State rankings

Driest States in the US

Kentucky has the highest Total Precipitation in 2025 (57.45 in), followed by Tennessee (53.33 in) and Louisiana (53.12 in). Nevada has the lowest (9.41 in).

EnvironmentGeography50 states · 3 metricsUpdated Mar 9, 2025Original page
6 sources
48 of 51 states
Compare this metricAdd to combined rankingOpen full map

Total Precipitation, 2025

Darker means higher. Click a place to highlight it.

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All 48 ranked

Highest first.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one state; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median
39.05 in
Middle half 25.57 in – 43.08 in
Average
34.95 in
48 states
Highest
57.45 in
Kentucky
Lowest
9.41 in
Nevada

Over time · 2023–2025

The top 5 in 2025, against the median.

  • Median of all states
  • Kentucky
  • Tennessee
  • Louisiana
  • Mississippi
  • Alabama

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

50 states · # = rank by Total Precipitation
#
1Kentucky57.45 in48.91,242
2Tennessee53.33 in54.21,376
3Louisiana53.12 in60.11,528
4Mississippi52.18 in591,499
5Alabama51.81 in58.31,480
6Arkansas51.55 in50.61,284
7West Virginia45.07 in45.21,147
8Rhode Island44.79 in47.91,218
9North Carolina44.57 in50.31,279
10Florida44.53 in54.51,385
11Georgia44.09 in50.71,287
12Virginia43.43 in44.31,125
13South Carolina42.96 in49.81,264
14Massachusetts42.73 in47.71,211
15Connecticut41.99 in50.31,279
16Vermont41.96 in42.71,085
17Delaware40.26 in45.71,160
18Pennsylvania40.21 in42.91,089
19Washington40.15 in38.4976
20New York40.11 in41.81,062
21New Hampshire40.08 in43.41,103
22Indiana39.89 in41.71,060
23Oklahoma39.45 in36.5927
24Ohio39.09 in39.1993
25Maine39.01 in42.21,072
26New Jersey38.72 in47.11,196
27Maryland38.32 in44.51,131
28Missouri38.14 in42.21,071
29Iowa33.53 in34864
30Illinois32.93 in39.2996
31Michigan32.05 in32.8833
32Wisconsin30.61 in32.6829
33Kansas29.42 in28.9733
34Oregon29.13 in27.4695
35Minnesota26.55 in27.3693
36Texas25.98 in28.9734
37Nebraska24.33 in23.6599
38South Dakota23.28 in20.1511
39California23.23 in22.2563
40Idaho23.13 in18.9481
41Montana20.04 in15.3390
42North Dakota19.85 in17.8452
43Wyoming16.28 in12.9328
44Colorado16.05 in15.9405
45New Mexico12.46 in14.6370
46Utah10.4 in12.2310
47Arizona9.82 in13.6345
48Nevada9.41 in9.5241
—Hawaii—63.71,618
—Alaska—22.5572

What correlates with Total Precipitation (2025)?

Pearson r against 2,108 other state metrics sharing at least 29 states. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher Total Precipitation tend to score higher on these

  1. Yearly Precipitation (Inches)Climate by State (1991–2020 Averages)
    r = +0.97 · very strong · n = 48
    Plot
  2. Average Annual RainfallOff-Grid Living Legal States
    r = +0.97 · very strong · n = 48
    Plot
  3. Mean Annual Precipitation 1971-2000Best Weather by State
    r = +0.97 · very strong · n = 48
    Plot
  4. Mean Annual Precipitation (mm)Wettest States
    r = +0.93 · very strong · n = 48
    Plot
  5. Mean Annual Precipitation (in)Wettest States
    r = +0.93 · very strong · n = 48
    Plot
  6. Indoor Allergy Humidity ScoreAllergy-Friendly States
    r = +0.89 · very strong · n = 48
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Total Precipitation tend to score lower on these

  1. Rainfall (1-10)Best States for Camping
    r = −0.97 · very strong · n = 48
    Plot
  2. # of Major Squirrel SpeciesSquirrel Population by State
    r = −0.79 · very strong · n = 48
    Plot
  3. Total Land Open to HuntBest States For Hunting
    r = −0.74 · very strong · n = 48
    Plot
  4. Mean Wind Speed at 33 ftWindiest States in the U.S.
    r = −0.73 · very strong · n = 48
    Plot
  5. Area OperatedFarm Count by State
    r = −0.73 · very strong · n = 48
    Plot
  6. Avg Farm SizeStates with the Most Farmland
    r = −0.73 · very strong · n = 48
    Plot

Quick answers

Which state has the highest Total Precipitation?
Kentucky has the highest Total Precipitation in 2025, at 57.45 in, followed by Tennessee (53.33 in) and Louisiana (53.12 in).
Which state has the lowest Total Precipitation?
Nevada has the lowest Total Precipitation in 2025, at 9.41 in.
What is the median Total Precipitation across US states?
The median is 39.05 in across the 48 US states with data in 2025.
Where does this driest states in the us data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Annual precipitation in the United States in 2023, by state - Statista; Average Annual Precipitation by State - Current Results; Climate - Puerto Rico - Climates to Travel; State Climate Summaries 2022 - State Summaries.