Guide Rankings Geography Updated April 26, 2026

States Ranked by Land Area

Choropleth map of all 50 U.S. states shaded by land area from largest to smallest

States Ranked by Land Area

Ranking - Geography

Quick Answer

States Ranked by Land Area

  1. 1

    Alaska (570,641 sq mi) is the largest state in the USA by land area, Texas (261,914 sq mi) is the second-largest and the biggest state in the contiguous United States, and Rhode Island (1,034 sq mi) is the smallest — more than 550 times smaller than Alaska.

  2. 2

    All 10 of the largest states are west of the Mississippi River. All 10 of the smallest states are in the East, concentrated in New England and the Mid-Atlantic.

Map

U.S. States by Area Map

sq mi
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Alaska is the largest U.S. state by land area, followed by Texas and California. All 10 of the largest states are west of the Mississippi River.
U.S. States by Area Map
Rank State sq mi
1 Alaska 570,641
2 Texas 261,914
3 California 155,959
4 Montana 145,552
5 New Mexico 121,298
6 Arizona 113,594
7 Nevada 109,781
8 Colorado 103,642
9 Wyoming 97,093
10 Oregon 95,988
11 Idaho 82,643
12 Utah 82,170
13 Kansas 81,759
14 Minnesota 79,627
15 Nebraska 76,824
16 South Dakota 75,811
17 North Dakota 69,001
18 Missouri 68,742
19 Oklahoma 68,595
20 Washington 66,456
21 Georgia 57,513
22 Michigan 56,539
23 Iowa 55,857
24 Illinois 55,519
25 Wisconsin 54,158
26 Florida 53,625
27 Arkansas 52,035
28 Alabama 50,645
29 North Carolina 48,618
30 New York 47,126
31 Mississippi 46,923
32 Pennsylvania 44,743
33 Louisiana 43,204
34 Tennessee 41,235
35 Ohio 40,861
36 Virginia 39,490
37 Kentucky 39,486
38 Indiana 35,826
39 Maine 30,843
40 South Carolina 30,061
41 West Virginia 24,038
42 Maryland 9,707
43 Vermont 9,217
44 New Hampshire 8,953
45 Massachusetts 7,800
46 New Jersey 7,354
47 Hawaii 6,423
48 Connecticut 4,842
49 Delaware 1,949
50 Rhode Island 1,034

Alaska is the largest U.S. state by land area, followed by Texas and California. All 10 of the largest states are west of the Mississippi River.

States Ranked by Land Area Table

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Print-ready table — States Ranked by Land Area

Largest and Smallest U.S. States by Land Area

Highest

570641
Alaska flag
Alaska #1

Lowest

1034
Rhode Island flag
Rhode Island #50

Top 10 Highest — Land area (sq mi)

#1 Alaska flag Alaska
570641
#2 Texas flag Texas
261914
#3 California flag California
155959
#4 Montana flag Montana
145552
#5 New Mexico flag New Mexico
121298
#6 Arizona flag Arizona
113594
#7 Nevada flag Nevada
109781
#8 Colorado flag Colorado
103642
#9 Wyoming flag Wyoming
97093
#10 Oregon flag Oregon
95988

Top 10 Lowest — Land area (sq mi)

#50 Rhode Island flag Rhode Island
1034
#49 Delaware flag Delaware
1949
#48 Connecticut flag Connecticut
4842
#47 Hawaii flag Hawaii
6423
#46 New Jersey flag New Jersey
7354
#45 Massachusetts flag Massachusetts
7800
#44 New Hampshire flag New Hampshire
8953
#43 Vermont flag Vermont
9217
#42 Maryland flag Maryland
9707
#41 West Virginia flag West Virginia
24038

Largest States in the U.S.

The five largest U.S. states — Alaska, Texas, California, Montana, and New Mexico — account for more than half of all U.S. land area combined. Alaska alone covers 570,641 square miles, more than twice the size of Texas (261,914 sq mi). Texas is the largest state in the contiguous United States; it would take more than 425 Rhode Islands to fill Alaska. Size does not always mean more borders, though — Texas has only four neighboring states, as shown in the states with the most neighboring states ranking.

Alaska is so large that if it were a country, it would rank 17th in the world by land area — bigger than France, Spain, and Germany combined. Wyoming and Oregon, which close out the top 10, are each larger than any state east of the Mississippi River.

Rank
1
State
Alaska
Land area (sq mi)
570641
Rank
2
State
Texas
Land area (sq mi)
261914
Rank
3
State
California
Land area (sq mi)
155959
Rank
4
State
Montana
Land area (sq mi)
145552
Rank
5
State
New Mexico
Land area (sq mi)
121298
Rank
6
State
Arizona
Land area (sq mi)
113594
Rank
7
State
Nevada
Land area (sq mi)
109781
Rank
8
State
Colorado
Land area (sq mi)
103642
Rank
9
State
Wyoming
Land area (sq mi)
97093
Rank
10
State
Oregon
Land area (sq mi)
95988

Smallest States in the U.S.

