# List of states and territories of the United States

The United States of America is a federal republic consisting of 50 states, a federal district (Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States), five major territories, and various minor islands. Both the states and the United States as a whole are each sovereign jurisdictions. The Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution allows states to exercise all powers of government not delegated to the federal government. Each state has its own constitution and government, and all states and their residents are represented in the federal Congress, a bicameral legislature consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each state elects two senators, while representatives are distributed among the states in proportion to the most recent constitutionally mandated decennial census. Additionally, each state is entitled to select a number of electors to vote in the Electoral College, the body that elects the president of the United States, equal to the total of representatives and senators in Congress from that state. The federal district does not have representatives in the Senate, but has a non-voting delegate in the House, and it is also entitled to electors in the Electoral College. Congress can admit more states, but it cannot create a new state from territory of an existing state or merge two or more states into one without the consent of all states involved, and each new state is admitted on an equal footing with the existing states.
The United States has control over fourteen territories. Five of them (American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands) have a permanent, nonmilitary population, while nine of them (the United States Minor Outlying Islands) do not. With the exception of Navassa Island, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, which are located in the Caribbean, all territories are located in the Pacific Ocean. One territory, Palmyra Atoll, is considered to be incorporated, meaning the full body of the Constitution has been applied to it; the other territories are unincorporated, meaning the Constitution does not fully apply to them. Ten territories (the Minor Outlying Islands and American Samoa) are considered to be unorganized, meaning they have not had an organic act enacted by Congress; the four other territories are organized, meaning an organic act has been enacted by Congress. The five inhabited territories each have limited autonomy in addition to having territorial legislatures and governors, but residents cannot vote in federal elections, although all are represented by non-voting delegates in the House.
The largest state by population is California, with a population of 39,538,223 people, while the smallest is Wyoming, with a population of 576,851 people; the federal district has a larger population (689,545) than both Wyoming and Vermont. The largest state by area is Alaska, encompassing 665,384 square miles (1,723,340 km$^2$), while the smallest is Rhode Island, encompassing 1,545 square miles (4,000 km$^2$). The most recent states to be admitted, Alaska and Hawaii, were admitted in 1959. The largest territory by population is Puerto Rico, with a population of 3,285,874 people (larger than 21 states), while the smallest is the Northern Mariana Islands, with a population of 47,329 people. Puerto Rico is the largest territory by area, encompassing 5,325 square miles (13,790 km$^2$); the smallest territory, Kingman Reef, encompasses only 0.005 square miles (0.013 km$^2$), or a little larger than 3 acres.

