The 10 Largest US States by Area, Ranked
Quick Answer
Alaska is by far the largest US state at 665,384 square miles — more than twice the size of second-place Texas (268,596 sq mi) and bigger than Texas, California and Montana combined. The ten largest states together cover about 1.89 million square miles — roughly half of the entire country.
America is a big country, but its size is not shared out evenly. The ten states in this list hold about half of the nation's total area between them, while the other forty states — including nearly every state east of the Mississippi — squeeze into the remainder. If you have ever driven across West Texas or flown over Nevada, you already have a feel for what these numbers mean: hours of highway, whole counties bigger than small states, and landscapes that seem to refuse to end.
All figures below are total area in square miles as published by the U.S. Census Bureau, which counts both land and the water within a state's borders (lakes, rivers and its share of the Great Lakes). Using total area matters: it is why Michigan, with its huge share of the Great Lakes, ranks higher than many people expect.
The 10 largest states, ranked
| Rank | State | Total area (sq mi) | Land area (sq mi) | Share of the US |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | 665,384 | 570,641 | 17.5% |
| 2 | Texas | 268,596 | 261,231 | 7.1% |
| 3 | California | 163,695 | 155,779 | 4.3% |
| 4 | Montana | 147,040 | 145,546 | 3.9% |
| 5 | New Mexico | 121,542 | 121,298 | 3.2% |
| 6 | Arizona | 113,990 | 113,594 | 3.0% |
| 7 | Nevada | 110,572 | 109,781 | 2.9% |
| 8 | Colorado | 104,094 | 103,642 | 2.7% |
| 9 | Oregon | 98,379 | 95,988 | 2.6% |
| 10 | Wyoming | 97,813 | 97,093 | 2.6% |
1. Alaska — 665,384 square miles
Alaska does not just win this ranking; it laps the field. At 665,384 square miles it is larger than the next three states combined, and if it were a country it would rank among the twenty largest on Earth. Overlay Alaska on the Lower 48 and it stretches from the Great Lakes to the Mexican border. Much of it is effectively roadless wilderness: most of Alaska cannot be reached by road at all, and its capital, Juneau, famously has no road connection to anywhere. Alaska also holds the country's longest coastline — more than 6,600 miles of it, longer than all other states combined.
2. Texas — 268,596 square miles
Texas is the giant of the contiguous United States, big enough that El Paso is closer to Los Angeles than it is to Houston. Texans like to point out that their state was an independent republic for nearly a decade before joining the Union in 1845 — and it still feels like its own country on the map. The drive from Texarkana in the northeast to El Paso in the far west covers roughly 800 miles, most of a full day behind the wheel.
3. California — 163,695 square miles
California runs about 770 miles from the Oregon line to Mexico, and packs extraordinary variety into that span: the lowest point in North America (Death Valley, 282 feet below sea level) and the tallest peak in the contiguous US (Mount Whitney, 14,505 feet) sit barely 85 miles apart. It is also the only state in the top three for both area and population — which is why our guide to the most populous states gives it plenty of attention too.
4–10: The big West
From fourth place down, the list is entirely Western. Montana (147,040 sq mi) earns its "Big Sky Country" nickname honestly. New Mexico (121,542) and Arizona (113,990) are desert giants — Arizona alone is larger than the whole United Kingdom. Nevada (110,572) is the most sparsely settled of the big states and the driest state in the nation. Colorado (104,094) is the only state lying entirely above 1,000 meters of elevation on average. Oregon (98,379) and Wyoming (97,813) round out the ten; Wyoming pairs that enormous area with the smallest population of any state, fewer than 600,000 people — roughly 100 acres of Wyoming for every resident.
One honorable mention: Michigan ranks 11th at 97,374 square miles, and only because the Census counts its share of Lakes Superior, Michigan and Huron. By land alone it would fall to 22nd. Water, it turns out, counts.
Why are Western states so much bigger?
The pattern is not an accident. The original thirteen states were drawn in the colonial era, when a state had to be governable on horseback, so they stayed small. As the country expanded west, Congress drew new states on a young, thinly settled map with a surveyor's ruler — big rectangles of territory that were expected to fill up over time. Some did. Others, like Nevada and Wyoming, remain gloriously empty, and America's map still carries the fingerprints of that two-speed history.
Frequently asked questions
What is the largest state in the US?
Alaska, at 665,384 square miles of total area. It is more than twice the size of Texas and contains about 17.5 percent of all the land and water area in the United States.
How many times could Texas fit into Alaska?
About 2.5 times. Alaska's 665,384 square miles divided by Texas's 268,596 square miles gives roughly 2.48 — and Alaska is also larger than Texas, California and Montana put together.
What is the largest state in the Lower 48?
Texas, at 268,596 square miles. California is second among the contiguous states at 163,695 square miles, followed by Montana.
Do these figures count water as well as land?
Yes. These are total area figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, which include lakes, rivers and a state's share of bordering waters such as the Great Lakes. That is why Michigan ranks 11th overall despite ranking only 22nd by land area alone.
