Largest U.S. States by Land Area: Alaska Dominates

The United States' vast territory is distributed unevenly across 50 states. The top ten by land area reveal the outsized scale of western and northern states.

Ranking (Land Area Only, Excluding Water)

1. Alaska: 1,477,953 km² (570,641 sq mi) — 17.5% of U.S. land; larger than next three combined.
2. Texas: 695,662 km² (268,596 sq mi) — 8.2% of U.S. land.
3. California: 423,970 km² (163,695 sq mi).
4. Montana: 380,831 km² (147,040 sq mi).
5. New Mexico: 314,917 km² (121,590 sq mi).
6. Arizona: 295,234 km² (113,990 sq mi).
7. Nevada: 286,382 km² (110,572 sq mi).
8. Colorado: 269,601 km² (104,094 sq mi).
9. Oregon: 254,806 km² (98,381 sq mi).
10. Wyoming: 253,348 km² (97,813 sq mi).

Notable Observations

• Alaska's dominance: 2.1× Texas; 4.3× California; 71× Rhode Island (smallest).
• Western concentration: 9 of top 10 are west of Mississippi (except Texas straddles).
• Federal land: Top states have high federal ownership (Nevada 80%, Alaska 61%, Utah 65%, Idaho 62%)—affects development, revenue, management.
• Water area changes ranking: Including water, Michigan jumps to 11th (97,990 sq mi total), Florida to 18th (65,758 sq mi).

Measurement Source

U.S. Census Bureau "State Area Measurements" (2010/2020), derived from Master Address File/Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (MAF/TIGER) database. Land area excludes inland water, coastal water, territorial sea.