State rankings

Most Interesting States in the US

California has the highest # of National Parks (8), followed by Alaska (8) and Utah (5). Montana has the lowest (1).

CultureGeography51 states · 1 metricUpdated Nov 21, 2023Original page
# of National ParksBetter directionWhether a higher or a lower value is better. A green arrow means higher is better, a red arrow means lower is better, and no arrow means neither.More in the glossary →
23 of 51 states
Compare this metricAdd to combined rankingOpen full map

# of National Parks

Darker means higher. Click a place to highlight it.

Loading map…

All 23 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
1
Middle half 1 – 2.5
Average
2.26
23 states
Highest
8
California
Lowest
1
Montana

Data

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

23 states · # = rank by # of National Parks
#
1California8
1Alaska8
3Utah5
4Florida3
4Washington3
4Arizona3
7Texas2
7Virginia2
7Colorado2
7Hawaii2
7Wyoming2
12Ohio1
12North Carolina1
12New Jersey1
12Maryland1
12Minnesota1
12Kentucky1
12Oregon1
12Nevada1
12Arkansas1
12New Mexico1
12Maine1
12Montana1

What correlates with # of National Parks?

Pearson r against 2,134 other state metrics sharing at least 14 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 # of National Parks tend to score higher on these (or rank better)

  1. # National ParksMountain Biking by State
    r = +0.97 · very strong · n = 21
    Plot
  2. Number of National ParksOff-Grid Living Legal States
    r = +0.96 · very strong · n = 21
    Plot
  3. Organic Lettuce Acres HarvestedLettuce Production by State
    r = +0.93 · very strong · n = 17
    Plot
  4. Organic Lettuce ProductionLettuce Production by State
    r = +0.93 · very strong · n = 17
    Plot
  5. Honeydew Acres HarvestedHoneydew Production by State
    r = +0.92 · very strong · n = 19
    Plot
  6. Democratic RepsNumber of Representatives by State
    r = +0.89 · very strong · n = 18
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher # of National Parks tend to score lower on these (or rank worse)

  1. Public Land Change 1990-2018Public Land by State
    r = −0.61 · strong · n = 23
    Plot
  2. Req. English CreditsHigh School Graduation Requirements by State
    r = −0.59 · strong · n = 22
    Plot
  3. Death RateDeath Rate by State
    r = −0.58 · strong · n = 23
    Plot
  4. Richest Person AgeRichest Person by State
    r = −0.56 · strong · n = 22
    Plot
  5. Viability RankFarming-Friendly StatesA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = +0.56 · strong · n = 23
    Plot
  6. Viability RankCattle Ranching by StateA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = +0.56 · strong · n = 23
    Plot

Quick answers

Which state has the highest # of National Parks?
California has the highest # of National Parks, at 8, followed by Alaska (8) and Utah (5).
Which state has the lowest # of National Parks?
Montana has the lowest # of National Parks, at 1.
What is the median # of National Parks across US states?
The median is 1 across the 23 US states with data.
Where does this most interesting states in the us data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review.