U.S. states ranked by population
Compare all 50 states by July 1, 2025 population. See exact estimates, national shares, the District of Columbia separately, and downloadable Census data.
Which state has the largest population?
California has the highest point estimate, 39,355,309, for July 1, 2025. Next are Texas (31,709,821) and Florida (23,462,518) .
Population size measures the scale of an area, not its recent growth. California remains the largest state even though Texas added more residents between July 2020 and July 2025.
A state’s share uses the U.S. population estimate from the same July 1 date and the same Vintage 2025 release. The national total includes the District of Columbia, which is displayed separately from the 50-state ordering. Puerto Rico and other territories are outside this table.
- Reference period
- July 1, 2025
- Original source
-
U.S. Census Bureau · Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025
Source published 2026-01-27 - Ordering
- 50 states, highest exact point estimate first; no composite score
- Data and methods reviewed
- September 30, 2026 · data snapshot apd-2026-10-01-r3
Complete 50-state ranking table
Filter the list or change its display order. Positions always refer to the full 50-state ordering. These estimates do not have sampling margins of error; future vintages can revise them.
Showing all 50 states.
| Position | State | Residents | Share of U.S. population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 39,355,309 | 11.51 % |
| 2 | Texas | 31,709,821 | 9.28 % |
| 3 | Florida | 23,462,518 | 6.86 % |
| 4 | New York | 20,002,427 | 5.85 % |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | 13,059,432 | 3.82 % |
| 6 | Illinois | 12,719,141 | 3.72 % |
| 7 | Ohio | 11,900,510 | 3.48 % |
| 8 | Georgia | 11,302,748 | 3.31 % |
| 9 | North Carolina | 11,197,968 | 3.28 % |
| 10 | Michigan | 10,127,884 | 2.96 % |
| 11 | New Jersey | 9,548,215 | 2.79 % |
| 12 | Virginia | 8,880,107 | 2.60 % |
| 13 | Washington | 8,001,020 | 2.34 % |
| 14 | Arizona | 7,623,818 | 2.23 % |
| 15 | Tennessee | 7,315,076 | 2.14 % |
| 16 | Massachusetts | 7,154,084 | 2.09 % |
| 17 | Indiana | 6,973,333 | 2.04 % |
| 18 | Missouri | 6,270,541 | 1.83 % |
| 19 | Maryland | 6,265,347 | 1.83 % |
| 20 | Colorado | 6,012,561 | 1.76 % |
| 21 | Wisconsin | 5,972,787 | 1.75 % |
| 22 | Minnesota | 5,830,405 | 1.71 % |
| 23 | South Carolina | 5,570,274 | 1.63 % |
| 24 | Alabama | 5,193,088 | 1.52 % |
| 25 | Louisiana | 4,618,189 | 1.35 % |
| 26 | Kentucky | 4,606,864 | 1.35 % |
| 27 | Oregon | 4,273,586 | 1.25 % |
| 28 | Oklahoma | 4,123,288 | 1.21 % |
| 29 | Connecticut | 3,688,496 | 1.08 % |
| 30 | Utah | 3,538,904 | 1.04 % |
| 31 | Nevada | 3,282,188 | 0.96 % |
| 32 | Iowa | 3,238,387 | 0.95 % |
| 33 | Arkansas | 3,114,791 | 0.91 % |
| 34 | Kansas | 2,977,220 | 0.87 % |
| 35 | Mississippi | 2,954,160 | 0.86 % |
| 36 | New Mexico | 2,125,498 | 0.62 % |
| 37 | Idaho | 2,029,733 | 0.59 % |
| 38 | Nebraska | 2,018,006 | 0.59 % |
| 39 | West Virginia | 1,766,147 | 0.52 % |
| 40 | Hawaii | 1,432,820 | 0.42 % |
| 41 | New Hampshire | 1,415,342 | 0.41 % |
| 42 | Maine | 1,414,874 | 0.41 % |
| 43 | Montana | 1,144,694 | 0.33 % |
| 44 | Rhode Island | 1,114,521 | 0.33 % |
| 45 | Delaware | 1,059,952 | 0.31 % |
| 46 | South Dakota | 935,094 | 0.27 % |
| 47 | North Dakota | 799,358 | 0.23 % |
| 48 | Alaska | 737,270 | 0.22 % |
| 49 | Vermont | 644,663 | 0.19 % |
| 50 | Wyoming | 588,753 | 0.17 % |
The downloads preserve exact values, IDs, source counts, uncertainty status, source release and original ordering. The CSV is the full 50-state table, including when the on-page filter hides rows.
National benchmark and District of Columbia
The United States value is 341,784,857. The District of Columbia value is 693,645. Both use the same source product as the state table. They do not receive a numbered state position. The national estimate is a source value or an approved calculation from national source counts; it is not an average of the state medians or percentages.
What the lower end of this table means
Wyoming has the lowest point estimate, 588,753. The last three entries are Alaska (737,270), Vermont (644,663), Wyoming (588,753) . This ordering is specific to population and July 1, 2025; it is not a verdict on the state’s overall living conditions.
Population size and growth answer different questions
A large population provides context for schools, housing, healthcare and transport. It does not show how quickly demand changed. A state with a large starting population can add many residents while its percentage increase stays below a much smaller state’s. Compare this table with population growth before describing an area as fast growing.
Why July 1 matters
These are resident estimates for July 1, 2025, rather than an April 1 census enumeration or the number of people physically present today. The program estimates residents using a demographic framework. A future vintage can revise earlier years, so an older frozen report should retain this release instead of replacing its starting values.
Definition, calculation and uncertainty
People whose usual residence is in the area on July 1, 2025. Annual Population Estimates Program estimates; a revised vintage can change earlier years. This is not a census count.
POPESTIMATE2025
Population estimates are demographic estimates. The absence of a sampling margin of error does not mean that the numbers are exact censuses or cannot be revised. Sorting uses full stored precision. Exact equal values share a position; the next position skips the tied places. A missing, suppressed or unavailable estimate would be excluded and identified rather than converted to zero.
Sources and reproducibility
Original source table and documentation · Census guidance on comparing ACS estimates · Population Estimates Program methods .
Editorial ordering release apd-editorial-2026-10-01-r4 uses the unchanged data snapshot apd-2026-10-01-r3. Cite the Census source product, table, July 1, 2025, the indicator definition and this page’s snapshot. The retained JSON query makes the inclusion rule, calculation and sort direction explicit. An upstream revision will require a new approved release rather than rewriting this result.