US State Flags with Stars: Every State Listed

Alaska's flag is the most purely stellar design in American vexillology. A 13-year-old orphan named Benny Benson submitted the design in a 1927 territorial contest: 8 gold stars on a dark blue field. Seven form the Big Dipper (Ursa Major), and the eighth — larger and set apart — represents Polaris, the North Star. The simplicity was deliberate: every element means exactly what it looks like.

Texas's flag uses a single large star — the Lone Star — on a vertical blue stripe beside red and white horizontal bands. The design has roots in the Republic of Texas era (1836) and carries the state's signature identity. Texas has been called the Lone Star State since before it joined the United States.

Benny Benson's winning entry came with a written explanation: the blue represented Alaska's sky and the forget-me-not (Alaska's state flower); the gold stars represented wealth; the North Star represented Alaska's future as a northern frontier. The design was formally adopted as the territorial flag in 1927 and became the state flag when Alaska joined the Union in 1959.

Indiana's flag uses 19 stars arranged in two rings around a central torch, with a larger gold star above. The 13 outer stars represent the original colonies; the inner ring of 5 represents the next five states admitted; the large star above the torch represents Indiana as the 19th state. Designer Paul Hadley won a 1916 Indiana Daughters of the American Revolution competition with this design.

Ohio's swallowtail pennant (the only non-rectangular US state flag) uses a blue triangular wedge with a large 'O' formed by a circle of stars around a red disc. The 17 stars in the triangular section and the large center star represent Ohio as the 17th state. Ohio adopted this design in 1902 and has never changed it.

Tennessee's three stars represent the state's three grand divisions — East Tennessee (mountains), Middle Tennessee (the plateau and Nashville basin), and West Tennessee (the western lowlands and Mississippi Delta edge). The stars are enclosed in a white circle on a blue medallion centered on the crimson field.

Arizona's flag features a copper five-pointed star at the center, surrounded by 13 alternating red and gold rays. The star represents copper mining — Arizona produces more copper than any other US state — while the rays echo the setting sun and represent the 13 original colonies. The flag was adopted in 1917.

Arkansas's flag carries the most stars of any US flag: 25 blue stars border the white diamond (representing Arkansas as the 25th state), and 4 blue stars appear inside the diamond — 3 below the state name and 1 above. The arrangement was amended in 1923 to add the upper star, representing the Confederacy.

North Carolina's flag shows a single star with the letters 'N' and 'C' and two dates: May 20, 1775 (the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence) and April 12, 1776 (the Halifax Resolves, the first official American action calling for independence). The star frames the dates like a historical certificate.