## States

States of the United States of America :
| Flag, name and postal abbreviation | Flag, name and postal abbreviation | Cities | Cities | Ratification or admission | Population (2020) | Total area | Total area | Reps. |
| Flag, name and postal abbreviation | Flag, name and postal abbreviation | Capital | Largest | Ratification or admission | Population (2020) | mi$^2$ | km$^2$ | Reps. |
| Alabama | AL | Montgomery | Huntsville | Dec 14, 1819 | 5,024,279 | 52,420 | 135,767 | 7 |
| Alaska | AK | Juneau | Anchorage | Jan 3, 1959 | 733,391 | 665,384 | 1,723,337 | 1 |
| Arizona | AZ | Phoenix | Phoenix | Feb 14, 1912 | 7,151,502 | 113,990 | 295,234 | 9 |
| Arkansas | AR | Little Rock | Little Rock | Jun 15, 1836 | 3,011,524 | 53,179 | 137,732 | 4 |
| California | CA | Sacramento | Los Angeles | Sep 9, 1850 | 39,538,223 | 163,695 | 423,967 | 52 |
| Colorado | CO | Denver | Denver | Aug 1, 1876 | 5,773,714 | 104,094 | 269,601 | 8 |
| Connecticut | CT | Hartford | Bridgeport | Jan 9, 1788 | 3,605,944 | 5,543 | 14,357 | 5 |
| Delaware | DE | Dover | Wilmington | Dec 7, 1787 | 989,948 | 2,489 | 6,446 | 1 |
| Florida | FL | Tallahassee | Jacksonville | Mar 3, 1845 | 21,538,187 | 65,758 | 170,312 | 28 |
| Georgia | GA | Atlanta | Atlanta | Jan 2, 1788 | 10,711,908 | 59,425 | 153,910 | 14 |
| Hawaii | HI | Honolulu | Honolulu | Aug 21, 1959 | 1,455,271 | 10,932 | 28,313 | 2 |
| Idaho | ID | Boise | Boise | Jul 3, 1890 | 1,839,106 | 83,569 | 216,443 | 2 |
| Illinois | IL | Springfield | Chicago | Dec 3, 1818 | 12,812,508 | 57,914 | 149,995 | 17 |
| Indiana | IN | Indianapolis | Indianapolis | Dec 11, 1816 | 6,785,528 | 36,420 | 94,326 | 9 |
| Iowa | IA | Des Moines | Des Moines | Dec 28, 1846 | 3,190,369 | 56,273 | 145,746 | 4 |
| Kansas | KS | Topeka | Wichita | Jan 29, 1861 | 2,937,880 | 82,278 | 213,100 | 4 |
| Kentucky | KY | Frankfort | Louisville | Jun 1, 1792 | 4,505,836 | 40,408 | 104,656 | 6 |
| Louisiana | LA | Baton Rouge | New Orleans | Apr 30, 1812 | 4,657,757 | 52,378 | 135,659 | 6 |
| Maine | ME | Augusta | Portland | Mar 15, 1820 | 1,362,359 | 35,380 | 91,633 | 2 |
| Maryland | MD | Annapolis | Baltimore | Apr 28, 1788 | 6,177,224 | 12,406 | 32,131 | 8 |
| Massachusetts | MA | Boston | Boston | Feb 6, 1788 | 7,029,917 | 10,554 | 27,336 | 9 |
| Michigan | MI | Lansing | Detroit | Jan 26, 1837 | 10,077,331 | 96,714 | 250,487 | 13 |
| Minnesota | MN | Saint Paul | Minneapolis | May 11, 1858 | 5,706,494 | 86,936 | 225,163 | 8 |
| Mississippi | MS | Jackson | Jackson | Dec 10, 1817 | 2,961,279 | 48,432 | 125,438 | 4 |
| Missouri | MO | Jefferson City | Kansas City | Aug 10, 1821 | 6,154,913 | 69,707 | 180,540 | 8 |
| Montana | MT | Helena | Billings | Nov 8, 1889 | 1,084,225 | 147,040 | 380,831 | 2 |
| Nebraska | NE | Lincoln | Omaha | Mar 1, 1867 | 1,961,504 | 77,348 | 200,330 | 3 |
| Nevada | NV | Carson City | Las Vegas | Oct 31, 1864 | 3,104,614 | 110,572 | 286,380 | 4 |
| New Hampshire | NH | Concord | Manchester | Jun 21, 1788 | 1,377,529 | 9,349 | 24,214 | 2 |
| New Jersey | NJ | Trenton | Newark | Dec 18, 1787 | 9,288,994 | 8,723 | 22,591 | 12 |
| New Mexico | NM | Santa Fe | Albuquerque | Jan 6, 1912 | 2,117,522 | 121,590 | 314,917 | 3 |
| New York | NY | Albany | New York City | Jul 26, 1788 | 20,201,249 | 54,555 | 141,297 | 26 |
| North Carolina | NC | Raleigh | Charlotte | Nov 21, 1789 | 10,439,388 | 53,819 | 139,391 | 14 |
| North Dakota | ND | Bismarck | Fargo | Nov 2, 1889 | 779,094 | 70,698 | 183,108 | 1 |
| Ohio | OH | Columbus | Columbus | Mar 1, 1803 | 11,799,448 | 44,826 | 116,098 | 15 |
| Oklahoma | OK | Oklahoma City | Oklahoma City | Nov 16, 1907 | 3,959,353 | 69,899 | 181,037 | 5 |
| Oregon | OR | Salem | Portland | Feb 14, 1859 | 4,237,256 | 98,379 | 254,799 | 6 |
| Pennsylvania | PA | Harrisburg | Philadelphia | Dec 12, 1787 | 13,002,700 | 46,054 | 119,280 | 17 |
| Rhode Island | RI | Providence | Providence | May 29, 1790 | 1,097,379 | 1,545 | 4,001 | 2 |
| South Carolina | SC | Columbia | Charleston | May 23, 1788 | 5,118,425 | 32,020 | 82,933 | 7 |
| South Dakota | SD | Pierre | Sioux Falls | Nov 2, 1889 | 886,667 | 77,116 | 199,729 | 1 |
| Tennessee | TN | Nashville | Nashville | Jun 1, 1796 | 6,910,840 | 42,144 | 109,153 | 9 |
| Texas | TX | Austin | Houston | Dec 29, 1845 | 29,145,505 | 268,596 | 695,662 | 38 |
| Utah | UT | Salt Lake City | Salt Lake City | Jan 4, 1896 | 3,271,616 | 84,897 | 219,882 | 4 |
| Vermont | VT | Montpelier | Burlington | Mar 4, 1791 | 643,077 | 9,616 | 24,906 | 1 |
| Virginia | VA | Richmond | Virginia Beach | Jun 25, 1788 | 8,631,393 | 42,775 | 110,787 | 11 |
| Washington | WA | Olympia | Seattle | Nov 11, 1889 | 7,705,281 | 71,298 | 184,661 | 10 |
| West Virginia | WV | Charleston | Charleston | Jun 20, 1863 | 1,793,716 | 24,230 | 62,756 | 2 |
| Wisconsin | WI | Madison | Milwaukee | May 29, 1848 | 5,893,718 | 65,496 | 169,635 | 8 |
| Wyoming | WY | Cheyenne | Cheyenne | Jul 10, 1890 | 576,851 | 97,813 | 253,335 | 1 |

