Guide Collections Flags Updated June 9, 2026

US State Flags with Blue Backgrounds: All 27 States

Alaska state flag — gold Big Dipper and North Star on a navy blue field, the most distinctive blue state flag in the US

US State Flags with Blue Backgrounds: All 27 States

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Alaska's flag (1959) is the most visually distinctive blue state flag: 8 gold stars mapping real constellations, no text, no seal. Designed by 13-year-old Benny Benson in a 1927 territorial contest.

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What matters most

Editorial Summary
  1. 1

    27 of 50 US state flags have a blue background — more than any other single color. The list includes Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

  2. 2

    About 16 of the 27 are 'seal on blue' — a state seal centered on a plain blue field with little else. The remaining 11 are visually distinctive: each has a primary symbol that reads clearly at flag scale.

  3. 3

    Four blue flags have no state seal at all: Alaska (Big Dipper stars), South Carolina (palmetto and crescent), Oklahoma (Osage shield), and Nevada (silver star and sagebrush).

  4. 4

    South Carolina's blue flag is the oldest: its indigo field with palmetto and crescent dates to 1861. Minnesota's is the newest: redesigned in May 2024, replacing a seal-on-blue used since 1957.

US State Flags with Blue Backgrounds: All 27 States

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Seal on Blue vs. Distinctive Blue Flags

Wisconsin state flag — state coat of arms centered on a blue field with state name and year 1848
Wisconsin's flag (1913) is a typical seal-on-blue design: coat of arms centered on navy, state name above, year 1848 below. At a distance it is indistinguishable from Maine, Michigan, or Vermont.

16 of the 27 blue-background flags follow the same format: a state seal or coat of arms centered on a plain blue field. The other 11 have a primary visual symbol that reads at distance — a star, a palmetto, a shield, a bison, a pelican, or a diamond.

The 11 distinctive blue flags: Alaska (8 constellation stars), South Carolina (palmetto and crescent), Oklahoma (Osage war shield), Nevada (silver star and sagebrush), Indiana (torch and 19 stars), North Dakota (eagle without seal text), Wyoming (bison silhouette), Louisiana (pelican), Arkansas (red diamond with stars), Georgia (coat of arms with arch of 13 stars), and Minnesota's 2024 North Star.

Blue Flags with No State Seal: Alaska, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Nevada

Alaska — Big Dipper and North Star

Alaska — Big Dipper and North Star

Alaska's navy blue flag maps two real constellations: 7 stars form the Big Dipper (Ursa Major) and 1 larger gold star represents Polaris, the North Star. No text, no seal, no other element. Designed by 13-year-old Benny Benson of Seward in a 1927 Alaska territorial contest; adopted as the state flag in 1959. NAVA consistently ranks it among the top 5 best-designed US state flags.

South Carolina — Palmetto and Crescent on Indigo

South Carolina — Palmetto and Crescent on Indigo

South Carolina's flag is the oldest blue flag in the group, dating to 1861, and uses indigo rather than navy. The palmetto tree and crescent moon trace to Revolutionary War regimental colors: Colonel William Moultrie's troops carried a blue flag with a crescent in 1775. The indigo color honors South Carolina's colonial indigo crop, which made the state one of the wealthiest in colonial America.

Oklahoma — Osage War Shield on Sky Blue

Oklahoma — Osage War Shield on Sky Blue

Oklahoma's flag uses sky blue (lighter than navy) and centers an Osage war shield decorated with small crosses, flanked by a crossed peace pipe (calumet) and a war club. It is the only current US state flag with Native American imagery as its primary design element. Oklahoma originally adopted an all-blue flag with a white star in 1911; the Osage shield design replaced it in 1925. The word 'Oklahoma' was added in 1941 after reports that soldiers couldn't identify the flag.

Nevada — Cobalt Blue with Silver Star

Nevada — Cobalt Blue with Silver Star

Nevada's cobalt blue flag places a silver five-pointed star in the upper-left corner, framed by two sprays of sagebrush and a 'Battle Born' scroll. No state seal anywhere. The silver star refers to the Comstock Lode silver rush of 1859 — the richest silver deposit ever found in the US. 'Battle Born' refers to Nevada's Civil War statehood in 1864. The flag was adopted in 1929.

Key Figure
27

US state flags have a blue background — more than any other single flag color. No other color comes close.

