BACKGROUND: The imbalance between the increase in the overall volume of patients at the emergency department (ED) with the capacity of the emergency unit can lead to overcrowded conditions in the ED. Factors that cause ED density include lack of beds for inpatients, increased overall patient volume, increased non-emergency patient visits, lack of nursing staff, and lack of administrative support. Overcrowded at the ED can cause work stress on nurses. Nurses in the ED tend to experience more stress than nurses on the ward due to workload and work fatigue. AIM: This study aimed to investigate the correlation between the ED density with nursing work stress. METHODS: This study was conducted a correlational study in a hospital at Central Java in 2020. Total sampling with the criteria of nurses in the ED was the method employed to the respondents. The data analysis used descriptive statistics and rank Spearman, with a significant level of p < 0.05. RESULTS: The most frequent occurred in the ED was overcrowded, while nursing work stress was moderate stress. The result of the rank Spearman test obtained p = 0.000 with a correlation coefficient of 0.725. CONCLUSION: There was a significant correlation between the ED density levels with nursing work stress.