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Delaware
December 7, 1787
Pennsylvania
December 12, 1787
New Jersey
December 18, 1787
Georgia
January 2, 1788
Connecticut
January 9, 1788
Massachusetts
February 6, 1788
Maryland
April 28, 1788
South Carolina
May 23, 1788
New Hampshire
June 21, 1788
Virginia
June 25, 1788
New York
July 26, 1788
North Carolina
November 21, 1789
Rhode Island
May 29, 1790
Vermont
March 4, 1791
Kentucky
June 1, 1792
Tennessee
June 1, 1796
Ohio
March 1, 1803
Louisiana
April 30, 1812
Indiana
December 11, 1816
Mississippi
December 10, 1817
Illinois
December 3, 1818
Alabama
December 19, 1819
Maine
March 15, 1820
Missouri
August 10, 1821
Arkansas
June 15, 1836
Michigan
January 26, 1837
Florida
March 3, 1845
Texas
December 29, 1845
Iowa
December 28, 1846
Wisconsin
May 29, 1848
California
September 9, 1850
Minnesota
May 11, 1858
Oregon
February 14, 1859
Kansas
January 29, 1861
West Virginia
June 20, 1863
Nevada
October 31, 1864
Nebraska
March 1, 1867
Colorado
August 1, 1876
South Dakota
November 2, 1889
North Dakota
November 2, 1889
Montana
November 8, 1889
Washington
November 11, 1889
Idaho
July 3, 1890
Wyoming
July 10, 1890
Utah
January 4, 1896
Oklahoma
November 16, 1907
New Mexico
January 26, 1912
Arizona
February 14, 1912
Alaska
January 3, 1959
Hawaii
August 21, 1959

United States by Statehood

United States by Statehood

What is the order of states by their date of admission to the Union? A state of the United States is defined as one of the 50 constituent entities that share its sovereignty with the United States federal government. States are the primary subdivisions of the United States. States possess all powers not granted to the federal government and not prohibited by the Constitution of the United States.

Article IV, Section 3, Clause 1 of the Constitution grants Congress the authority to admit new states into the Union. Each new state that has been admitted to the Union since its establishment in 1776 has been admitted on equal footing with existing states. Since 1776, the number of states has expanded from the original 13 colonies to 50 states. The first 13 states were "ratified," and the rest of the states were "admitted."

The United States of America was established in July 1776 when the first 13 states – then known as the 13 colonies – agreed to the United States Declaration of Independence. Each of the first 13 states' names were formed from their previous names formatted as "Crown Colony of (State)" or "Proprietary Province of (State)." Pennsylvania and Maryland were "Proprietary Provinces."

The first state to join the Union was Delaware, which ratified the 1787 Constitution (which created the federal Union of states that exists today) on December 7, 1787. Pennsylvania closely followed it on December 12, 1787, and New Jersey on December 18, 1787. A further ten states along the eastern seaboard made up the original 13 states of the United States of America. Eight states were ratified in 1788, followed by North Carolina in November 1789 and Rhode Island in May 1790.

Over the next 20 years, a further 11 states joined the Union, including Ohio (1803), Louisiana (1812), and Maine (1820). There was then a gap of 15 years before the next state joined – this was Arkansas in June 1836. Two of today's most populous states, Texas and California, joined in 1845 and 1850, respectively. By the end of the 19th century, the majority of the states that make up the current Union had joined. Utah was the last 19th-century state to join in January 1896.

Throughout the 20th century, only a further five states would join the Union. Three of these were Oklahoma in November 1907, New Mexico in January 1912, and Arizona in February 1912, completing the contiguous United States. Alaska was purchased from Russia on March 30, 1867, for $7.2 million. Alaska was admitted to the Union on January 3, 1959. Hawaii was admitted to the Union a few months later, on August 21, 1959. The admission of Alaska and Hawaii to the Union brought the U.S. to 50 total states. Today, Americans are citizens of both the state in which they live and the Federal Republic of the United States. Interestingly, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Kentucky continue to use the term 'commonwealth' rather than the state in their full official names.

United States by Statehood

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State
Date Established
DelawareDecember 7, 1787
PennsylvaniaDecember 12, 1787
New JerseyDecember 18, 1787
GeorgiaJanuary 2, 1788
ConnecticutJanuary 9, 1788
MassachusettsFebruary 6, 1788
MarylandApril 28, 1788
South CarolinaMay 23, 1788
New HampshireJune 21, 1788
VirginiaJune 25, 1788
New YorkJuly 26, 1788
North CarolinaNovember 21, 1789
Rhode IslandMay 29, 1790
VermontMarch 4, 1791
KentuckyJune 1, 1792
TennesseeJune 1, 1796
OhioMarch 1, 1803
LouisianaApril 30, 1812
IndianaDecember 11, 1816
MississippiDecember 10, 1817
IllinoisDecember 3, 1818
AlabamaDecember 19, 1819
MaineMarch 15, 1820
MissouriAugust 10, 1821
ArkansasJune 15, 1836
MichiganJanuary 26, 1837
FloridaMarch 3, 1845
TexasDecember 29, 1845
IowaDecember 28, 1846
WisconsinMay 29, 1848
CaliforniaSeptember 9, 1850
MinnesotaMay 11, 1858
OregonFebruary 14, 1859
KansasJanuary 29, 1861
West VirginiaJune 20, 1863
NevadaOctober 31, 1864
NebraskaMarch 1, 1867
ColoradoAugust 1, 1876
North DakotaNovember 2, 1889
South DakotaNovember 2, 1889
MontanaNovember 8, 1889
WashingtonNovember 11, 1889
IdahoJuly 3, 1890
WyomingJuly 10, 1890
UtahJanuary 4, 1896
OklahomaNovember 16, 1907
New MexicoJanuary 26, 1912
ArizonaFebruary 14, 1912
AlaskaJanuary 3, 1959
HawaiiAugust 21, 1959
showing: 50 rows

United States by Statehood

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