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US States Tier List Maker
Rank all 50 US states, from California and Texas to Alaska, Hawaii and Rhode Island.
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Meet every state (50)
These 50 states load into the maker above. Each write-up covers what the state is and what to weigh when you rank it. Facts were last checked on .
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Alabama
A Southeastern and Deep Southern state bordering Tennessee, Georgia, Florida and Mississippi, with a stretch of Gulf of Mexico coast. Nicknamed the Yellowhammer State after its state bird, with Montgomery as capital.
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Alaska
One of the two non-contiguous states alongside Hawaii, in the northwest of North America. It borders Canada's Yukon and British Columbia, and is the northernmost, westernmost and, by longitude, easternmost state.
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Arizona
A landlocked Southwestern state sharing the Four Corners with Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix, the most populous state capital in the country.
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Arkansas
A landlocked state in the Southern United States whose name comes from the Osage word for the Quapaw people. Its geography ranges from mountain regions to lowlands, with Little Rock as its capital.
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California
A Western state bordered by Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, the Mexican state of Baja California and the Pacific Ocean. It is the most populous state and the third largest by land area.
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Colorado
A landlocked Mountain West state noted for its mountains, forests, high plains, mesas and canyons. It shares the Four Corners with Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, and Denver is its capital.
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Connecticut
A New England state between New York City and Boston on the Northeast Corridor. Its capital is Hartford, its most populous city is Bridgeport, and Long Island Sound lies to its south.
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Delaware
A Mid-Atlantic state bordering Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and the Atlantic. Its name comes from Delaware Bay, itself named after Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, and Dover is its capital.
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Florida
A Southeastern state where about two-thirds of the land is a peninsula between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic. It borders Alabama and Georgia, and sits across the Straits of Florida from The Bahamas.
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Georgia
A Deep South state on the Atlantic coast, bordering Tennessee, the Carolinas, Florida and Alabama. It is the 24th largest state by area, and Atlanta is its capital.
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Hawaii
An island state in the Pacific about 2,000 miles from the mainland, the only state that is an archipelago and the only one south of the Tropic of Cancer. Honolulu is its capital.
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Idaho
A landlocked Pacific Northwest and Mountain West state that borders Montana, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, Washington and Oregon, and touches Canada's British Columbia. Boise is both its capital and largest city.
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Illinois
A Midwestern state on Lake Michigan, with the Ohio and Wabash rivers to its south and the Mississippi to its west. It has the fifth-largest GDP, and Springfield is its capital.
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Indiana
A Midwestern state nicknamed "the Hoosier State," bordering Lake Michigan, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Illinois. It is the 38th largest by area, and its capital and largest city is Indianapolis.
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Iowa
A landlocked upper Midwestern state with the Mississippi River to its east and the Missouri and Big Sioux rivers to its west. It is the 26th largest by area, and Des Moines is its capital.
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Kansas
A landlocked Midwestern state named after the Kansas River and the Kansa people. Its capital is Topeka and its most populous city is Wichita, while the largest urban area is Kansas City.
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Kentucky
Officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, a landlocked Southeastern state whose northern border is the Ohio River. Its capital is Frankfort and its most populous city is Louisville.
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Louisiana
A Deep South state that reflects its French heritage and is the only U.S. state divided into parishes rather than counties. It borders Texas, Arkansas and Mississippi, and Baton Rouge is its capital.
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Maine
The northeasternmost state in the contiguous United States, bordering New Hampshire, the Gulf of Maine and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec. It is the only state to border just one other state.
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Maryland
A Mid-Atlantic state of 12,407 square miles, ninth-smallest in the country, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Washington, D.C. Annapolis is its capital.
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Massachusetts
Officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, a New England state on the Atlantic. It is the seventh-smallest state by area, and Boston is both its capital and largest city.
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Michigan
A peninsular Great Lakes state in the Upper Midwest, with water and land boundaries on Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and Ontario. Lansing is its capital.
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Minnesota
An Upper Midwestern state bordered by Manitoba and Ontario, with a water boundary across Lake Superior. It is the 12th largest state by area, and Saint Paul is its capital.
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Mississippi
A Deep South state whose western boundary is largely defined by the Mississippi River. It is the 32nd largest by area, borders the Gulf of Mexico, and Jackson is its capital.
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Missouri
A landlocked Midwestern state, 21st in land area, bordering eight states. Its largest urban areas are St. Louis, Kansas City and Springfield, and Jefferson City is its capital.
