State rankings

State Parks by State

California has the highest # of State Parks (276), followed by New York (208) and Oregon (194). North Dakota has the lowest (17).

EnvironmentTravel51 states · 3 metricsUpdated Jul 11, 2026Original page
3 sources
50 of 51 states
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# of State Parks

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
65.5
Middle half 39.75 – 115
Average
82.5
50 states
Highest
276
California
Lowest
17
North Dakota

Data

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

50 states · # = rank by # of State Parks
#
1California2761,467,476 Acres
2New York208350,000 Acres
3Oregon194113,000 Acres
4Connecticut18838,347 Acres
5Florida182800,000 Acres
6Washington167108,657 Acres
7Pennsylvania147309,436 Acres
8Illinois146179,759 Acres
9Massachusetts13933,640 Acres
10Tennessee127255,513 Acres
11Minnesota123267,000 Acres
12Michigan121306,000 Acres
13Alaska1193,427,895 Acres
14Texas104643,269 Acres
15New Jersey97430,000 Acres
16Maine91278,642 Acres
17Missouri86160,000 Acres
17New Hampshire8679,905 Acres
19Ohio81173,267 Acres
20Iowa7658,884 Acres
21North Carolina75176,477 Acres
22Nebraska7331,458 Acres
23Georgia7273,740 Acres
24Maryland7199,677 Acres
25Wisconsin6860,570 Acres
26Vermont6354,608 Acres
27Hawaii6030,000 Acres
28Montana5840,604 Acres
29South Dakota5596,000 Acres
30Arkansas5354,561 Acres
31Oklahoma5259,024 Acres
32West Virginia5176,512 Acres
33South Carolina5088,876 Acres
34Kentucky48306,796 Acres
35Utah47120,305 Acres
36Virginia4679,016 Acres
37Colorado45230,195 Acres
38Indiana3868,764 Acres
39New Mexico3691,475 Acres
40Arizona3448,150 Acres
41Idaho3360,488 Acres
41Wyoming33117,764 Acres
43Alabama3046,633 Acres
44Nevada29128,108 Acres
44Rhode Island296,511 Acres
46Kansas2880,552 Acres
47Mississippi27450,000 Acres
48Louisiana2529,527 Acres
49Delaware2122,917 Acres
50North Dakota1717,448 Acres

What correlates with # of State Parks?

Pearson r against 2,112 other state metrics sharing at least 30 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 State Parks tend to score higher on these (or rank better)

  1. Number of State ParksOff-Grid Living Legal States
    r = +0.82 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  2. Est. Annual Immigrants from Europe (2018-2022)Immigrants by State
    r = +0.76 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  3. CentenariansCentenarians by State
    r = +0.76 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  4. Registered DemocratsRegistered Voters by Party
    r = +0.75 · very strong · n = 30
    Plot
  5. Abortion ClinicsAbortion Rates by State
    r = +0.75 · very strong · n = 36
    Plot
  6. Democratic Unpledged/Super DelegatesDelegate Count by State
    r = +0.75 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot

Opposite directions

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

  1. Mitigation Efforts RankFood Waste by StateA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = +0.63 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  2. Business CostsEntrepreneur-Friendly States
    r = −0.59 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  3. Business CostsBest States to Own a Business
    r = −0.59 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  4. Wasted Instead of ReusedFood Waste by StateA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = +0.56 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  5. Favorable Gun Laws RankBest States for Gun OwnersA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = +0.54 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  6. Maternal Mortality Total Deaths (2019-2023)Maternal Mortality Rate by State
    r = −0.53 · strong · n = 39
    Plot

Quick answers

Which state has the highest # of State Parks?
California has the highest # of State Parks, at 276, followed by New York (208) and Oregon (194).
Which state has the lowest # of State Parks?
North Dakota has the lowest # of State Parks, at 17.
What is the median # of State Parks across US states?
The median is 65.5 across the 50 US states with data.
Where does this state parks by state data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: America’s State Parks - America's State Parks; Alaska State Parks - Alaska Adventure Center; Lists of state parks by U.S. state - Wiki.