Data / Rankings / Population / US states

US states by population

California had the highest population of 51 states in 2020, at 39.53 million. Wyoming had the lowest, at 577,669. The median was 4.51 million and the figure for the United States was 331.58 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest39,527,808California
Lowest577,669Wyoming
Median4,508,27151 states
United States331,578,104History

All states, 2020

CSVChart (SVG)

CaliforniaCalifornia: 39,527,808 persons39,527,808TexasTexas: 29,237,895 persons29,237,895FloridaFlorida: 21,591,325 persons21,591,325New YorkNew York: 20,122,262 persons20,122,262PennsylvaniaPennsylvania: 12,995,576 persons12,995,576IllinoisIllinois: 12,795,348 persons12,795,348OhioOhio: 11,798,534 persons11,798,534GeorgiaGeorgia: 10,732,595 persons10,732,595North CarolinaNorth Carolina: 10,450,215 persons10,450,215MichiganMichigan: 10,072,294 persons10,072,294New JerseyNew Jersey: 9,270,476 persons9,270,476VirginiaVirginia: 8,637,303 persons8,637,303WashingtonWashington: 7,726,812 persons7,726,812ArizonaArizona: 7,186,647 persons7,186,647MassachusettsMassachusetts: 6,985,320 persons6,985,320TennesseeTennessee: 6,927,736 persons6,927,736IndianaIndiana: 6,790,290 persons6,790,290MarylandMaryland: 6,178,387 persons6,178,387MissouriMissouri: 6,155,074 persons6,155,074WisconsinWisconsin: 5,897,371 persons5,897,371ColoradoColorado: 5,786,873 persons5,786,873MinnesotaMinnesota: 5,710,562 persons5,710,562South CarolinaSouth Carolina: 5,131,992 persons5,131,992AlabamaAlabama: 5,032,962 persons5,032,962LouisianaLouisiana: 4,652,145 persons4,652,145KentuckyKentucky: 4,508,271 persons4,508,271OregonOregon: 4,243,544 persons4,243,544OklahomaOklahoma: 3,965,243 persons3,965,243ConnecticutConnecticut: 3,579,643 persons3,579,643UtahUtah: 3,283,970 persons3,283,970IowaIowa: 3,191,081 persons3,191,081NevadaNevada: 3,116,851 persons3,116,851ArkansasArkansas: 3,014,399 persons3,014,399MississippiMississippi: 2,958,385 persons2,958,385KansasKansas: 2,938,274 persons2,938,274New MexicoNew Mexico: 2,118,446 persons2,118,446NebraskaNebraska: 1,963,318 persons1,963,318IdahoIdaho: 1,849,328 persons1,849,328West VirginiaWest Virginia: 1,791,670 persons1,791,670HawaiiHawaii: 1,451,130 persons1,451,130New HampshireNew Hampshire: 1,378,752 persons1,378,752MaineMaine: 1,364,546 persons1,364,546Rhode IslandRhode Island: 1,096,487 persons1,096,487MontanaMontana: 1,087,156 persons1,087,156DelawareDelaware: 991,890 persons991,890South DakotaSouth Dakota: 887,808 persons887,808North DakotaNorth Dakota: 779,612 persons779,612AlaskaAlaska: 732,906 persons732,906District of ColumbiaDistrict of Columbia: 670,958 persons670,958VermontVermont: 642,965 persons642,965WyomingWyoming: 577,669 persons577,669
persons. Source: U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankStates2020
persons
1California39,527,808
2Texas29,237,895
3Florida21,591,325
4New York20,122,262
5Pennsylvania12,995,576
6Illinois12,795,348
7Ohio11,798,534
8Georgia10,732,595
9North Carolina10,450,215
10Michigan10,072,294
11New Jersey9,270,476
12Virginia8,637,303
13Washington7,726,812
14Arizona7,186,647
15Massachusetts6,985,320
16Tennessee6,927,736
17Indiana6,790,290
18Maryland6,178,387
19Missouri6,155,074
20Wisconsin5,897,371
21Colorado5,786,873
22Minnesota5,710,562
23South Carolina5,131,992
24Alabama5,032,962
25Louisiana4,652,145
26Kentucky4,508,271
27Oregon4,243,544
28Oklahoma3,965,243
29Connecticut3,579,643
30Utah3,283,970
31Iowa3,191,081
32Nevada3,116,851
33Arkansas3,014,399
34Mississippi2,958,385
35Kansas2,938,274
36New Mexico2,118,446
37Nebraska1,963,318
38Idaho1,849,328
39West Virginia1,791,670
40Hawaii1,451,130
41New Hampshire1,378,752
42Maine1,364,546
43Rhode Island1,096,487
44Montana1,087,156
45Delaware991,890
46South Dakota887,808
47North Dakota779,612
48Alaska732,906
49District of Columbia670,958
50Vermont642,965
51Wyoming577,669

Other periods

About this ranking

Resident population. Spain and the EU: 1 January, with Spanish figures from the official municipal register (Padrón). United States: Census Bureau population estimates for 1 July. Other countries and the World: World Bank mid-year estimates, which count all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.

For Denmark, Statistics Denmark counts the registered resident population on 1 January. Greenland and the Faroe Islands are excluded. The annual series selects the first-quarter reference date from FOLK1A. The World Bank series exists for every country, so use it (through compare) to rank countries on one basis.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the states are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Annual estimates of the resident population for the United States, states and counties, 1 July (Population Estimates Program). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

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Questions

Which state has the highest population?

California, with 39.53 million in 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest population?

Wyoming, with 577,669 in 2020.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual estimates of the resident population for the United States, states and counties, 1 July (Population Estimates Program). Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Population: other rankings

US states: more rankings