meridian. At equivalent eccentricities, cone density is 40–45% higher in nasal compared to temporal retina and slightly higher in midperipheral inferior compared to superior retina …