Largest States in the US by Area

Want to know which is the biggest state in USA? Here’s a list of the Largest States in the US, ranked by their total area.

What is the largest state in the US?

Alaska is the largest state in the US by land area.

1. Alaska

Alaska became the largest state in the United States when it was admitted to the union in 1959. It has a total area of 665,384.04 square miles, which is almost 3 times the size of Texas. Alaska is also the same size as the 22 smallest states combined.

What many Americans don’t know about Alaska is the fact that it used to belong to Russia before it was bought by the US in 1867, for a price of $7.2 million.

Nickname: The Last Frontier

Photo: Shutterstock

2. Texas

Texas is the second-largest state in the USA with a total size of 268,596.46 square miles. It’s also the second most populous state after California. It shares borders with Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico as well as the country Mexico.

Not only is Texas a massive state size-wise, but it also has the second-highest gross state product, and if it were an independent nation, it would be the 10th largest economy in the world.

Nickname: The Lone Star State

Photo: Shutterstock

3. California

California or the Golden State as its also known is the third-largest state in the US with an area that spans across 163,696.32 square miles. It’s a massive state that borders the pacific ocean on the West coast as well as the American states of Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona.

Nickname: The Golden State

Photo: Shutterstock

4. Montana

Montana is one of the largest states in the US located in the northern part of the contiguous USA, bordering Canada as well as the US states North Dakota, Idaho, South Dakota, and Wyoming. The state of Montana has a total area of 147,039.71 square miles.

Nickname: The Treasure State

Photo: Shutterstock

5. New Mexico

New Mexico is the fifth-largest state in the United States with an area that spans across 121,590.30 square miles. It borders Mexico in the South and the U.S states of Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, and Arizona.

The state capital of New Mexico is Santa Fe.

Nickname: Land of Enchantment

Photo: Shutterstock

6. Arizona

Arizona is famous for being home to the Grand Canyon, which is one of the best places to visit in the US. The state has a total area of 113,990.30 square miles, and it borders Utah, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and California as well as Mexico in the south.

Phoenix is the State Capital of Arizona.

Nickname: Grand Canyon State and the Copper State

Photo: Shutterstock

7. Nevada

Nevada lies northwest of Arizona and is the 7th largest state in the US with an area that spans across 110,571.82 square miles. Nevada was the 36th State to join the Union when it was admitted in 1864.

The State Capital is Carson City, although the city of Las Vegas is way more famous.

Nickname: The Silver State

Photo: Shutterstock

8. Colorado

Colorado joined the Union in 1876 and is ranked as the 8th largest state in the USA with an area of 104,093.67 square miles, which also means that it’s one of the eight states with an area of more than 100,000 square miles.

The State Capital of Colorado is Denver, and the State is well known for its scenic landscape of mountains, forests, high plains, mesas, canyons, plateaus, rivers, and desert lands.

Colorado borders Wyoming, Nebraska, Utah, New Mexico, Kansas, and Oklahoma.

Nickname: The Centennial State

Photo: Shutterstock

9. Oregon

Oregon is located north of California and has an area of 98,378.54 square miles. It’s a huge state, but it only ranks as the 39th most densely populated state in the US.

Oregon shares borders with Washington, Idaho, Nevada, and California. The State Capital is Salem, although Portland is the largest city.

Nickname: Beaver State

Photo: Shutterstock

10. Wyoming

Wyoming is a landlocked state that borders Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, and Idaho. The state of Wyoming has a total area of 97,813.01, which makes it the 10th largest state in the US.

The State Capital of Wyoming is Cheyenne, which is the most populous city in the state with a population of 63,957 people.

Nickname: Equality State

Photo: Shutterstock

The US States By Land Area

Below is a list of all the US states by area, from the largest states in the US to the smallest.

Rank	State	Size (Square Miles)
1	Alaska	665,384.04
2	Texas	268,596.46
3	California	163,696.32
4	Montana	147,039.71
5	New Mexico	121,590.30
6	Arizona	113,990.30
7	Nevada	110,571.82
8	Colorado	104,093.67
9	Oregon	98,378.54
10	Wyoming	97,813.01
11	Michigan	96,713.51
12	Minnesota	86,935.83
13	Utah	84,896.88
14	Idaho	83,568.95
15	Kansas	82,278.36
16	Nebraska	77,347.81
17	South Dakota	77,115.68
18	Washington	71,297.95
19	North Dakota	70,698.32
20	Oklahoma	69,898.87
21	Missouri	69,706.99
22	Florida	65,757.70
23	Wisconsin	65,496.38
24	Georgia	59,425.15
25	Illinois	57,913.55
26	Iowa	56,272.81
27	New York	54,554.98
28	North Carolina	53,819.16
29	Arkansas	53,178.55
30	Alabama	52,420.07
31	Louisiana	52,378.13
32	Mississippi	48,431.78
33	Pennsylvania	46,054.35
34	Ohio	44,825.58
35	Virginia	42,774.93
36	Tennessee	42,144.25
37	Kentucky	40,407.80
38	Indiana	36,419.55
39	Maine	35,379.74
40	South Carolina	32,020.49
41	West Virginia	24,230.04
42	Maryland	12,405.93
43	Hawaii	10,931.72
44	Massachusetts	10,554.39
45	Vermont	9,616.36
46	New Hampshire	9,349.16
47	New Jersey	8,722.58
48	Connecticut	5,543.41
49	Delaware	2,488.72
50	Rhode Island	1,544.89

Photo: Martin Capek/Shutterstock

More about the Largest States in the US

What they all have in common except their large size is the fact that all of the 10 largest states in the US are located on the West Coast and the central part of the country.

The states on the East Coast are smaller in general because much of the eastern part of the United States was settled between 1600 to 1750 and the settlements in the West started later than that. At the time the West Coast was settled, the US already had an official government, and this made a huge difference in terms of dividing the land and approve new statehood.

Texas used to be the largest American state before Alaska received its statehood in 1959. The biggest states in the US are also home to some of the largest cities in the US, except New York which is located on the East Coast.

There are 8 states in total that have an are of more than 100,000 square miles.