State rankings

United States by Density

Alaska has the highest Area (665,384 mi²), followed by Texas (268,596 mi²) and California (163,696 mi²). Rhode Island has the lowest (1,545 mi²).

GeographyPopulation50 states · 1 metricUpdated Mar 21, 2023Original page
1 source
AreaBetter 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 →
50 of 51 states
Compare this metricAdd to combined rankingOpen full map

Area

Darker means higher. Click a place to highlight it.

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All 50 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
57,094 mi²
Middle half 37.4K mi² – 84.6K mi²
Average
75,934 mi²
50 states
Highest
665,384 mi²
Alaska
Lowest
1,545 mi²
Rhode Island

Data

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

50 states · # = rank by Area
#
1Alaska665,384 mi²
2Texas268,596 mi²
3California163,696 mi²
4Montana147,040 mi²
5New Mexico121,590 mi²
6Arizona113,990 mi²
7Nevada110,572 mi²
8Colorado104,094 mi²
9Oregon98,379 mi²
10Wyoming97,813 mi²
11Michigan96,714 mi²
12Minnesota86,936 mi²
13Utah84,897 mi²
14Idaho83,569 mi²
15Kansas82,278 mi²
16Nebraska77,348 mi²
17South Dakota77,116 mi²
18Washington71,298 mi²
19North Dakota70,698 mi²
20Oklahoma69,899 mi²
21Missouri69,707 mi²
22Florida65,758 mi²
23Wisconsin65,496 mi²
24Georgia59,425 mi²
25Illinois57,914 mi²
26Iowa56,273 mi²
27New York54,555 mi²
28North Carolina53,819 mi²
29Arkansas53,179 mi²
30Alabama52,420 mi²
31Louisiana52,378 mi²
32Mississippi48,432 mi²
33Pennsylvania46,054 mi²
34Ohio44,826 mi²
35Virginia42,775 mi²
36Tennessee42,144 mi²
37Kentucky40,408 mi²
38Indiana36,420 mi²
39Maine35,380 mi²
40South Carolina32,020 mi²
41West Virginia24,230 mi²
42Maryland12,406 mi²
43Hawaii10,932 mi²
44Massachusetts10,554 mi²
45Vermont9,616 mi²
46New Hampshire9,349 mi²
47New Jersey8,723 mi²
48Connecticut5,543 mi²
49Delaware2,489 mi²
50Rhode Island1,545 mi²

What correlates with Area?

Pearson r against 2,113 other state metrics sharing at least 30 states, 5 near-identical series hidden. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher Area tend to score higher on these

  1. Total State AreaPublic Land by State
    r = +0.99 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  2. Total Land AreaUgliest States
    r = +0.99 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  3. EarthquakesEarthquakes by State
    r = +0.95 · very strong · n = 35
    Plot
  4. Total Land Open to HuntBest States For Hunting
    r = +0.91 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  5. Private Land SizeLargest Landowners by State
    r = +0.91 · very strong · n = 49
    Plot
  6. Federal Land AcreageFederal Land by State
    r = +0.91 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Area tend to score lower on these

  1. Public Land Change 1990-2018Public Land by State
    r = −0.86 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  2. Median Water Availability per HUCStates with the Most Water
    r = −0.72 · very strong · n = 48
    Plot
  3. Mean Water Availability per HUCStates with the Most Water
    r = −0.67 · strong · n = 48
    Plot
  4. Indoor Allergy Humidity ScoreAllergy-Friendly States
    r = −0.65 · strong · n = 49
    Plot
  5. TetanusVaccination Rates by State
    r = −0.65 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  6. Water AvailabilityStates with the Most Water
    r = −0.63 · strong · n = 48
    Plot

Quick answers

Which state has the highest Area?
Alaska has the highest Area, at 665,384 mi², followed by Texas (268,596 mi²) and California (163,696 mi²).
Which state has the lowest Area?
Rhode Island has the lowest Area, at 1,545 mi².
What is the median Area across US states?
The median is 57,094 mi² across the 50 US states with data.
Where does this united states by density data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Population Density in the U.S., by State 2020.