diff --git a/src/components/ha-areas-display-editor.ts b/src/components/ha-areas-display-editor.ts
index 443d7b057c..baf1d6c6d9 100644
--- a/src/components/ha-areas-display-editor.ts
+++ b/src/components/ha-areas-display-editor.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@ import { LitElement, html } from "lit";
 import { customElement, property } from "lit/decorators";
 import { fireEvent } from "../common/dom/fire_event";
 import { getAreaContext } from "../common/entity/context/get_area_context";
-import { areaCompare } from "../data/area_registry";
 import type { HomeAssistant } from "../types";
 import "./ha-expansion-panel";
 import "./ha-items-display-editor";
@@ -37,11 +36,7 @@ export class HaAreasDisplayEditor extends LitElement {
   public showNavigationButton = false;
 
   protected render(): TemplateResult {
-    const compare = areaCompare(this.hass.areas);
-
-    const areas = Object.values(this.hass.areas).sort((areaA, areaB) =>
-      compare(areaA.area_id, areaB.area_id)
-    );
+    const areas = Object.values(this.hass.areas);
 
     const items: DisplayItem[] = areas.map((area) => {
       const { floor } = getAreaContext(area, this.hass.floors);
diff --git a/src/components/ha-areas-floors-display-editor.ts b/src/components/ha-areas-floors-display-editor.ts
index ca9743e9a4..29b6034346 100644
--- a/src/components/ha-areas-floors-display-editor.ts
+++ b/src/components/ha-areas-floors-display-editor.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ import memoizeOne from "memoize-one";
 import { fireEvent } from "../common/dom/fire_event";
 import { computeFloorName } from "../common/entity/compute_floor_name";
 import { getAreaContext } from "../common/entity/context/get_area_context";
-import { areaCompare } from "../data/area_registry";
 import type { FloorRegistryEntry } from "../data/floor_registry";
 import { getFloors } from "../panels/lovelace/strategies/areas/helpers/areas-strategy-helper";
 import type { HomeAssistant } from "../types";
@@ -131,11 +130,8 @@ export class HaAreasFloorsDisplayEditor extends LitElement {
       // update items if floors change
       _hassFloors: HomeAssistant["floors"]
     ): Record<string, DisplayItem[]> => {
-      const compare = areaCompare(hassAreas);
+      const areas = Object.values(hassAreas);
 
-      const areas = Object.values(hassAreas).sort((areaA, areaB) =>
-        compare(areaA.area_id, areaB.area_id)
-      );
       const groupedItems: Record<string, DisplayItem[]> = areas.reduce(
         (acc, area) => {
           const { floor } = getAreaContext(area, this.hass.floors);
diff --git a/src/data/area_registry.ts b/src/data/area_registry.ts
index 915a26c005..15a0a19fff 100644
--- a/src/data/area_registry.ts
+++ b/src/data/area_registry.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-import { stringCompare } from "../common/string/compare";
 import type { HomeAssistant } from "../types";
 import type { DeviceRegistryEntry } from "./device_registry";
 import type {
@@ -105,22 +104,3 @@ export const getAreaDeviceLookup = (
   }
   return areaDeviceLookup;
 };
-
-export const areaCompare =
-  (entries?: HomeAssistant["areas"], order?: string[]) =>
-  (a: string, b: string) => {
-    const indexA = order ? order.indexOf(a) : -1;
-    const indexB = order ? order.indexOf(b) : -1;
-    if (indexA === -1 && indexB === -1) {
-      const nameA = entries?.[a]?.name ?? a;
-      const nameB = entries?.[b]?.name ?? b;
-      return stringCompare(nameA, nameB);
-    }
-    if (indexA === -1) {
-      return 1;
-    }
-    if (indexB === -1) {
-      return -1;
-    }
-    return indexA - indexB;
-  };
diff --git a/src/panels/lovelace/common/generate-lovelace-config.ts b/src/panels/lovelace/common/generate-lovelace-config.ts
index 0beee6292d..a4aeed8bb0 100644
--- a/src/panels/lovelace/common/generate-lovelace-config.ts
+++ b/src/panels/lovelace/common/generate-lovelace-config.ts
@@ -5,10 +5,9 @@ import { computeStateDomain } from "../../../common/entity/compute_state_domain"
 import { computeStateName } from "../../../common/entity/compute_state_name";
 import { splitByGroups } from "../../../common/entity/split_by_groups";
 import { stripPrefixFromEntityName } from "../../../common/entity/strip_prefix_from_entity_name";
-import { stringCompare } from "../../../common/string/compare";
+import { orderCompare, stringCompare } from "../../../common/string/compare";
 import type { LocalizeFunc } from "../../../common/translations/localize";
 import type { AreasDisplayValue } from "../../../components/ha-areas-display-editor";
-import { areaCompare } from "../../../data/area_registry";
 import type {
   EnergyPreferences,
   GridSourceTypeEnergyPreference,
@@ -572,13 +571,21 @@ export const generateDefaultViewConfig = (
 
   const areaCards: LovelaceCardConfig[] = [];
 
-  const sortedAreas = Object.keys(splittedByAreaDevice.areasWithEntities).sort(
-    areaCompare(areaEntries, areasPrefs?.order)
-  );
+  const areaIds = Object.keys(areaEntries);
 
-  for (const areaId of sortedAreas) {
+  if (areasPrefs?.order) {
+    const areaOrder = areasPrefs.order;
+    areaIds.sort(orderCompare(areaOrder));
+  }
+
+  for (const areaId of areaIds) {
+    // Skip areas with no entities
+    if (!(areaId in splittedByAreaDevice.areasWithEntities)) {
+      continue;
+    }
     const areaEntities = splittedByAreaDevice.areasWithEntities[areaId];
     const area = areaEntries[areaId];
+
     areaCards.push(
       ...computeCards(
         hass,
diff --git a/src/panels/lovelace/strategies/areas/helpers/areas-strategy-helper.ts b/src/panels/lovelace/strategies/areas/helpers/areas-strategy-helper.ts
index 111df47497..e194e09ee1 100644
--- a/src/panels/lovelace/strategies/areas/helpers/areas-strategy-helper.ts
+++ b/src/panels/lovelace/strategies/areas/helpers/areas-strategy-helper.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ import { generateEntityFilter } from "../../../../../common/entity/entity_filter
 import { stripPrefixFromEntityName } from "../../../../../common/entity/strip_prefix_from_entity_name";
 import { orderCompare } from "../../../../../common/string/compare";
 import type { AreaRegistryEntry } from "../../../../../data/area_registry";
-import { areaCompare } from "../../../../../data/area_registry";
 import type { FloorRegistryEntry } from "../../../../../data/floor_registry";
 import type { LovelaceCardConfig } from "../../../../../data/lovelace/config/card";
 import type { HomeAssistant } from "../../../../../types";
@@ -287,7 +286,11 @@ export const getAreas = (
     ? areas.filter((area) => !hiddenAreas!.includes(area.area_id))
     : areas.concat();
 
-  const compare = areaCompare(entries, areasOrder);
+  if (!areasOrder) {
+    return filteredAreas;
+  }
+
+  const compare = orderCompare(areasOrder);
 
   const sortedAreas = filteredAreas.sort((areaA, areaB) =>
     compare(areaA.area_id, areaB.area_id)