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US States Ranked by Size & Population

Stately Knowledge: Facts about the United States

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US States by Population

US Population 2022 [Image Credits: Abbasi78786 / Wikimedia Commons (licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0)]

States in the US are all very different from each other. So, it comes as no surprise that they have very different population estimates. With growth in the form of natural births and inward migration (both domestic and foreign), and declines from deaths and outward migration, state populations are in a constant state of flux. As of July 2022, the population of the United States is estimated to have crossed 333 million.

The United States Census Bureau’s population statistics encompass the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the five US territories, including Puerto Rico. The official Census takes into account the total number of people residing in the US, including citizens, permanent residents, and long-term visitors. Federal employees serving abroad, both civilian and military, as well as their dependents, are counted in their home state.

This population of the United States is unevenly distributed across all states and territories. The most populated states are California, Texas, and Florida, while the states with the least population are Vermont and Wyoming.

The table below lists all US states ranked by population, from most populated to least populated.

States by Population
RankStatePopulation in 2022Population in 2021Population in 2020
All United States333,287,557331,893,745331,449,281
1California39,029,34239,237,83639,538,223
2Texas30,029,57229,527,94129,145,505
3Florida22,244,82321,781,12821,538,187
4New York19,677,15119,835,91320,201,249
5Pennsylvania12,972,00812,964,05612,812,508
6Illinois12,582,03212,671,46912,702,379
7Ohio11,756,05811,780,01711,799,448
8Georgia10,912,87610,799,56610,711,908
9North Carolina10,698,97310,551,16210,439,388
10Michigan10,034,11310,050,81110,077,331
11New Jersey9,261,6999,267,1309,288,994
12Virginia8,683,6198,642,2748,631,393
13Washington7,785,7867,738,6927,705,281
14Arizona7,359,1977,276,3167,151,502
15Tennessee7,051,3396,975,2186,910,840
16Massachusetts6,981,9746,984,7237,029,917
17Indiana6,833,0376,805,9856,785,528
18Missouri6,177,9576,168,1876,154,913
19Maryland6,164,6606,165,1296,177,224
20Wisconsin5,892,5395,895,9085,893,718
21Colorado5,839,9265,812,0695,773,714
22Minnesota5,717,1845,707,3905,706,494
23South Carolina5,282,6345,190,7055,118,425
24Alabama5,074,2965,039,8775,024,279
25Louisiana4,590,2414,624,0474,657,757
26Kentucky4,512,3104,509,3944,505,836
27Oregon4,240,1374,246,1554,237,256
28Oklahoma4,019,8003,986,6393,959,353
29Connecticut3,626,2053,605,5973,605,944
30Utah3,380,8003,337,9753,271,616
31Iowa3,200,5173,193,0793,190,369
32Nevada3,177,7723,143,9913,104,614
33Arkansas3,045,6373,025,8913,011,524
34Mississippi2,940,0572,949,9682,961,279
35Kansas2,937,1502,934,5822,937,880
36New Mexico2,113,3442,115,8772,117,522
37Nebraska1,967,9231,963,6921,961,504
38Idaho1,939,0331,900,9231,839,106
39West Virginia1,775,1561,782,9591,793,716
40Hawaii1,440,1961,441,5531,455,271
41New Hampshire1,395,2311,388,9921,377,529
42Maine1,385,3401,372,2471,362,359
43Montana1,122,8671,104,2711,084,225
44Rhode Island1,093,7341,095,6101,097,379
45Delaware1,018,3961,003,384 989,948
46South Dakota909,824895,376886,667
47North Dakota779,261774,948779,094
48Alaska733,583732,673733,391
49Washington, D.C.671,803670,050689,545
50Vermont647,064645,570643,077
51Wyoming581,381578,803576,851

(Source: Population Estimates, 2022, 2021, and 2020)

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US States by Size (Total Area)

