States by area
Alaska is by far the largest state, at 665,384 square miles of land and water, more than Texas, California and Montana combined. Texas is second at 268,596 square miles. Rhode Island is the smallest, at 1,545 square miles, a third of which is water.
The 50 states by total area
| Rank | State | Total, sq mi | Land, sq mi | Water, sq mi | Water share | Total, km² |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | 665,384 | 570,641 | 94,743 | 14.2% | 1,723,337 |
| 2 | Texas | 268,596 | 261,232 | 7,365 | 2.7% | 695,662 |
| 3 | California | 163,695 | 155,779 | 7,916 | 4.8% | 423,967 |
| 4 | Montana | 147,040 | 145,546 | 1,494 | 1.0% | 380,831 |
| 5 | New Mexico | 121,590 | 121,298 | 292 | 0.2% | 314,917 |
| 6 | Arizona | 113,990 | 113,594 | 396 | 0.3% | 295,234 |
| 7 | Nevada | 110,572 | 109,781 | 791 | 0.7% | 286,380 |
| 8 | Colorado | 104,094 | 103,642 | 452 | 0.4% | 269,601 |
| 9 | Oregon | 98,379 | 95,988 | 2,391 | 2.4% | 254,799 |
| 10 | Wyoming | 97,813 | 97,093 | 720 | 0.7% | 253,335 |
| 11 | Michigan | 96,714 | 56,539 | 40,175 | 41.5% | 250,487 |
| 12 | Minnesota | 86,936 | 79,627 | 7,309 | 8.4% | 225,163 |
| 13 | Utah | 84,897 | 82,170 | 2,727 | 3.2% | 219,882 |
| 14 | Idaho | 83,569 | 82,643 | 926 | 1.1% | 216,443 |
| 15 | Kansas | 82,278 | 81,759 | 520 | 0.6% | 213,100 |
| 16 | Nebraska | 77,348 | 76,824 | 524 | 0.7% | 200,330 |
| 17 | South Dakota | 77,116 | 75,811 | 1,305 | 1.7% | 199,729 |
| 18 | Washington | 71,298 | 66,456 | 4,842 | 6.8% | 184,661 |
| 19 | North Dakota | 70,698 | 69,001 | 1,698 | 2.4% | 183,108 |
| 20 | Oklahoma | 69,899 | 68,595 | 1,304 | 1.9% | 181,037 |
| 21 | Missouri | 69,707 | 68,742 | 965 | 1.4% | 180,540 |
| 22 | Florida | 65,758 | 53,625 | 12,133 | 18.5% | 170,312 |
| 23 | Wisconsin | 65,496 | 54,158 | 11,339 | 17.3% | 169,635 |
| 24 | Georgia | 59,425 | 57,513 | 1,912 | 3.2% | 153,910 |
| 25 | Illinois | 57,914 | 55,519 | 2,395 | 4.1% | 149,995 |
| 26 | Iowa | 56,273 | 55,857 | 416 | 0.7% | 145,746 |
| 27 | New York | 54,555 | 47,126 | 7,429 | 13.6% | 141,297 |
| 28 | North Carolina | 53,819 | 48,618 | 5,201 | 9.7% | 139,391 |
| 29 | Arkansas | 53,179 | 52,035 | 1,143 | 2.1% | 137,732 |
| 30 | Alabama | 52,420 | 50,645 | 1,775 | 3.4% | 135,767 |
| 31 | Louisiana | 52,378 | 43,204 | 9,174 | 17.5% | 135,659 |
| 32 | Mississippi | 48,432 | 46,923 | 1,509 | 3.1% | 125,438 |
| 33 | Pennsylvania | 46,054 | 44,743 | 1,312 | 2.8% | 119,280 |
| 34 | Ohio | 44,826 | 40,861 | 3,965 | 8.8% | 116,098 |
| 35 | Virginia | 42,775 | 39,490 | 3,285 | 7.7% | 110,787 |
| 36 | Tennessee | 42,144 | 41,235 | 909 | 2.2% | 109,153 |
| 37 | Kentucky | 40,408 | 39,486 | 921 | 2.3% | 104,656 |
| 38 | Indiana | 36,420 | 35,826 | 593 | 1.6% | 94,326 |
| 39 | Maine | 35,380 | 30,843 | 4,537 | 12.8% | 91,633 |
| 40 | South Carolina | 32,020 | 30,061 | 1,960 | 6.1% | 82,933 |
| 41 | West Virginia | 24,230 | 24,038 | 192 | 0.8% | 62,756 |
| 42 | Maryland | 12,406 | 9,707 | 2,699 | 21.8% | 32,131 |
| 43 | Hawaii | 10,932 | 6,423 | 4,509 | 41.2% | 28,313 |
| 44 | Massachusetts | 10,554 | 7,800 | 2,754 | 26.1% | 27,336 |
| 45 | Vermont | 9,616 | 9,217 | 400 | 4.2% | 24,906 |
| 46 | New Hampshire | 9,349 | 8,953 | 397 | 4.2% | 24,214 |
| 47 | New Jersey | 8,723 | 7,354 | 1,368 | 15.7% | 22,591 |
| 48 | Connecticut | 5,543 | 4,842 | 701 | 12.6% | 14,357 |
| 49 | Delaware | 2,489 | 1,949 | 540 | 21.7% | 6,446 |
| 50 | Rhode Island | 1,545 | 1,034 | 511 | 33.1% | 4,001 |
Alaska and everyone else
Alaska is in a class of its own. Its 665,384 square miles are more than the next three states, Texas, California and Montana, put together, and more than the 22 smallest states combined. Alaska is about two and a half times the size of Texas, the largest state in the lower 48.
The smallest states are clustered in the Northeast. Rhode Island covers 1,545 square miles, Delaware 2,489 and Connecticut 5,543. Rhode Island would fit into Alaska more than 400 times.
Land and water
Total area includes inland water such as lakes and rivers, coastal water in bays and sounds, and, for eight states, part of the Great Lakes. That makes a big difference for some states. Michigan is about 41 percent water and Hawaii about 41 percent, because their totals include large areas of surrounding water; Rhode Island and Massachusetts are about a third and a quarter water. At the other end, New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado are less than half a percent water.
About the numbers
Areas are the Census Bureau’s state area measurements, published with the 2010 census. State boundaries rarely change, so the figures remain in use. Land area is used to calculate population density.
Questions people ask
- What is the largest state?
- Alaska, at 665,384 square miles including water. It is about two and a half times the size of Texas, the second-largest state.
- What is the smallest state?
- Rhode Island, at 1,545 square miles, followed by Delaware at 2,489 and Connecticut at 5,543.
- Which state has the most water?
- Alaska has the most water area, about 94,700 square miles. As a share of its total area, Michigan has the most, about 41 percent, because its boundaries extend into four of the Great Lakes.
Sources
- US Census Bureau Vintage 2025 population estimates; 2010 state area measurements