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States of the United States, matched to countries

Natural Earth’s file divides the United States into 51 states and districts. Below, each is drawn at true scale and matched to the country closest to it in area and in population.

Population: the 2020 figures Wikidata holds, for 51 of the 51 states and districts. Every population on these pages carries its year; they are not one count taken on one day.

At a glance

  • Alaska, the largest, is 9,281× the size of Washington, D.C., the smallest.
  • The five largest, Alaska, Texas, California, Montana, New Mexico, cover 35% of the United States.
  • 11 of the 51 are larger than the United Kingdom (244,000 km²).
  • 2 of the 51 are larger than France (548,000 km²).
  • Washington, D.C., the most crowded, has 4,251 people per km²: 8,726× Alaska, the least crowded (0.5).
  • Half of the people counted live in the 9 most populous (California, Texas, Florida, New York and 5 more), which cover 22% of the area.
  • 17 of the 51 have more people than the median of the 38 European countries listed here (6.6 million).
  • 36 of the 51 are within 10% in area of a European country, among them Maryland and North Macedonia (1.00×), Maine and Austria (1.00×), New Mexico and Poland (1.01×).

Every state matched to a country

Largest first. The matches are the countries closest in area and in population from Natural Earth’s country list; contested places and dependencies are never used as matches. Population is the newest figure Wikidata holds, with its year.