The United States is the third largest country in the world by area and ranks just behind Russia and Canada. All 50 states in the US vary drastically in area. The largest state is Alaska, which is more than 400 times larger than Rhode Island, the smallest state. In the US, a large area does not mean a large population. Texas, for example, is bigger than California, but the latter is more populous.
When it comes to size comparison, Alaska is staggeringly big; bigger than the next three largest states (Texas, California and Montana) combined, and twice the size of the second largest state, Texas. The smallest state – Rhode Island – could fit into Alaska nearly 486 times. And if Washington DC were a state, it would be the smallest.
The 10 largest states by area are Alaska, Texas, California, Montana, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Oregon and Wyoming. They are located west of the Mississippi River. The 7 smallest states – Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, and Rhode Island – are among the 13 original colonies and are located in the northeast part of the country.
The table below lists all US states plus Washington, D.C. ranked by size, from biggest to smallest.
States by Size (Total Area)
RankStateSize
(land & water)
(square miles)
All United States3,796,742.23
1Alaska665,384.04
2Texas268,596.46
3California163,694.74
4Montana147,039.71
5New Mexico121,590.30
6Arizona113,990.30
7Nevada110,571.82
8Colorado104,093.67
9Oregon98,378.54
10Wyoming97,813.01
11Michigan96,713.51
12Minnesota86,935.83
13Utah84,896.88
14Idaho83,568.95
15Kansas82,278.36
16Nebraska77,347.81
17South Dakota77,115.68
18Washington71,297.95
19North Dakota70,698.32
20Oklahoma69,898.87
21Missouri69,706.99
22Florida65,757.70
23Wisconsin65,496.38
24Georgia59,425.15
25Illinois57,913.55
26Iowa56,272.81
27New York54,554.98
28North Carolina53,819.16
29Arkansas53,178.55
30Alabama52,420.07
31Louisiana52,378.13
32Mississippi48,431.78
33Pennsylvania46,054.34
34Ohio44,825.58
35Virginia42,774.93
36Tennessee42,144.25
37Kentucky40,407.80
38Indiana36,419.55
39Maine35,379.74
40South Carolina32,020.49
41West Virginia24,230.04
42Maryland12,405.93
43Hawaii10,931.72
44Massachusetts10,554.39
45Vermont9,616.36
46New Hampshire9,349.16
47New Jersey8,722.58
48Connecticut5,543.41
49Delaware2,488.72
50Rhode Island1,544.89
51Washington, D. C.68.34

(See the Area Measurement section of the U.S. Census’s Census 2000 Geographic Definitions page for definitions of Size, Land Area, and Water Area.

Source for Size, Land Area, and Water Area: United States Summary: 2010 Population and Housing Unit Counts.)

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US States by Land Area

States by Land Area
RankStateLand Area
(square miles)
All United States3,531,905.43
1Alaska570,640.95
2Texas261,231.71
3California155,779.22
4Montana145,545.80
5New Mexico121,298.15
6Arizona113,594.08
7Nevada109,781.18
8Colorado103,641.89
9Wyoming97,093.14
10Oregon95,988.01
11Idaho82,643.12
12Utah82,169.62
13Kansas81,758.72
14Minnesota79,626.74
15Nebraska76,824.17
16South Dakota75,811.00
17North Dakota69,000.80
18Missouri68,741.52
19Oklahoma68,594.92
20Washington66,455.52
21Georgia57,513.49
22Michigan56,538.90
23Iowa55,869.36
24Illinois55,518.93
25Wisconsin54,157.80
26Florida53,924.76
27Arkansas52,035.48
28Alabama50,645.33
29North Carolina48,617.91
30New York47,126.40
31Mississippi46,923.27
32Pennsylvania44,742.70
33Louisiana43,203.90
34Tennessee41,234.90
35Ohio40,860.69
36Virginia39,490.09
37Kentucky39,486.34
38Indiana35,826.11
39Maine30,842.92
40South Carolina30,060.70
41West Virginia24,038.21
42Maryland9,707.24
43Vermont9,216.66
44New Hampshire8,952.65
45Massachusetts7,800.06
46New Jersey7,354.22
47Hawaii6,422.63
48Connecticut4,842.36
49Delaware1,948.54
50Rhode Island1,033.81
51Washington, D. C.61.05