The five smallest U.S. states — Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, New Jersey, and New Hampshire — combined total only 24,132 square miles, less land than West Virginia (24,038 sq mi) occupies alone. Rhode Island, at 1,034 square miles, can be driven end-to-end in about an hour, yet it has a population density higher than all but two other states.

New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the country, fitting 9.3 million residents into 7,354 square miles. Delaware was the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution in 1787 — a landmark that punches well above its 1,949 square miles. Four of the five smallest states rank among the top 15 for GDP per capita.

Rank
41
State
West Virginia
Land area (sq mi)
24038
Rank
42
State
Maryland
Land area (sq mi)
9707
Rank
43
State
Vermont
Land area (sq mi)
9217
Rank
44
State
New Hampshire
Land area (sq mi)
8953
Rank
45
State
Massachusetts
Land area (sq mi)
7800
Rank
46
State
New Jersey
Land area (sq mi)
7354
Rank
47
State
Hawaii
Land area (sq mi)
6423
Rank
48
State
Connecticut
Land area (sq mi)
4842
Rank
49
State
Delaware
Land area (sq mi)
1949
Rank
50
State
Rhode Island
Land area (sq mi)
1034

U.S. States by Size in Square Miles

All 50 states are ranked here by land area in square miles — the Census Bureau standard for comparing state sizes. Land area means dry ground only: rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and coastal waters are excluded. Square kilometers are shown alongside. To sort by total area or water area instead, use the column headers in the main table.

Land Area vs. Total Area

Land area counts only the solid ground within a state's boundaries. Total area adds all water bodies — lakes, rivers, reservoirs, and coastal waters within state lines. For most states the difference is small, but a few look very different depending on which number you use. Michigan ranks 22nd by land area (56,539 sq mi) but 11th by total area (96,714 sq mi) because the Great Lakes add more than 40,000 square miles of water. Florida, Louisiana, and Hawaii all shift several places when water is included. This page uses land area as the primary ranking metric, which is the Census Bureau standard for comparing state sizes.

State
Alaska
Land area rank
1
Total area rank
1
Why it changes
92,627 sq mi of water — rank unchanged because land area is dominant
State
Michigan
Land area rank
22
Total area rank
11
Why it changes
40,175 sq mi of Great Lakes nearly doubles its total area
State
Florida
Land area rank
26
Total area rank
22
Why it changes
12,133 sq mi of coastal waters and wetlands
State
Hawaii
Land area rank
47
Total area rank
43
Why it changes
4,509 sq mi of ocean water lifts total area above Connecticut
State
Rhode Island
Land area rank
50
Total area rank
50
Why it changes
Still the smallest state by both measures

Quick Answers

What is the largest state in the U.S.?
Alaska is the largest U.S. state by land area, with 570,641 square miles (1,477,953 km²). It is more than twice the size of Texas, the second-largest state.
What are the biggest states in the U.S.?
The five largest U.S. states by land area are Alaska (570,641 sq mi), Texas (261,914 sq mi), California (155,959 sq mi), Montana (145,552 sq mi), and New Mexico (121,298 sq mi). Texas is the largest state in the contiguous United States.
What is the smallest state in the U.S.?
Rhode Island is the smallest U.S. state by land area, with 1,034 square miles (2,678 km²).
What are the smallest states in the U.S.?
The five smallest U.S. states by land area are Rhode Island (1,034 sq mi), Delaware (1,949 sq mi), Connecticut (4,842 sq mi), New Jersey (7,354 sq mi), and New Hampshire (8,953 sq mi).
What are the U.S. states by size in square miles?
The main table on this page ranks all 50 states by land area in square miles, from Alaska (570,641 sq mi) at #1 to Rhode Island (1,034 sq mi) at #50. Land area excludes water bodies.
Is state size measured by land area or total area?
This page ranks states by land area, which counts only solid ground and excludes lakes, rivers, and coastal waters. Total area includes both land and water. The two measures produce different rankings for water-heavy states like Michigan and Florida.
What are U.S. states by area, ranked?
Ranked by land area, the largest U.S. states are Alaska (570,641 sq mi), Texas (261,914 sq mi), California (155,959 sq mi), Montana (145,552 sq mi), and New Mexico (121,298 sq mi). The smallest are Rhode Island (1,034 sq mi), Delaware (1,949 sq mi), and Connecticut (4,842 sq mi). The full ranking of all 50 states by area is in the table above.
What are the U.S. states ranked by size?
By land area, Alaska is #1 (570,641 sq mi), followed by Texas (#2, 261,914 sq mi), California (#3, 155,959 sq mi), Montana (#4, 145,552 sq mi), and New Mexico (#5, 121,298 sq mi). Rhode Island is #50 and the smallest state. The complete size ranking of all 50 states appears in the table on this page.
What are the sizes of U.S. states in square miles?
U.S. state sizes in square miles range from Alaska at 570,641 sq mi down to Rhode Island at 1,034 sq mi. The full table above lists all 50 states with their land area in square miles (sq mi) and square kilometers (km²). Land area figures are from the U.S. Census Bureau and exclude water bodies.

Methodology

Land area uses U.S. Census Bureau measurements and excludes water. Total area and water area are available as alternate table metrics.

Sources

Information is cross-referenced with official state archives.
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