Census ACS 5-Year · 52 states
Largest US States by Land Area
Alaska is by far the largest US state by land area at over 570,000 square miles, more than twice the size of Texas. Texas, California, Montana, and New Mexico round out the top five. Land area shapes everything from infrastructure costs to species diversity to economic specialization (agriculture, mining, and forestry tend to dominate large rural states). The Census Gazetteer's official ALAND_SQMI figures exclude inland water; the largest states by total area would shift slightly if water surface were included.
Key Findings
- 1Alaska leads with a land area of 571,242 sq mi, followed by Texas (261,259 sq mi) and California (155,859 sq mi).
- 2District of Columbia ranks last at 61 sq mi, while Alaska leads at 571,242 sq mi.
- 3The national median across all states is 51,992 sq mi (Arkansas at the midpoint).
- 4The top 10 states are: Alaska, Texas, California, Montana, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Wyoming, Oregon.
Full Ranking: Largest US States by Land Area
Source: Census ACS 5-Year Estimates
| # | State | Land Area | Population | Density |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wyoming | 97,088.6 | 579,761 | 6 |
| 2 | Wisconsin | 54,168 | 5,892,023 | 108.8 |
| 3 | West Virginia | 24,041.2 | 1,784,462 | 74.2 |
| 4 | Washington | 66,455.4 | 7,740,984 | 116.5 |
| 5 | Virginia | 39,481.4 | 8,657,499 | 219.3 |
| 6 | Vermont | 9,217.3 | 645,254 | 70 |
| 7 | Utah | 82,595.7 | 3,331,187 | 40.3 |
| 8 | Texas | 261,258.6 | 29,640,343 | 113.5 |
| 9 | Tennessee | 41,224.3 | 6,986,082 | 169.5 |
| 10 | South Dakota | 75,807.9 | 899,194 | 11.9 |
| 11 | South Carolina | 30,064.1 | 5,212,774 | 173.4 |
| 12 | Rhode Island | 1,033.9 | 1,095,371 | 1,059.5 |
| 13 | Puerto Rico | 3,424.5 | 3,254,885 | 950.5 |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | 44,742.1 | 12,986,518 | 290.3 |
| 15 | Oregon | 95,996.7 | 4,238,714 | 44.2 |
| 16 | Oklahoma | 68,596.7 | 3,995,260 | 58.2 |
| 17 | Ohio | 40,858.9 | 11,780,046 | 288.3 |
| 18 | North Dakota | 68,994.3 | 779,361 | 11.3 |
| 19 | North Carolina | 48,624.2 | 10,584,340 | 217.7 |
| 20 | New York | 47,123.4 | 19,872,319 | 421.7 |
| 21 | New Mexico | 121,312.7 | 2,114,768 | 17.4 |
| 22 | New Jersey | 7,354.9 | 9,267,014 | 1,260 |
| 23 | New Hampshire | 8,953.8 | 1,387,834 | 155 |
| 24 | Nevada | 109,860.4 | 3,141,000 | 28.6 |
| 25 | Nebraska | 76,815 | 1,965,926 | 25.6 |
| 26 | Montana | 145,550.3 | 1,105,072 | 7.6 |
| 27 | Missouri | 68,746.4 | 6,168,181 | 89.7 |
| 28 | Mississippi | 46,924.6 | 2,951,438 | 62.9 |
| 29 | Minnesota | 79,631.6 | 5,713,716 | 71.8 |
| 30 | Michigan | 56,611 | 10,051,595 | 177.6 |
| 31 | Massachusetts | 7,801 | 6,992,395 | 896.4 |
| 32 | Maryland | 9,710.9 | 6,170,738 | 635.4 |
| 33 | Maine | 30,845.1 | 1,377,400 | 44.7 |
| 34 | Louisiana | 43,212.9 | 4,621,025 | 106.9 |
| 35 | Kentucky | 39,485.4 | 4,510,725 | 114.2 |
| 36 | Kansas | 81,758.6 | 2,937,569 | 35.9 |
| 37 | Iowa | 55,853.7 | 3,195,937 | 57.2 |
| 38 | Indiana | 35,825.1 | 6,811,752 | 190.1 |
| 39 | Illinois | 55,513.1 | 12,692,653 | 228.6 |
| 40 | Idaho | 82,645.4 | 1,893,296 | 22.9 |
| 41 | Hawaii | 6,422.6 | 1,445,635 | 225.1 |
| 42 | Georgia | 57,716.8 | 10,822,590 | 187.5 |
| 43 | Florida | 53,654.8 | 21,928,881 | 408.7 |
| 44 | District of Columbia | 61.1 | 672,079 | 10,995 |
| 45 | Delaware | 1,948.5 | 1,005,872 | 516.2 |
| 46 | Connecticut | 4,842.5 | 3,598,348 | 743.1 |
| 47 | Colorado | 103,637.1 | 5,810,774 | 56.1 |
| 48 | California | 155,859.2 | 39,242,785 | 251.8 |
| 49 | Arkansas | 51,991.9 | 3,032,651 | 58.3 |
| 50 | Arizona | 113,655.4 | 7,268,175 | 63.9 |
| 51 | Alaska | 571,241.6 | 733,971 | 1.3 |
| 52 | Alabama | 50,651 | 5,054,253 | 99.8 |
Methodology
Rankings are based on American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year estimates from the US Census Bureau. All 50 states and the District of Columbia are included. The ACS surveys approximately 3.5 million households annually and provides detailed demographic, social, economic, and housing data. 5-Year estimates offer the most reliable data for state-level comparisons by averaging responses over a 60-month period. Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Alaska has the highest land area at 571,242 sq mi, according to latest Census ACS data. Texas and California round out the top three.
District of Columbia has the lowest land area at 61 sq mi. Rhode Island is second-lowest at 1,034 sq mi.
The median across all 52 states is 51,992 sq mi. Note that the national median and the state-level median are calculated differently, the state median represents the midpoint when all states are ranked.
This data comes from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year estimates published by the US Census Bureau. The ACS surveys approximately 3.5 million households annually and provides the most comprehensive demographic data available between decennial censuses.
Rankings are based on the latest available Census ACS 5-Year estimates. The Census Bureau releases new ACS data annually. Our data was last updated on April 12, 2026.
Rankings are based on American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year estimates from the US Census Bureau. All 50 states and the District of Columbia are included. The ACS surveys approximately 3.5 million households annually and provides detailed demographic, social, economic, and housing data. 5-Year estimates offer the most reliable data for state-level comparisons by averaging responses over a 60-month period. Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS, 2026.