Most populated states
The 50 US states ranked by 2020 Census population, with each state's share of the national total and its population density.
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Where Americans live
The four biggest states, California, Texas, Florida and New York, hold about a third of the country's 331,449,281 people. The 20 smallest states combined have fewer residents than California alone.
Density tells a different story from size: New Jersey packs more people per square mile than any other state, while Alaska, Wyoming and Montana are the emptiest.
All 50 states ranked by population
| # | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 39,538,223 | 11.93% | 241.5 |
| 2 | Texas | 29,145,505 | 8.79% | 108.5 |
| 3 | Florida | 21,538,187 | 6.5% | 327.5 |
| 4 | New York | 20,201,249 | 6.09% | 370.3 |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | 13,002,700 | 3.92% | 282.3 |
| 6 | Illinois | 12,812,508 | 3.87% | 221.2 |
| 7 | Ohio | 11,799,448 | 3.56% | 263.2 |
| 8 | Georgia | 10,711,908 | 3.23% | 180.3 |
| 9 | North Carolina | 10,439,388 | 3.15% | 194 |
| 10 | Michigan | 10,077,331 | 3.04% | 104.2 |
| 11 | New Jersey | 9,288,994 | 2.8% | 1,064.9 |
| 12 | Virginia | 8,631,393 | 2.6% | 201.8 |
| 13 | Washington | 7,705,281 | 2.32% | 108.1 |
| 14 | Arizona | 7,151,502 | 2.16% | 62.7 |
| 15 | Massachusetts | 7,029,917 | 2.12% | 666.1 |
| 16 | Tennessee | 6,910,840 | 2.09% | 164 |
| 17 | Indiana | 6,785,528 | 2.05% | 186.3 |
| 18 | Maryland | 6,177,224 | 1.86% | 497.9 |
| 19 | Missouri | 6,154,913 | 1.86% | 88.3 |
| 20 | Wisconsin | 5,893,718 | 1.78% | 90 |
| 21 | Colorado | 5,773,714 | 1.74% | 55.5 |
| 22 | Minnesota | 5,706,494 | 1.72% | 65.6 |
| 23 | South Carolina | 5,118,425 | 1.54% | 159.9 |
| 24 | Alabama | 5,024,279 | 1.52% | 95.8 |
| 25 | Louisiana | 4,657,757 | 1.41% | 88.9 |
| 26 | Kentucky | 4,505,836 | 1.36% | 111.5 |
| 27 | Oregon | 4,237,256 | 1.28% | 43.1 |
| 28 | Oklahoma | 3,959,353 | 1.19% | 56.6 |
| 29 | Connecticut | 3,605,944 | 1.09% | 650.5 |
| 30 | Utah | 3,271,616 | 0.99% | 38.5 |
| 31 | Iowa | 3,190,369 | 0.96% | 56.7 |
| 32 | Nevada | 3,104,614 | 0.94% | 28.1 |
| 33 | Arkansas | 3,011,524 | 0.91% | 56.6 |
| 34 | Mississippi | 2,961,279 | 0.89% | 61.1 |
| 35 | Kansas | 2,937,880 | 0.89% | 35.7 |
| 36 | New Mexico | 2,117,522 | 0.64% | 17.4 |
| 37 | Nebraska | 1,961,504 | 0.59% | 25.4 |
| 38 | Idaho | 1,839,106 | 0.55% | 22 |
| 39 | West Virginia | 1,793,716 | 0.54% | 74 |
| 40 | Hawaii | 1,455,271 | 0.44% | 133.1 |
| 41 | New Hampshire | 1,377,529 | 0.42% | 147.3 |
| 42 | Maine | 1,362,359 | 0.41% | 38.5 |
| 43 | Rhode Island | 1,097,379 | 0.33% | 710.3 |
| 44 | Montana | 1,084,225 | 0.33% | 7.4 |
| 45 | Delaware | 989,948 | 0.3% | 397.7 |
| 46 | South Dakota | 886,667 | 0.27% | 11.5 |
| 47 | North Dakota | 779,094 | 0.24% | 11 |
| 48 | Alaska | 733,391 | 0.22% | 1.1 |
| 49 | Vermont | 643,077 | 0.19% | 66.9 |
| 50 | Wyoming | 576,851 | 0.17% | 5.9 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census. Shares are of the resident population of the 50 states plus D.C. (331,449,281).
Frequently asked questions
What is the most populated state?
California, with 39,538,223 residents in the 2020 Census, about 11.9% of all Americans. Texas is second with 29,145,505.
What is the least populated state?
Wyoming, with 576,851 people in 2020. Vermont (643,077) and Alaska (733,391) are next.
What are the top 10 most populous states?
California, Texas, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan. Together they hold just over half of the US population.
Which state is the most densely populated?
New Jersey, with about 1,060 people per square mile of total area. Alaska is the least dense, at roughly 1.1 people per square mile.
What population figures does this page use?
The 2020 Census resident population counts published by the U.S. Census Bureau (April 1, 2020). These are the official counts used for apportioning seats in the House of Representatives.