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Montana
A landlocked Mountain West state and the fourth largest by area, yet eighth-least populous. It borders Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming and three Canadian provinces, and Helena is its capital.
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Nebraska
A landlocked Midwestern state with just over 77,000 square miles, 16th largest by land area. It borders South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri and Iowa, and Lincoln is its capital.
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Nevada
A landlocked Western state, the seventh most extensive in area, bordering Idaho, Oregon, California, Arizona and Utah. Carson City is its capital, and it is sometimes grouped with the Southwest.
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New Hampshire
A New England state that is the seventh-smallest by land area, bordering Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine and the Canadian province of Quebec. Concord is its capital.
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New Jersey
A Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern state at the hub of the heavily urbanized Northeast megalopolis, with the Atlantic to its east and the Delaware River to its west. Trenton is its capital.
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New Mexico
A landlocked Southwestern state in the southern Rocky Mountains that shares the Four Corners with Utah, Colorado and Arizona. It borders Texas, Oklahoma and the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Sonora.
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New York
A Northeastern state that extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes, with over 20 million residents. It is the 27th largest by area, and Albany is its capital.
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North Carolina
A Southeastern state that with South Carolina makes up the Carolinas region of the East Coast. It is the 28th largest by area and borders Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia and the Atlantic. Raleigh is its capital.
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North Dakota
A landlocked Upper Midwest state named after the Dakota and Sioux peoples, and part of the Great Plains, with broad prairies. It borders Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and Bismarck is its capital.
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Ohio
A Midwestern state that borders Ontario across Lake Erie, plus Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana and Michigan. It is the 34th largest by area, and Columbus is its capital.
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Oklahoma
A landlocked state in the South Central, Southern and Southwestern regions, partly in the western extreme of the Upland South. Its name has Choctaw roots, and Oklahoma City is its capital.
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Oregon
A Pacific Northwest state where the Columbia River marks much of the northern boundary with Washington and the Snake River much of the eastern boundary with Idaho. Salem is its capital.
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Pennsylvania
Officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, a state in the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian and Great Lakes regions. Its southern border with Maryland forms the Mason–Dixon line, and Harrisburg is its capital.
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Rhode Island
The smallest U.S. state by area, in New England, bordering Connecticut, Massachusetts and the Atlantic. Providence is its capital, and it shares a small maritime border with New York.
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South Carolina
A Southeastern state on the Atlantic that is the 11th smallest by area, bordering North Carolina and Georgia across the Savannah River. Columbia is its capital.
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South Dakota
A landlocked North Central state on the Great Plains, named after the Dakota Sioux tribe. It is the 17th largest by area and the fifth-least populous, and Pierre is its capital.
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Tennessee
A landlocked Southeastern state bordering eight others, officially the State of Tennessee. It is the 36th largest by area, and Nashville is its capital.
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Texas
A south-central state with a Gulf of Mexico coastline and a border with Mexico along the Rio Grande. It covers 268,596 square miles and is the second largest state by both area and population.
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Utah
A landlocked Mountain West state and one of the Four Corners states, sharing borders with Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico. It is the 13th largest by area, and Salt Lake City is its capital.
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Vermont
A landlocked New England state bordering Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Quebec. It is the second-least populated state and the nation's sixth-smallest by area, with Montpelier as capital.
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Virginia
Officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. Its capital is Richmond and its most populous city is Virginia Beach.
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Washington
A Pacific Northwest state, often called Washington state to distinguish it from the national capital, since both are named after George Washington. It borders Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia. Olympia is its capital.
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West Virginia
A mountainous landlocked state in the Southern and Mid-Atlantic regions, the 10th smallest by area. The capital and most populous city is Charleston.
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Wisconsin
An Upper Midwest and Great Lakes state bordering Lake Michigan to the east and Lake Superior to the north, with about 65,500 square miles. Madison is its capital.
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Wyoming
A landlocked Mountain West state that is the least populous in the country despite being the tenth largest by area. It borders Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Idaho, Utah and Colorado, and Cheyenne is its capital.
US States tier list questions
Where do the state capitals and facts come from?
They come from each state's Wikipedia article and are cross-checked against official state sources. Population figures change every year, so the write-ups rely on area rankings and geography instead.
Is Washington, D.C. on this list?
No. The list covers the 50 states only, since D.C. is a federal district and not a state. Washington on this list is the Pacific Northwest state.
How should I rank US states?
Common criteria include scenery, culture, food, cities, weather, history and places you have actually visited or lived. Many people rank by region, or only rank the states they have been to.
Sources
Facts on this page were checked against these references on .