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US States by Water Area

States by Water Area
RankStateWater Area
(square miles)
All United States264,836.79
1Alaska94,743.10
2Michigan40,174.61
3Florida12,132.94
4Wisconsin11,338.57
5Louisiana9,174.23
6California7,915.52
7New York7,428.58
8Texas7,364.75
9Minnesota7,309.09
10North Carolina5,201.25
11Washington4,842.43
12Maine4,536.82
13Hawaii4,509.09
14Ohio3,964.89
15Virginia3,284.84
16Massachusetts2,754.33
17Utah2,727.26
18Maryland2,698.69
19Illinois2,394.62
20Oregon2,390.53
21South Carolina1,959.79
22Georgia1,911.66
23Alabama1,774.74
24North Dakota1,697.52
25Mississippi1,508.51
26Montana1,493.91
27New Jersey1,368.36
28Pennsylvania1,311.64
29South Dakota1,304.68
30Oklahoma1,303.95
31Arkansas1,143.07
32Missouri965.47
33Idaho925.83
34Kentucky921.46
35Tennessee909.36
36Nevada790.65
37Wyoming719.87
38Connecticut701.06
39Indiana593.44
40Delaware540.18
41Nebraska523.64
42Kansas519.64
43Rhode Island511.07
44Colorado451.78
45Iowa415.68
46Vermont399.71
47New Hampshire396.51
48Arizona396.22
49New Mexico292.15
50West Virginia191.83
51Washington, D. C.7.29

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US States by Population Density

The population density of an area is the average measure of the number of people that occupy one square unit of that area. It is calculated for each state by dividing the population of that state by its land area. 

As stated before, the size of a state is not necessarily an indicator of the size of its population. Alaska, which is the largest state, has among the lowest state populations in the country. This makes it the least densely populated in the country. New Jersey, on the other hand, is the 46th smallest state by land size, but it also ranks 11th by population. Thus, the small size and large population makes New Jersey the most densely populated state. (Though it has been included in the table below, the capital city Washington D.C. is not a state. If it was a state, it would replace New Jersey as the most densely populated.)

The table ranks states in order of their population density in 2022, from highest to lowest.

States by Population Density
(number of people
per square mile of land area)
RankStatePopulation Density
All United States94.36
1Washington, D. C.11,004.14
2New Jersey1,283.4
3Rhode Island1,074.3
4Massachusetts919.82
5Connecticut746.7
6Maryland648.84
7Delaware514.941
8New York433.9
9Florida416.96
10Pennsylvania292.62
11Ohio290.7
12California258.21
13Hawaii231.01
14Illinois230.68
15Virginia223.36
16North Carolina220.3
17Indiana191.93
18Georgia191.59
19Michigan179.26
20South Carolina175.19
21Tennessee171.71
22New Hampshire155.91
23Washington120.37
24Texas116.16
25Kentucky115.38
26Wisconsin109.97
27Louisiana108.67
28Alabama100.65
29Missouri90.26
30West Virginia73.88
31Minnesota73.18
32Vermont70.34
33Arizona64.96
34Mississippi63.07
35Oklahoma58.63
36Arkansas58.43
37Iowa57.89
38Colorado57.86
39Oregon45.41
40Maine44.236
41Utah41.67
42Kansas36.24
43Nevada29.38
44Nebraska26.06
45Idaho23.24
46New Mexico17.6
47South Dakota11.98
48North Dakota11.75
49Montana7.64
50Wyoming5.98
51Alaska1.3

(Source: Wisevoter: Population Density by State)

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Population Trends in the USA

  • In recent years, the US has witnessed slower rates of population growth. Factors contributing to this are decreased fertility and international migration. The July 2021 population estimates released by the US Census Bureau displayed a growth of 0.1% from 2020 to 2021, which is the lowest ever recorded in the country. The drastic drop is widely attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic, which broke out in 2020 and led to increased deaths and lockdowns which further stemmed international migration. 
  • Domestic migration continues to cause growth in certain regions, such as the South, more than in other areas. Highly urban regions, such as areas along the East and West coasts, have witnessed significant decline due to outward domestic migration.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the largest state in the US?

The largest state in the US is Alaska. It spans a total of 665,384.04 square miles. Of these, 570,640.95 square miles are land, while 94,743 square miles are water.

  • What is the smallest state in the US?

The smallest state in the US is Rhode Island, with a total of 1,544.89 square miles.

  • What is the most populated state in the US?

The most populated state in the US is California. As of 2022, it has a population above  39,000,000. However, California has been witnessing a gradual decline in population as the current figure is a drop compared to 2020, when it had been approximately 39,538,223.

  • What is the least populated state in the US?

The state that has the lowest population in the US is Wyoming. As of 2022, it has a population of about 581,000.

  • Is Canada bigger than the US?

Overall, Canada is bigger than the US. It has a total area of about 3,855,100 square miles compared to the US’s 3,796,742 square miles. However, Canada’s land mass is slightly smaller than that of the US. On the other hand, about 9% of the country’s total area is water. Thus, its total area is larger than that of the US.

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