What's the Biggest State in the U.S.A.?

The United States is generally considered the third largest country in the world, behind Russia and Canada. Including the 48 contiguous states (lower 48), the District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.), Alaska and the archipelago of Hawaii, the entire United States has a total area of 3.8 million square miles (9.8 million square kilometers). Of that, approximately 3.5 million square miles (5.7 square kilometers) is land mass, while the remainder is water.

We should note, however, that other sources like World Population Review and Worldometer list China as slightly larger than the U.S. in both land area and total area (land plus water), which would make the U.S. the fourth biggest country.

Now, let's talk about the largest states by total square miles, including land area and water area, in the U.S.

Alaska

Alaska is the largest state by land area by far, but it's also the least densely populated according to the 2020 census. Its 665,384 square miles is nearly 86 percent land. But the remaining 94,743 square miles of water means Alaska accounts for more than 40 percent of the United States' total water area.

Texas

Texas is the second largest state overall of the lower 48 states. Fun fact: The town of Saxet, Texas, is a palindrome. That means it can be read the same backward and forward.

California

The third largest state has the largest population. With 282 state parks, it also has the most of any state in the U.S. It enjoys cooler temps along the Pacific Ocean coastline, yet the hottest temperature on Earth was recorded at Furnace Creek Ranch in Death Valley in 1913.

Montana

Custer's Last Stand, the famous 1876 battle, took place in Montana along the Little Bighorn River after the U.S. Army came to force Native Americans off their land and onto reservations.

New Mexico

Don't tell Texas but cattle and sheep outnumber the human population in New Mexico. It's also home to the oldest capital city in the country, Santa Fe.

Rhode Island

Rhode Island is home to both the oldest operating tavern in the U.S. (built in 1673) and the highest percentage of Catholics in the nation (as of 2017). For its small size, it has a large population of almost 1.1 million people, according to 2020 census.

Delaware

Delaware was the first state to join the Union in 1787. Its elevation is just 60 feet above sea level, and it's only 35 miles wide at its widest point and 9 miles wide at the narrowest point.

Connecticut

The third smallest state in the U.S. is home to several big firsts, including the nation's first speed limit in 1901 (12 miles per hour or 19 kilometers per hour), the first statehouse (1788) and the first public art museum (1842). Connecticut is also home to Yale University, which issued the first medical degree in the U.S. in 1729.

New Jersey

My funny home state has more diners and shopping malls than any other state in the U.S. But, you can't pump your own gas to get to any of them.

New Hampshire

New Hampshire is one of the original 13 colonies, and in January 1776, it was the first settlement to establish both a constitution and an independent government separate from England.

Here's the list including every U.S. state, ranked and rounded from largest to smallest, based on total land area in square miles according to the U.S. Census bureau.