Why Blue Became the Default Color for US State Flags

Indiana state flag — gold torch surrounded by 19 stars on navy blue field, adopted 1917
Indiana (1917) ran a design competition instead of placing the seal on blue. Paul Hadley's torch-and-19-stars layout is immediately recognizable — adopted the same era as most seal-on-blue flags.

Blue appears in the Great Seal of the United States (1782) as the color of the canton — carrying the qualities of vigilance, perseverance, and justice. Most state seals borrowed from the Great Seal's color vocabulary, so blue entered state flag designs through the seals themselves.

When states formally adopted flags between 1900 and 1930, the military regimental flag was the standard template: blue field, identifying element centered. The result is that most of the 27 states ended up with navy blue as the default. Indiana (1917) and Nevada (1929) ran design competitions during the same period and deliberately chose non-seal layouts — both ended up with recognizable blue flags anyway.

Minnesota's 2024 redesign shows the pattern continuing: even when states redesign to escape the seal-on-blue format, they tend to keep the blue field. The color is no longer accidental.

Shades of Blue Across the 27 Flags

South Carolina state flag — white palmetto tree and crescent moon on an indigo blue field
South Carolina's indigo blue is the oldest shade in the group. Colonel Moultrie chose it for his troops' uniforms in 1775 — the flag has kept that color for 250 years.

19 of the 27 use navy or dark blue. The four exceptions: South Carolina uses indigo, tracing to the colonial indigo crop that dominated SC's economy before the Revolution. Oklahoma and South Dakota use sky blue, visibly lighter than navy. Nevada uses cobalt blue, more saturated than navy.

South Carolina's indigo is the oldest shade in the group. Colonel Moultrie chose the blue of his troops' uniforms in 1775, and the flag has kept that hue through every revision in over 250 years.

Quick Answers

How many state flags have a blue background?
27 of 50 US state flags have a blue background, making blue the most common primary flag color in the US. The 27 states are Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Which state flag is blue with stars?
Alaska's flag is the most prominent blue flag with stars: 8 gold stars on a navy blue field, 7 forming the Big Dipper and 1 representing Polaris. Indiana's flag has 19 stars on navy blue. New Hampshire's seal includes 9 stars. Minnesota's 2024 flag centers a single eight-pointed white North Star on blue.
Why are so many state flags blue?
Blue entered state flag design through state seals, most of which borrowed from the Great Seal of the United States (1782). When states formally adopted flags between 1900 and 1930, the standard template was the military regimental flag — blue field, seal centered. The color stayed even as designs evolved.
What is the oldest blue state flag?
South Carolina's flag, dating to 1861. It uses indigo blue — a color tied to the colonial indigo crop — with a white palmetto tree and crescent moon. The design traces to Colonel William Moultrie's regimental colors from 1775.
What state flag is blue with a tree?
South Carolina's flag shows a white palmetto tree on an indigo blue field. Vermont's flag shows a pine tree within the coat of arms on a navy blue field. Maine's coat of arms also includes a pine tree on a navy background.
Is the Oklahoma flag blue?
Yes. Oklahoma's flag uses sky blue — lighter than the navy used by most other blue-flag states. It centers an Osage war shield with a crossed peace pipe and war club. Oklahoma is the only US state flag with Native American imagery as its primary symbol.
What state flag is dark blue with an animal?
Wyoming's navy blue flag shows a large white American bison silhouette with the state seal on its body. Louisiana's blue flag shows a brown pelican in her nest. Oregon's navy blue obverse shows an eagle in the state seal.
Which blue state flag has no state seal?
Four blue-background flags have no state seal: Alaska (Big Dipper stars), South Carolina (palmetto and crescent), Oklahoma (Osage war shield), and Nevada (silver star and sagebrush wreath). Indiana and North Dakota also avoid a traditional circular seal — Indiana uses a torch-and-stars layout, North Dakota uses an eagle design without seal text.

Methodology

How we researched this list

Flags were included when blue is the primary background color of the official state flag. Flags with blue as one stripe among several equal stripes were excluded. Adoption years follow official state sources.

Sources

Sources & references

  1. 1
    North American Vexillological Association (NAVA)
    https://nava.org/
  2. 2
    State Government Official Websites
    https://www.usa.gov/states-and-territories

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