The Largest and Smallest States in America by Size
Top 10 Largest US States by Size
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US states are listed in order by size in square miles of land area - Alaska to Rhode Island. The land area of the entire United States is 3,531,905 square miles.

Alaska is by far the biggest state - you could fit Rhode Island (the smallest state) into Alaska several hundred times, yet Rhode Island has a significantly larger population according to the U.S. Census Bureau's estimated population figures for 2017, with Alaska at 739,795 compared to Rhode Island's 1,059,639 people.

No. Area (sq mi) Census Region Geographic Notes
1 Alaska 665,384 Pacific Largest state in the US, not bordered by any other US state
2 Texas 268,596 West South Central Largest state in US mainland, and the second largest in the United States
3 California 163,695 Pacific Largest state in mainland US Pacific Region and one of the three states in US mainland with a coastline at the Pacific Ocean
4 Montana 147,040 Mountain Largest state in Mountain Region
5 New Mexico 121,590 Mountain Santa Fe is the capital of New Mexico, it is the highest capital city in the United States at 2194 m (7198 ft))
6 Arizona 113,990 Mountain Home to the Grand Canyon
7 Nevada 110,572 Mountain
8 Colorado 104,094 Mountain One of the two states that have straight borders which seem to form a rectangle.
9 Oregon 98,379 Pacific One of the three states in mainland US with a coastline at the Pacific Ocean
10 Wyoming 97,813 Mountain One of the two states with straight state lines, seemingly forming a rectangular area.
11 Michigan 96,713 East North Central Largest state in East North Central, but 40,175 sq mi (104,052 km²) are water area, 41.5% of the state is 'liquid'
12 Minnesota 86,936 West North Central Largest state in West North Central
13 Utah 84,897 Mountain
14 Idaho 83,569 Mountain
15 Kansas 82,278 West North Central
16 Nebraska 77,348 West North Central
17 South Dakota 77,116 West North Central
18 Washington 71,298 Pacific One of the three states in US mainland with a coastline at the Pacific Ocean
19 North Dakota 70,698 West North Central
20 Oklahoma 69,899 West South Central
21 Missouri 69,707 West North Central Named for the Missouri River, longest river in the US
22 Florida 65,758 South Atlantic Largest state in South Atlantic region
23 Wisconsin 65,496 East North Central
24 Georgia 59,425 South Atlantic
25 Illinois 57,913 East North Central
26 Iowa 56,272 West North Central
27 New York 54,555 Middle Atlantic Largest state in Middle Atlantic Region
28 North Carolina 53,819 South Atlantic
29 Arkansas 53,178 West South Central
30 Alabama 52,420 East South Central Largest state in East South Central region
31 Louisiana 52,378 West South Central
32 Mississippi 48,432 East South Central The state is named after the Mississippi River, second longest river in the US.
33 Pennsylvania 46,054 Middle Atlantic
34 Ohio 44,825 East North Central
35 Virginia 42,775 South Atlantic
36 Tennessee 42,144 East South Central
37 Kentucky 40,408 East South Central
38 Indiana 36,420 East North Central
39 Maine 35,380 New England Largest state in New England
40 South Carolina 32,020 South Atlantic
41 West Virginia 24,230 South Atlantic
42 Maryland 12,406 South Atlantic Maryland has a water area of 2,698 sq mi (6,987 km²), 26.1 %
43 Hawaii 10,932 Pacific The only US state located on an archipelago
44 Massachusetts 10,554 New England
45 Vermont 9,616 New England
46 New Hampshire 9,349 New England
47 New Jersey 8,722 Middle Atlantic
48 Connecticut 5,543 New England
49 Delaware 2,489 South Atlantic
50 Rhode Island 1,544 New England Rhode Island is the smallest US state

List of Top 10 Largest US States by Size

#1. Alaska (Total area: 665,384 square miles)

#2. Texas (Total area: 268,596 square miles)

#3. California (Total area: 163,696 square miles)

#4. Montana (Total area: 147,040 square miles)

#5. New Mexico (Total area: 121,590 square miles)

#6. Arizona (Total area: 113,990 square miles)

#7. Nevada (Total area: 110,572 square miles)

#8. Colorado (Total area: 104,094 square miles)

#9. Oregon (Total area: 98,379 square miles)

#10. Wyoming (Total area: 97,813 square miles)

The Largest US State: Alaska (665,384 square miles)

The current population of Alaska ranks the state 48th in the country in total population. With a massive surface area of 665,384 square miles, Alaska is by far the largest state in the US. It's obvious that Alaska is also by far the most sparsely populated state in the Union, with an average density of just 1.2 people per square mile.

The Largest and Smallest States in America by Size
Photo: Wikiwand

As you would imagine, there aren't many big cities in Alaska. In total, there are just 29 cities and towns with a population of more than 1,000 people. The largest city, Anchorage, was home to 298,695 people in 2015, making it the 82nd largest city in the USA. Aside from Anchorage, there are only two cities with a population of more than 10,000 people - Juneau, the State capital, (pop: 32,756), and Fairbanks (pop: 32,325).

The Smallest US State: Rhode Island (1,544 square miles)

Rhode Island has just 1,545 square miles, and the Rhode Island population figures mean that there are 1,018.1 people on average for every square mile. The state is second only to New Jersey in terms of density.

The Largest and Smallest States in America by Size

Rhode Island has a corridor of the population from the large Providence area to the northwest, following Blackstone River to Woonsocket. The state has just five counties, but no county government. Only the city of Providence has a population over 100,000, with an estimated 179,000 residents. Following in size are Warwick (81,699), Cranston (81,076), Pawtucket (71,591) and East Providence (47,408). The two most populated counties in Rhode Island are Providence and Kent with respective populations of 637,357 and 163,760.

Among over 50 states in the United States, do you know which ones are the smallest states? Here are the Top 10 Smallest States In The United States:

10. Maine. Total area: 35,379.74 sq. miles

9. South Carolina. Total area: 32,020.49 sq. miles

8. West Virginia. Total area: 24,230.04 sq. miles

7. Hawaii. Total area: 10,931.72 sq. miles

6. Massachusetts. Total area: 10,554.39 sq. miles

5. Vermont. Total area: 9,616.36 sq. miles

4. New Jersey. Total area: 8,722.58 sq. miles

3. Connecticut. Total area: 5,543.41 sq. miles

2. Delaware. Total area: 2,488.72 sq. miles

1. Rhode Island. Total area: 1,544.89 sq. miles

READ MORE: How Many States Are There In The United States - 50 or 52?

10 Smallest States In The United States 10 Smallest States In The United States

Among over 50 states in the United States, do you know which ones are the smallest states?