## Federal district

Federal district of the United States :
| Flag, name and postal abbreviation | Flag, name and postal abbreviation | Established | Population (2020) | Total area | Total area | Reps. |
| Flag, name and postal abbreviation | Flag, name and postal abbreviation | Established | Population (2020) | mi$^2$ | km$^2$ | Reps. |
| District of Columbia | DC | Jul 16, 1790 | 689,545 | 68 | 176 | 1 |

## Territories
### Inhabited territories

Inhabited territories of the United States :
| Name and postal abbreviation | Name and postal abbreviation | Capital | Acquired | Territorial status | Population (2020) | Total area | Total area | Reps. |
| Name and postal abbreviation | Name and postal abbreviation | Capital | Acquired | Territorial status | Population (2020) | mi$^2$ | km$^2$ | Reps. |
| American Samoa | AS | Pago Pago | 1900 | Unincorporated, unorganized | 49,710 | 581 | 1,505 | 1 |
| Guam | GU | Hagåtña | 1899 | Unincorporated, organized | 153,836 | 571 | 1,478 | 1 |
| Northern Mariana Islands | MP | Saipan | 1986 | Unincorporated, organized | 47,329 | 1,976 | 5,117 | 1 |
| Puerto Rico | PR | San Juan | 1899 | Unincorporated, organized | 3,285,874 | 5,325 | 13,791 | 1 |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | VI | Charlotte Amalie | 1917 | Unincorporated, organized | 87,146 | 733 | 1,898 | 1 |

### Uninhabited territories

Territories of the United States with no permanent population :
| Name | Acquired | Territorial status | Land area | Land area |
| Name | Acquired | Territorial status | mi$^2$ | km$^2$ |
| Baker Island | 1856 | Unincorporated; unorganized | 0.9 | 2.2 |
| Howland Island | 1858 | Unincorporated, unorganized | 0.6 | 1.6 |
| Jarvis Island | 1856 | Unincorporated, unorganized | 2.2 | 5.7 |
| Johnston Atoll | 1859 | Unincorporated, unorganized | 1 | 2.6 |
| Kingman Reef | 1860 | Unincorporated, unorganized | 0.005 | 0.01 |
| Midway Atoll | 1867 | Unincorporated, unorganized | 3 | 7.8 |
| Navassa Island | 1858 | Unincorporated, unorganized | 3 | 7.8 |
| Palmyra Atoll | 1898 | Incorporated, unorganized | 1.5 | 3.9 |
| Wake Island | 1899 | Unincorporated, unorganized | 2.5 | 6.5 |

### Disputed territories

Territories claimed but not administered by the United States :
| Name | Claimed | Territorial status | Area | Area | Administered by | Also claimed by |
| Name | Claimed | Territorial status | mi$^2$ | km$^2$ | Administered by | Also claimed by |
| Bajo Nuevo Bank (Petrel Island) | 1869 | Unincorporated, unorganized (disputed sovereignty) | 56 | 145 | Colombia | Jamaica Nicaragua |
| Serranilla Bank | 1880 | Unincorporated, unorganized (disputed sovereignty) | 463 | 1,200 | Colombia | Honduras Nicaragua |