  1. Alaska1,505,000 km² · 733,000 (2020)
    Size ofMongolia0.96× · 1,565,000 km²
    People ofLuxembourg1.06× · 691,000
  2. Texas685,000 km² · 29.1 million (2020)
    Size ofMyanmar1.03× · 663,000 km²
    People ofNepal1.00× · 29.2 million
  3. California410,000 km² · 39.5 million (2020)
    Size ofParaguay1.02× · 400,000 km²
    People ofSudan0.98× · 40.5 million
  4. Montana379,000 km² · 1.1 million (2020)
    Size ofNorway0.99× · 382,000 km²
    People ofDjibouti0.94× · 1.2 million
  5. New Mexico315,000 km² · 2.1 million (2020)
    Size ofPoland1.01× · 313,000 km²
    People ofSlovenia1.02× · 2.1 million
  6. Arizona295,000 km² · 7.2 million (2020)
    Size ofPhilippines1.01× · 293,000 km²
    People ofKyrgyzstan0.98× · 7.3 million
  7. Nevada287,000 km² · 3.1 million (2020)
    Size ofPhilippines0.98× · 293,000 km²
    People ofArmenia1.06× · 2.9 million
  8. Colorado269,000 km² · 5.8 million (2020)
    Size ofNew Zealand1.00× · 268,000 km²
    People ofDenmark0.99× · 5.8 million
  9. Wyoming253,000 km² · 577,000 (2020)
    Size ofEcuador0.99× · 255,000 km²
    People ofSuriname1.02× · 563,000
  10. Oregon252,000 km² · 4.2 million (2020)
    Size ofEcuador0.99× · 255,000 km²
    People ofKuwait0.95× · 4.5 million
  11. Michigan250,000 km² · 10.1 million (2020)
    Size ofEcuador0.98× · 255,000 km²
    People ofAzerbaijan0.99× · 10.2 million
  12. Minnesota225,000 km² · 5.7 million (2020)
    Size ofLaos0.99× · 228,000 km²
    People ofFinland1.01× · 5.7 million
  13. Utah220,000 km² · 3.3 million (2020)
    Size ofLaos0.96× · 228,000 km²
    People ofMongolia0.96× · 3.4 million
  14. Idaho216,000 km² · 1.8 million (2020)
    Size ofGuyana1.02× · 211,000 km²
    People ofNorth Macedonia1.00× · 1.8 million
  15. Kansas213,000 km² · 2.9 million (2020)
    Size ofGuyana1.01× · 211,000 km²
    People ofArmenia1.00× · 2.9 million
  16. Nebraska201,000 km² · 2.0 million (2020)
    Size ofKyrgyzstan1.01× · 199,000 km²
    People ofLesotho0.98× · 2.0 million
  17. South Dakota199,000 km² · 887,000 (2020)
    Size ofKyrgyzstan1.00× · 199,000 km²
    People ofGuyana1.01× · 879,000
  18. North Dakota183,000 km² · 779,000 (2020)
    Size ofCambodia1.01× · 181,000 km²
    People ofBhutan0.99× · 787,000
  19. Oklahoma181,000 km² · 4.0 million (2020)
    Size ofCambodia1.00× · 181,000 km²
    People ofGeorgia1.01× · 3.9 million
  20. Missouri180,000 km² · 6.2 million (2020)
    Size ofCambodia1.00× · 181,000 km²
    People ofRepublic of the Congo1.00× · 6.1 million
  21. Washington State174,000 km² · 7.7 million (2020)
    Size ofUruguay0.98× · 177,000 km²
    People ofTogo0.99× · 7.8 million
  22. Wisconsin169,000 km² · 5.9 million (2020)
    Size ofUruguay0.96× · 177,000 km²
    People ofDenmark1.01× · 5.8 million
  23. Georgia (United States)152,000 km² · 10.7 million (2020)
    Size ofTunisia0.97× · 157,000 km²
    People ofDominican Republic1.00× · 10.8 million
  24. Illinois150,000 km² · 12.8 million (2020)
    Size ofNepal1.02× · 147,000 km²
    People ofSouth Sudan1.02× · 12.6 million
  25. Florida147,000 km² · 21.5 million (2020)
    Size ofNepal1.00× · 147,000 km²
    People ofNiger1.00× · 21.5 million
  26. Iowa145,000 km² · 3.2 million (2020)
    Size ofSuriname1.00× · 145,000 km²
    People ofMongolia0.94× · 3.4 million
  27. Arkansas138,000 km² · 3.0 million (2020)
    Size ofBangladesh1.00× · 137,000 km²
    People ofArmenia1.03× · 2.9 million
  28. New York137,000 km² · 20.2 million (2020)
    Size ofBangladesh1.00× · 137,000 km²
    People ofKazakhstan1.00× · 20.1 million
  29. Alabama134,000 km² · 5.0 million (2020)
    Size ofGreece1.02× · 131,000 km²
    People ofNicaragua0.98× · 5.1 million
  30. North Carolina128,000 km² · 10.4 million (2020)
    Size ofNicaragua0.99× · 129,000 km²
    People ofJordan1.00× · 10.4 million
  31. Mississippi124,000 km² · 3.0 million (2020)
    Size ofEritrea1.01× · 123,000 km²
    People ofArmenia1.01× · 2.9 million
  32. Louisiana120,000 km² · 4.7 million (2020)
    Size ofMalawi1.00× · 119,000 km²
    People ofMauritania0.98× · 4.7 million
  33. Pennsylvania119,000 km² · 13.0 million (2020)
    Size ofMalawi1.00× · 119,000 km²
    People ofSouth Sudan1.03× · 12.6 million
  34. Ohio116,000 km² · 11.8 million (2020)
    Size ofBenin1.00× · 116,000 km²
    People ofBelgium1.00× · 11.8 million
  35. Tennessee109,000 km² · 6.9 million (2020)
    Size ofGuatemala1.00× · 109,000 km²
    People ofLaos1.01× · 6.9 million
  36. Kentucky105,000 km² · 4.5 million (2020)
    Size ofIceland1.02× · 102,000 km²
    People ofKuwait1.01× · 4.5 million
  37. Virginia104,000 km² · 8.6 million (2020)
    Size ofIceland1.01× · 102,000 km²
    People ofPapua New Guinea0.97× · 8.9 million
  38. Indiana94,300 km² · 6.8 million (2020)
    Size ofLiberia0.99× · 95,300 km²
    People ofParaguay1.00× · 6.8 million
  39. Maine84,300 km² · 1.4 million (2020)
    Size ofAustria1.00× · 84,000 km²
    People ofTrinidad and Tobago1.00× · 1.4 million
  40. South Carolina80,200 km² · 5.1 million (2020)
    Size ofCzechia1.02× · 78,800 km²
    People ofNicaragua1.00× · 5.1 million
  41. West Virginia62,700 km² · 1.8 million (2020)
    Size ofLatvia0.97× · 64,600 km²
    People ofNorth Macedonia0.98× · 1.8 million
  42. Maryland25,500 km² · 6.2 million (2020)
    Size ofNorth Macedonia1.00× · 25,400 km²
    People ofRepublic of the Congo1.01× · 6.1 million
  43. Vermont24,600 km² · 643,000 (2020)
    Size ofRwanda0.97× · 25,300 km²
    People ofMontenegro1.04× · 617,000
  44. New Hampshire24,300 km² · 1.4 million (2020)
    Size ofRwanda0.96× · 25,300 km²
    People ofEstonia1.01× · 1.4 million
  45. Massachusetts21,200 km² · 7.0 million (2020)
    Size ofEl Salvador1.03× · 20,500 km²
    People ofLaos1.03× · 6.9 million
  46. New Jersey19,700 km² · 9.3 million (2020)
    Size ofSlovenia0.97× · 20,300 km²
    People ofSwitzerland1.02× · 9.1 million
  47. Hawaii16,800 km² · 1.5 million (2020)
    Size ofEswatini0.98× · 17,100 km²
    People ofEast Timor1.04× · 1.4 million
  48. Connecticut12,700 km² · 3.6 million (2020)
    Size ofBahamas1.01× · 12,600 km²
    People ofEritrea1.03× · 3.5 million
  49. Delaware5,170 km² · 990,000 (2020)
    Size ofTrinidad and Tobago1.01× · 5,120 km²
    People ofFiji1.07× · 926,000
  50. Rhode Island2,830 km² · 1.1 million (2020)
    Size ofSamoa1.02× · 2,780 km²
    People ofDjibouti0.95× · 1.2 million
  51. Washington, D.C.162 km² · 690,000 (2020)
    Size ofMarshall Islands0.98× · 165 km²
    People ofLuxembourg1.00× · 691,000

