PlainCities

States ranked

The least populous U.S. states

Wyoming is first by residents on July 1, 2025 (588,753); California is last (39,355,309). The same estimates, smallest first.

Which U.S. states have the fewest people?

First to fifth: Wyoming (588,753), Vermont (644,663), Alaska (737,270), North Dakota (799,358) and South Dakota (935,094).

The least populous U.S. states, by residents on July 1, 2025.
RankStateResidents on July 1, 2025Since 2020
1 Wyoming 588,753 +2.1%
2 Vermont 644,663 +0.2%
3 Alaska 737,270 +0.5%
4 North Dakota 799,358 +2.6%
5 South Dakota 935,094 +5.5%
6 Delaware 1,059,952 +7.1%
7 Rhode Island 1,114,521 +1.6%
8 Montana 1,144,694 +5.6%
9 Maine 1,414,874 +3.8%
10 New Hampshire 1,415,342 +2.7%
11 Hawaii 1,432,820 −1.5%
12 West Virginia 1,766,147 −1.5%
13 Nebraska 2,018,006 +2.9%
14 Idaho 2,029,733 +10.4%
15 New Mexico 2,125,498 +0.4%
16 Mississippi 2,954,160 −0.2%
17 Kansas 2,977,220 +1.3%
18 Arkansas 3,114,791 +3.4%
19 Iowa 3,238,387 +1.5%
20 Nevada 3,282,188 +5.7%
21 Utah 3,538,904 +8.2%
22 Connecticut 3,688,496 +2.2%
23 Oklahoma 4,123,288 +4.1%
24 Oregon 4,273,586 +0.9%
25 Kentucky 4,606,864 +2.2%
26 Louisiana 4,618,189 −0.9%
27 Alabama 5,193,088 +3.3%
28 South Carolina 5,570,274 +8.8%
29 Minnesota 5,830,405 +2.2%
30 Wisconsin 5,972,787 +1.3%
31 Colorado 6,012,561 +4.1%
32 Maryland 6,265,347 +1.4%
33 Missouri 6,270,541 +1.9%
34 Indiana 6,973,333 +2.8%
35 Massachusetts 7,154,084 +1.7%
36 Tennessee 7,315,076 +5.8%
37 Arizona 7,623,818 +6.5%
38 Washington 8,001,020 +3.8%
39 Virginia 8,880,107 +2.9%
40 New Jersey 9,548,215 +2.8%
41 Michigan 10,127,884 +0.5%
42 North Carolina 11,197,968 +7.2%
43 Georgia 11,302,748 +5.5%
44 Ohio 11,900,510 +0.9%
45 Illinois 12,719,141 −0.8%
46 Pennsylvania 13,059,432 +0.4%
47 New York 20,002,427 −1.0%
48 Florida 23,462,518 +8.9%
49 Texas 31,709,821 +8.8%
50 California 39,355,309 −0.5%

Not states, so not ranked: District of Columbia, 693,645; Puerto Rico, 3,184,835.

Source: Census Bureau population estimates, Vintage 2025 (NST-EST2025) · Census Bureau source

How is this ranking made?

One figure is read for each of the 50 states: the residents on July 1, 2025. Equal figures share a rank. A ranking measures one number; it is not a judgment of a place. The rules are on the methodology page (how a survey figure's reliability is judged), and every ranking is on the rankings page.

Source: PlainCities ranking method applied to the Census Bureau population estimates, Vintage 2025 (NST-EST2025) · How ranks are computed