Guide Rankings Geography Updated June 3, 2026

US States That Border Canada

Map of the United States highlighting all 13 states that share a border with Canada

US States That Border Canada

Ranking - Geography

Quick Answer

US States That Border Canada

  1. 1

    13 U.S. states border Canada. Alaska has the longest border at 1,538 miles. Pennsylvania has the shortest at 42 miles, a Lake Erie water boundary at the state's northwest corner.

  2. 2

    Michigan's 721-mile water border via the Great Lakes and connecting rivers is longer than Washington's 427-mile land border with British Columbia, making Michigan the second-longest border state even without a single land crossing into Canada.

  3. 3

    Maine has the longest land border with Canada among the contiguous 48 states at 611 miles, touching both Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast.

Map

U.S. States Bordering Canada: Border Length Map

Border (mi)
No data
Alaska's 1,538-mile border dwarfs any contiguous state. Among the lower 48, Maine (611 mi) and Minnesota (547 mi) have the longest borders. Pennsylvania (42 mi) and Idaho (45 mi) are the shortest.
U.S. States Bordering Canada: Border Length Map
Rank State Border (mi)
1 Alaska 1,538
2 Michigan 721
3 Maine 611
4 Minnesota 547
5 Montana 545
6 New York 445
7 Washington 427
8 North Dakota 310
9 Ohio 146
10 Vermont 90
11 New Hampshire 58
12 Idaho 45
13 Pennsylvania 42

Alaska's 1,538-mile border dwarfs any contiguous state. Among the lower 48, Maine (611 mi) and Minnesota (547 mi) have the longest borders. Pennsylvania (42 mi) and Idaho (45 mi) are the shortest.

US States That Border Canada Table

Type

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Print-ready table — US States That Border Canada

Longest and Shortest U.S. State Borders with Canada

Highest

1538
Alaska flag
Alaska #1

Lowest

42
Pennsylvania flag
Pennsylvania #13

Top 10 Highest — Border (mi)

#1 Alaska flag Alaska
1538
#2 Michigan flag Michigan
721
#3 Maine flag Maine
611
#4 Minnesota flag Minnesota
547
#5 Montana flag Montana
545
#6 New York flag New York
445
#7 Washington flag Washington
427
#8 North Dakota flag North Dakota
310
#9 Ohio flag Ohio
146
#10 Vermont flag Vermont
90

Top 10 Lowest — Border (mi)

#13 Pennsylvania flag Pennsylvania
42
#12 Idaho flag Idaho
45
#11 New Hampshire flag New Hampshire
58
#10 Vermont flag Vermont
90
#9 Ohio flag Ohio
146
#8 North Dakota flag North Dakota
310
#7 Washington flag Washington
427
#6 New York flag New York
445
#5 Montana flag Montana
545
#4 Minnesota flag Minnesota
547

States That Share Only a Water Border with Canada

Ambassador Bridge spanning the Detroit River between Detroit Michigan and Windsor Ontario
The Ambassador Bridge crosses the Detroit River between Michigan and Ontario, part of Michigan's 721-mile water border with Canada, the longest of any water-only border state.

Michigan (721 mi), Ohio (146 mi), and Pennsylvania (42 mi) border Canada entirely through the Great Lakes and connecting waterways, with no land boundary at any point. Michigan's water border runs through the St. Marys River, Lake Huron, the St. Clair River, Lake St. Clair, and the Detroit River. Every official crossing between Michigan and Ontario is a bridge or tunnel over water.

Pennsylvania's 42-mile Lake Erie segment is the least-known U.S. international border in the lower 48. The state's northwest corner meets Lake Erie at the city of Erie; the international boundary follows the lake's centerline. Ohio's 146-mile Lake Erie border stretches from the Toledo area east to the Pennsylvania line, with Ontario visible from the Ohio shore on a clear day.

Alaska Has the Longest U.S. Border with Canada

Aerial view of the 141st meridian boundary between Alaska and Yukon visible as a cleared swath through boreal forest
The Alaska-Canada boundary along the 141st meridian cuts 1,538 miles from the Arctic Ocean south through Yukon Territory, making Alaska the U.S. state with the longest border with Canada by a wide margin.

Alaska's 1,538-mile land border is more than twice as long as Maine's 611-mile border, the longest among the contiguous 48 states. Alaska borders Yukon Territory along a straight surveyed line following the 141st meridian west, then curves southeast through the panhandle, where the boundary follows mountain ridges and coastal inlets along the Alaska-British Columbia line.

Large sections of the 1,538-mile boundary cross uninhabited wilderness with no roads and no ports of entry for hundreds of miles. The Alaska Boundary Tribunal of 1903 settled a long-running dispute between the U.S. and Britain over the panhandle alignment, producing the boundary still in use today.

States with the Shortest Borders with Canada

Pennsylvania (42 mi), Idaho (45 mi), and New Hampshire (58 mi) have the three shortest U.S. borders with Canada. Pennsylvania's border is entirely a Lake Erie water boundary at the state's northwest corner near the city of Erie. Idaho's 45-mile land border runs through the northern panhandle near Eastport, ID, one of the most remote official land crossings on the northern boundary.

New Hampshire borders Canada for just 58 miles along Quebec's southern edge, through dense forest in the state's far north. Vermont (90 mi) ranks tenth, touching only Quebec along its northern boundary for 90 miles. Both states combined add up to 148 miles, less than a quarter of Montana's 545-mile land border.

Quick Answers

How many U.S. states border Canada?
13 U.S. states border Canada: Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Three of them — Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania — share only a water border through the Great Lakes, with no land crossing into Canada.
Name one state that borders Canada
Any of the 13 qualifying states is a correct answer: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, or Alaska. This is a common U.S. civics study question. Maine (611 mi) and Michigan (721 mi) are the most-cited answers, having the longest land and water borders respectively among the contiguous states.
Which state has the longest border with Canada?
Alaska has the longest border with Canada at 1,538 miles, more than double Maine's 611-mile border, which is the longest among the contiguous 48 states. Alaska's boundary runs along the 141st meridian through Yukon Territory, then follows mountain ridges southeast through the panhandle along British Columbia.
Which state has the shortest border with Canada?
Pennsylvania has the shortest U.S.-Canada border at approximately 42 miles, a Lake Erie water boundary at the state's northwest corner near Erie, PA. Idaho (45 miles) and New Hampshire (58 miles) rank second and third shortest.
Does Ohio border Canada?
Yes. Ohio shares a 146-mile water border with Canada via Lake Erie. The international boundary runs along the centerline of Lake Erie, with Ontario on the north side and Ohio on the south. There is no land border between Ohio and Canada — all crossings between Ohio and Ontario go through Michigan.
What Canadian provinces and territories border U.S. states?
Eight Canadian provinces and territories share a border with U.S. states: Yukon (Alaska), British Columbia (Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Montana), Alberta (Montana), Saskatchewan (Montana, North Dakota), Manitoba (North Dakota, Minnesota), Ontario (Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York), Quebec (New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine), and New Brunswick (Maine).

Methodology

Border lengths are drawn from International Boundary Commission surveys and U.S. Census TIGER/Line boundary data. Water borders follow the international boundary centerline through the Great Lakes and connecting waterways (St. Marys River, St. Clair River, Detroit River, Niagara River, St. Lawrence River). All figures are approximate and rounded to the nearest mile.

Sources

Information is cross-referenced with official state archives.
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