U.S. States Ranked by Area

The United States is the world's third largest country by area, ranked behind Russia and Canada. Within that large are 50 states that vary widely in area. The largest state, Alaska, is more than 400 times larger than Rhode Island, the smallest state. Including water features, Alaska is 663,267 square miles. In contrast, Rhode Island is a mere 1,545 square miles, and 500 square miles of that is Narragansett Bay.

A Big Area Does Not Mean a Big Population

Texas is bigger than California, making it the largest state of the 48 contiguous states, but measured by population, the rankings are reversed. California is the most populous state with 39,776,830 residents, according to 2017 U.S. Census estimates, while Texas had a population of 28,704,330. The Lone Star State may be catching up, though, with a growth rate of 1.43 percent in 2017 compared with 0.61 percent for California. When ranked by population, Alaska drops to 48th place.

Alaska Is Larger Than the Next Three States Combined

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How Big Is Each State in the U.S.?

By Amanda Briney

By area, Alaska is so large that it is larger than the next three states combined—Texas, California, and Montana—and is more than twice the size of second-ranked Texas. According to the State of Alaska's official website, it's one-fifth the size of the lower 48 states. Alaska stretches about 2,400 miles east to west and 1,420 miles north to south. Including islands, the state has 6,640 miles of coastline (measured from point to point) and 47,300 miles of tidal shoreline. 

Rhode Island Is the Smallest

Rhode Island measures just 37 miles east to west and 48 miles north to south. The state's total boundary length is 160 miles. In area, Rhode Island could fit in Alaska nearly 486 times. The next smallest state by area is Delaware at 2,489 square miles, followed by Connecticut, which at 5,543 square miles is more than three times the size of Rhode Island and more than twice the size of Delaware. If it were a state, the District of Columbia would be the smallest at just 68.34 square miles of which 61.05 square miles is land and 7.29 square miles is water.

Big Country West of the Mississippi

The 10 largest states by area are located west of the Mississippi River: Alaska, Texas, California, Montana, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Oregon, and Wyoming. 

7 Smallest Are in the Northeast

The seven smallest states—Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, and Rhode Island—are in the Northeast and are among the 13 original colonies.

The Ranking of States by Area in Square Miles

This includes water features that are part of that state.

1. Alaska - 663,267
2. Texas - 268,580
3. California - 163,695
4. Montana - 147,042
5. New Mexico - 121,589
6. Arizona - 113,998
7. Nevada - 110,560
8. Colorado - 104,093
9. Oregon - 98,380
10. Wyoming - 97,813
11. Michigan - 96,716
12. Minnesota - 86,938
13. Utah - 84,898
14. Idaho - 83,570
15. Kansas - 82,276
16. Nebraska - 77,353
17. South Dakota - 77,116
18. Washington - 71,299
19. North Dakota - 70,699
20. Oklahoma - 69,898
21. Missouri - 69,704
22. Florida - 65,754
23. Wisconsin - 65,497
24. Georgia - 59,424
25. Illinois - 57,914
26. Iowa - 56,271
27. New York - 54,556
28. North Carolina - 53,818
29. Arkansas - 53,178
30. Alabama - 52,419
31. Louisiana - 51,839
32. Mississippi - 48,430
33. Pennsylvania - 46,055
34. Ohio - 44,824
35. Virginia - 42,774
36. Tennessee - 42,143
37. Kentucky - 40,409
38. Indiana - 36,417
39. Maine - 35,384
40. South Carolina - 32,020
41. West Virginia - 24,229
42. Maryland - 12,406
43. Hawaii - 10,930
44. Massachusetts - 10,554
45. Vermont - 9,614
46. New Hampshire - 9,349
47. New Jersey - 8,721
48. Connecticut - 5,543
49. Delaware - 2,489
50. Rhode Island - 1,545