The ten biggest U.S. states by total land-and-water area in the Census Bureau's 2010 measurements, from Alaska's 665,384 square miles to Wyoming's 97,813.
Alaska is the largest U.S. state by area, at 665,384 square miles of land and water. Texas is second at 268,596 square miles and California third at 163,695 square miles. The ranking uses total area, land plus water, from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2010 State Area Measurements, with state boundaries as of January 1, 2010.
The United States looks very different when ranked by area instead of population. Alaska alone is larger than the next three states combined, while several lower-48 western states outrank more densely populated coastal states by a wide margin. This list ranks states by total area, meaning land plus inland and coastal water area, using the U.S. Census Bureau's 2010 State Area Measurements. Land and water area are shown separately for each state.
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Alaska is in a category of its own: more than 660,000 square miles when land and water are counted together. Its total area is larger than Texas, California, and Montana combined.
Texas is the largest state in the contiguous United States. Its total area is about 268,596 square miles, stretching from the Gulf Coast to the High Plains.
California ranks third by total area, even before considering its outsized population and economy. Its geography spans Pacific coastline, Central Valley farmland, deserts, and the Sierra Nevada.
Montana is the largest state in the Mountain West by total area. Its wide footprint includes the Northern Rockies, large plains, and a long Canadian border.
New Mexico rounds out the top five at 121,590 square miles of desert basins, mesas, mountains, and high plains.
Arizona is nearly as large as New Mexico, with a total area of 113,990 square miles. Its ranking is driven by its broad desert plateau and canyon country.
Nevada covers 110,572 square miles, much of it Great Basin desert and mountain ranges. Its area ranking far exceeds its population ranking.
Colorado's roughly rectangular borders enclose 104,094 square miles of total area, spanning the Rocky Mountains and the western edge of the Great Plains.
Oregon ranks ninth by total area, at 98,379 square miles running from Pacific coastline to Cascade volcanoes and high desert.
Wyoming edges into the top ten at 97,813 square miles of total area. It is one of the least populous states, but one of the largest by footprint.
| # | Name | Capital | Census division | Land area (sq mi) | Water area (sq mi) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | Juneau | Pacific | 570641 | 94743 |
| 2 | Texas | Austin | West South Central | 261232 | 7365 |
| 3 | California | Sacramento | Pacific | 155779 | 7916 |
| 4 | Montana | Helena | Mountain | 145546 | 1494 |
| 5 | New Mexico | Santa Fe | Mountain | 121298 | 292 |
| 6 | Arizona | Phoenix | Mountain | 113594 | 396 |
| 7 | Nevada | Carson City | Mountain | 109781 | 791 |
| 8 | Colorado | Denver | Mountain | 103642 | 452 |
| 9 | Oregon | Salem | Pacific | 95988 | 2391 |
| 10 | Wyoming | Cheyenne | Mountain | 97093 | 720 |
States are ranked by total area in square miles from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2010 State Area Measurements, which were derived from the MAF/TIGER database with state boundaries as of January 1, 2010. Total area is land area plus water area (inland, coastal, Great Lakes and territorial water). All figures, including the land and water columns, come from that one table and are shown rounded to the nearest whole square mile, as Census publishes them. The census division shown for each state is the Census Bureau's regional classification. Ranking by land area alone would give a slightly different order further down the list.
Alaska is the largest U.S. state by total area, at about 665,384 square miles.
Texas is the largest state in the contiguous United States, at about 268,596 square miles.
This ranking uses total area, which includes both land and water area, from the Census Bureau's 2010 State Area Measurements. Each state's land and water areas are listed separately in the table.
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