Too small to see on the map

At the scale of the map this unit is a few pixels wide or less, so it is ringed on the map and drawn here as discs of true relative area. Each is matched to the small countries and island nations, not to the countries of 1,000 km² and more.

The closest matches in size

New York vs Bangladesh1.00× · 137,000 and 137,000 km²
Pennsylvania vs Malawi1.00× · 119,000 and 119,000 km²
Ohio vs Benin1.00× · 116,000 and 116,000 km²
South Dakota vs Kyrgyzstan1.00× · 199,000 and 199,000 km²
Iowa vs Suriname1.00× · 145,000 and 145,000 km²
Oklahoma vs Cambodia1.00× · 181,000 and 181,000 km²

How crowded they are

AlaskaWashington, D.C.
People per square kilometre, on a log scale: each step to the right is ten times as crowded. Dot area is population. Alaska (left) and Washington, D.C. (right) are 8,726× apart. The names under the axis are countries at about that density, for scale.

Beside the regions of other countries

Every state also has a closest match, by area and by people, among the 344 regions of the other 12 countries. All the matches, in both directions, are on one page.

Alaska vs Quebec1.00× · 1,505,000 and 1,506,000 km²
Minnesota vs Roraima1.00× · 225,000 and 225,000 km²
Oregon vs Piauí1.00× · 252,000 and 252,000 km²
Sources and method
Outlines
Natural Earth, 1:10m Admin 1 - States, Provinces, public domain. The 51 listed are all of the features Natural Earth has for United States.
Boundary
De facto, as drawn by Natural Earth.
Area
Measured on the WGS84 ellipsoid from the full-detail outlines, shown rounded. The 51 areas add up to 9,464,000 km², within 0.1% of the country’s measured area.
Official figures
Area, population and capital from Wikidata (CC0), fetched 2026-11-12. Population is the 2020 figure where Wikidata has it, otherwise its newest; the year is shown.
Data built
2026-11-12

Full method

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