All 50 US States Ranked by Population
The United States is home to approximately 335.2M people spread unevenly across 50 states and DC. California leads with over 39 million residents, while Wyoming has fewer than 600,000 — a 68:1 ratio between the largest and smallest states.
Complete ranking: all 50 states + DC
| Rank | State | Population | Area (sq mi) | Density (/sq mi) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 39,286,484 | 155,779 | 252 |
| 2 | Texas | 30,263,444 | 261,232 | 116 |
| 3 | Florida | 22,412,596 | 53,627 | 418 |
| 4 | New York | 19,771,902 | 47,127 | 420 |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | 13,018,637 | 44,743 | 291 |
| 6 | Illinois | 12,694,745 | 55,519 | 229 |
| 7 | Ohio | 11,810,293 | 40,861 | 289 |
| 8 | Georgia | 10,940,417 | 57,509 | 190 |
| 9 | North Carolina | 10,730,463 | 48,618 | 221 |
| 10 | Michigan | 10,077,716 | 56,539 | 178 |
| 11 | New Jersey | 9,343,809 | 7,354 | 1,271 |
| 12 | Virginia | 8,626,207 | 39,490 | 218 |
| 13 | Washington | 7,816,021 | 66,456 | 118 |
| 14 | Arizona | 7,449,663 | 113,596 | 66 |
| 15 | Tennessee | 7,077,882 | 41,235 | 172 |
| 16 | Massachusetts | 7,043,978 | 7,800 | 903 |
| 17 | Indiana | 6,851,073 | 35,828 | 191 |
| 18 | Maryland | 6,205,597 | 9,707 | 639 |
| 19 | Missouri | 6,191,989 | 68,742 | 90 |
| 20 | Wisconsin | 5,914,913 | 54,158 | 109 |
| 21 | Colorado | 5,862,483 | 103,643 | 57 |
| 22 | Minnesota | 5,748,723 | 79,627 | 72 |
| 23 | South Carolina | 5,296,225 | 30,062 | 176 |
| 24 | Alabama | 5,086,600 | 50,650 | 100 |
| 25 | Louisiana | 4,611,457 | 42,579 | 108 |
| 26 | Kentucky | 4,523,454 | 39,487 | 115 |
| 27 | Oregon | 4,222,016 | 95,988 | 44 |
| 28 | Oklahoma | 4,028,588 | 68,596 | 59 |
| 29 | Connecticut | 3,624,508 | 4,842 | 749 |
| 30 | Utah | 3,344,663 | 82,170 | 41 |
| 31 | Nevada | 3,216,285 | 109,782 | 29 |
| 32 | Iowa | 3,210,984 | 55,858 | 57 |
| 33 | Arkansas | 3,049,715 | 52,037 | 59 |
| 34 | Kansas | 2,947,026 | 81,760 | 36 |
| 35 | Mississippi | 2,946,719 | 46,925 | 63 |
| 36 | New Mexico | 2,124,610 | 121,298 | 18 |
| 37 | Nebraska | 1,979,558 | 76,824 | 26 |
| 38 | Idaho | 1,803,111 | 82,644 | 22 |
| 39 | West Virginia | 1,778,104 | 24,038 | 74 |
| 40 | New Hampshire | 1,454,539 | 8,953 | 162 |
| 41 | Hawaii | 1,445,235 | 6,423 | 225 |
| 42 | Maine | 1,328,146 | 30,843 | 43 |
| 43 | Montana | 1,117,606 | 145,546 | 8 |
| 44 | District of Columbia | 1,112,471 | 61 | 18,237 |
| 45 | Rhode Island | 1,101,850 | 1,034 | 1,066 |
| 46 | Delaware | 1,021,605 | 1,948 | 524 |
| 47 | South Dakota | 897,219 | 75,811 | 12 |
| 48 | North Dakota | 784,123 | 69,000 | 11 |
| 49 | Alaska | 735,134 | 503,557 | 1 |
| 50 | Vermont | 647,106 | 9,217 | 70 |
| 51 | Wyoming | 577,719 | 97,093 | 6 |
Key takeaways
- The top 10 states by population account for more than half the US total.
- California alone has more people than the bottom 21 states combined.
- Population density varies from 1,271/sq mi (New Jersey) to 1/sq mi (Alaska).
- The fastest-growing states by percentage are concentrated in the Sun Belt and Mountain West.
Population vs. area: the mismatch
The largest states by area are not the most populated. Alaska (663,300 sq mi) has fewer people than any major city. Meanwhile, New Jersey (8,723 sq mi) packs nearly 9.3 million residents into an area smaller than many western counties.
To explore this visually, switch between "population" and "density" on our interactive county choropleth map. The difference is striking — the population map lights up metro areas while the density map reveals how much of the US is rural.
How population affects representation
The US House of Representatives allocates 435 seats proportionally by state population after each decennial census. California has 52 House seats, while 7 states (Wyoming, Vermont, Alaska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Delaware, Montana) have just 1 each. The Senate gives every state 2 senators regardless of population.
Related tools
- Population Within Radius — calculate the total population within any distance of a point
- US County Map — choropleth showing population, income, age, and more for every county
- Find Cities in Radius — list all cities within a distance, sorted by population
- Blank Map of the United States — free printable map with state and county boundaries
Data source
Population data from the US Census Bureau American Community Survey via SimpleMaps. Area data from the Census Bureau's Gazetteer files.