The United States has about 335 million people across 50 states. But the population is wildly unequal: California alone has 39 million — more than the 21 least-populated states combined. Here's the full ranking.
Top 10 most populous states (2024)
| # | State | Population | % of US |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 39.0M | 11.7% |
| 2 | Texas | 30.5M | 9.1% |
| 3 | Florida | 22.6M | 6.7% |
| 4 | New York | 19.6M | 5.8% |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | 13.0M | 3.9% |
| 6 | Illinois | 12.5M | 3.7% |
| 7 | Ohio | 11.8M | 3.5% |
| 8 | Georgia | 11.0M | 3.3% |
| 9 | North Carolina | 10.8M | 3.2% |
| 10 | Michigan | 10.0M | 3.0% |
The top 10 alone account for ~54% of the entire US population.
The "Big 4"
California, Texas, Florida, New York make up 33% of the country's population — and a huge share of electoral college votes (152 of 538 = 28%).
California — 39M
Most populous state since 1962 (overtook New York). Hispanic plurality (~40%). Los Angeles alone has more people than 22 individual states.
Texas — 30.5M
Fastest-growing of the Big 4. Added more people than any other state in the last decade. Major cities: Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Austin, Fort Worth — 5 of America's top 15.
Florida — 22.6M
The Sun Belt magnet. Overtook New York in 2014. Aging population mixed with strong Cuban/Hispanic Caribbean immigration.
New York — 19.6M
Lost the #1 spot to California in 1962 and #3 to Florida in 2014. NYC alone has 8.3M — still America's biggest city.
10 least populous states
| # | State | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | Wyoming | 580k |
| 49 | Vermont | 645k |
| 48 | Alaska | 733k |
| 47 | North Dakota | 783k |
| 46 | South Dakota | 910k |
| 45 | Delaware | 1.0M |
| 44 | Rhode Island | 1.1M |
| 43 | Montana | 1.1M |
| 42 | Maine | 1.4M |
| 41 | New Hampshire | 1.4M |
Wyoming has fewer people than the city of Detroit. The 21 least-populated states combined have fewer people than California alone.
Population vs. Senate seats
Each state gets exactly 2 senators regardless of size. So one Wyoming senator represents 290,000 people; one California senator represents 19.5 million. 67x more. This is why the Senate is structurally biased toward small rural states.
States that lost population recently
- West Virginia — only state below 1990 population.
- Illinois — slow but steady decline since 2014.
- New York, Louisiana, Mississippi — slight losses post-COVID.
Fastest-growing states
Texas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Utah, Tennessee, South Carolina, Arizona, Nevada — all Sun Belt states. People are migrating away from the Northeast and Midwest, toward the South and West.
Learn the states by population
Statedoku uses "Top 10 populous" or "Under 1M people" as constraints in its daily puzzle.
Play today's puzzle →Frequently asked questions
What's the most populous US state?
California, with 39 million people — about 11.7% of the entire US population.
What's the least populous US state?
Wyoming, with about 580,000 people — fewer than the city of Detroit.
What's the most populous city in America?
New York City (8.3M). Followed by Los Angeles (3.9M), Chicago (2.7M), Houston (2.3M), Phoenix (1.6M).
Will Texas overtake California?
Possibly by 2045-2050 if current trends hold. Texas is adding ~500,000 people/year vs California's ~50,000.