State rankings

Flattest States in the United States

Alaska has the highest Flatness (Difference Between Highest and Lowest) (20,320 feet), followed by California (14,776 feet) and Washington (14,411 feet). Florida has the lowest (345 feet).

EnvironmentGeography51 states · 3 metricsUpdated Apr 10, 2025Original page
2 sources
51 of 51 states
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Flatness (Difference Between Highest and Lowest)

Darker means higher. Click a place to highlight it.

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All 51 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
4,298 feet
Middle half 1,621 feet – 9,534 feet
Average
5,620 feet
51 states
Highest
20,320 feet
Alaska
Lowest
345 feet
Florida

Data

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

51 states · # = rank by Flatness (Difference Between Highest and Lowest)
#
1Alaska20,320 feet20,320 feet—
2California14,776 feet14,494 feet-282 feet
3Washington14,411 feet14,411 feet—
4Hawaii13,796 feet13,796 feet—
5Nevada12,661 feet13,140 feet479 feet
6Arizona12,563 feet12,633 feet70 feet
7Idaho11,952 feet12,662 feet710 feet
8Utah11,528 feet13,528 feet2,000 feet
9Oregon11,239 feet11,239 feet—
10Colorado11,118 feet14,433 feet3,315 feet
11Montana10,999 feet12,799 feet1,800 feet
12Wyoming10,705 feet13,804 feet3,099 feet
13New Mexico10,319 feet13,161 feet2,842 feet
14Texas8,749 feet8,749 feet—
15North Carolina6,684 feet6,684 feet—
16Tennessee6,465 feet6,643 feet178 feet
17New Hampshire6,288 feet6,288 feet—
18South Dakota6,276 feet7,242 feet966 feet
19Virginia5,729 feet5,729 feet—
20New York5,344 feet5,344 feet—
21Maine5,268 feet5,268 feet—
22Georgia4,784 feet4,784 feet—
23Oklahoma4,684 feet4,973 feet289 feet
24West Virginia4,623 feet4,863 feet240 feet
25Nebraska4,584 feet5,424 feet840 feet
26Vermont4,298 feet4,393 feet95 feet
27Kentucky3,888 feet4,145 feet257 feet
28South Carolina3,560 feet3,560 feet—
29Massachusetts3,491 feet3,491 feet—
30Maryland3,360 feet3,360 feet—
30Kansas3,360 feet4,039 feet679 feet
32Pennsylvania3,213 feet3,213 feet—
33North Dakota2,756 feet3,506 feet750 feet
34Arkansas2,698 feet2,753 feet55 feet
35Alabama2,407 feet2,407 feet—
36Connecticut2,380 feet2,380 feet—
37New Jersey1,803 feet1,803 feet—
38Minnesota1,700 feet2,301 feet601 feet
39Missouri1,542 feet1,772 feet230 feet
40Michigan1,408 feet1,979 feet571 feet
41Wisconsin1,372 feet1,951 feet579 feet
42Iowa1,190 feet1,670 feet480 feet
43Ohio1,095 feet1,550 feet455 feet
44Illinois956 feet1,235 feet279 feet
45Indiana937 feet1,257 feet320 feet
46Rhode Island812 feet812 feet—
47Mississippi806 feet806 feet—
48Louisiana543 feet535 feet-8 feet
49Delaware448 feet448 feet—
50District of Columbia409 feet410 feet1 feet
51Florida345 feet345 feet—

What correlates with Flatness (Difference Between Highest and Lowest)?

Pearson r against 2,074 other state metrics sharing at least 31 states. Ranks are read by standing: a better rank counts as higher, whether rank 1 is the best place on a list or the worst. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher Flatness (Difference Between Highest and Lowest) tend to score higher on these (or rank better)

  1. The highest point in each state in feetHighest Point in Each State
    r = +0.99 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot
  2. Public Land - USFSPublic Land by State
    r = +0.84 · very strong · n = 43
    Plot
  3. Federal Land (% of Total Land Area)Federal Land by State
    r = +0.82 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  4. Public Land % of StatePublic Land by State
    r = +0.79 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot
  5. % of State Area Owned by Fed GovtPublic Land by State
    r = +0.79 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  6. Owned by USFSPublic Land by State
    r = +0.78 · very strong · n = 44
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Flatness (Difference Between Highest and Lowest) tend to score lower on these (or rank worse)

  1. Scenic BeautyBest States for HikingA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = +0.76 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  2. Graduation DebtBest States for Education
    r = −0.69 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  3. Nursing Home Health Care Cost per CapitaHealth Care Costs by State
    r = −0.69 · strong · n = 51
    Plot
  4. Basic ServicesAverage Funeral Cost by State
    r = −0.68 · strong · n = 51
    Plot
  5. Affordable BurialAverage Funeral Cost by State
    r = −0.64 · strong · n = 51
    Plot
  6. Medical Cannabis CostMarijuana Cost by State
    r = −0.64 · strong · n = 50
    Plot

Quick answers

Which state has the highest Flatness (Difference Between Highest and Lowest)?
Alaska has the highest Flatness (Difference Between Highest and Lowest), at 20,320 feet, followed by California (14,776 feet) and Washington (14,411 feet).
Which state has the lowest Flatness (Difference Between Highest and Lowest)?
Florida has the lowest Flatness (Difference Between Highest and Lowest), at 345 feet.
What is the median Flatness (Difference Between Highest and Lowest) across US states?
The median is 4,298 feet across the 51 US states with data.
Where does this flattest states in the united states data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Highest and Lowest Elevations - USGS; Flattest US States - John D. Cook Consulting.