U.S. Population by State

Introduction:

With midterm elections on the horizon, one of the most important factors shaping political outcomes is population. And the states with the largest populations carry the most weight. This page ranks all 50 states (plus D.C.) by their 2020 Census population, giving you a clear snapshot of where the most Americans live.

But why does that matter? Population directly influences the number of seats a state holds in the House of Representatives, which in turn shapes how federal legislation gets passed. States like California, Texas, and Florida are the most populous, and they're some of the most politically influential. Whether you're following a particular race, curious about how electoral power is distributed, or just want to understand the bigger picture heading into the midterms, this table is a solid place to start.

Table:

Rank	State	State Code	2020 Census	Percent of Total
1	California	CA	39538223	11.91%
2	Texas	TX	29145505	8.74%
3	Florida	FL	21538187	6.47%
4	New York	NY	20201249	5.86%
5	Pennsylvania	PA	13002700	3.86%
6	Illinois	IL	12801989	3.82%
7	Ohio	OH	11799448	3.52%
8	Georgia	GA	10711908	3.20%
9	North Carolina	NC	10439388	3.16%
10	Michigan	MI	10077331	3.01%
11	New Jersey	NJ	9288994	2.68%
12	Virginia	VA	8631393	2.57%
13	Washington	WA	7705281	2.29%
14	Arizona	AZ	7151502	2.19%
15	Massachusetts	MA	7029917	2.09%
16	Tennessee	TN	6910840	2.06%
17	Indiana	IN	6785528	2.03%
18	Maryland	MD	6177224	1.85%
19	Missouri	MO	6154913	1.82%
20	Wisconsin	WI	5893718	1.75%
21	Colorado	CO	5773714	1.74%
22	Minnesota	MN	5706494	1.70%
23	South Carolina	SC	5118425	1.55%
24	Alabama	AL	5024279	1.48%
25	Louisiana	LA	4657757	1.40%
26	Kentucky	KY	4505836	1.35%
27	Oregon	OR	4237256	1.27%
28	Oklahoma	OK	3959353	1.19%
29	Connecticut	CT	3605944	1.07%
30	Utah	UT	3205958	0.97%
31	Iowa	IA	3271616	0.95%
32	Nevada	NV	3104614	0.93%
33	Arkansas	AR	3011524	0.91%
34	Mississippi	MS	2961279	0.90%
35	Kansas	KS	2937880	0.88%
36	New Mexico	NM	2117522	0.63%
37	Nebraska	NE	1961504	0.58%
38	Idaho	ID	1839106	0.54%
39	West Virginia	WV	1793716	0.54%
40	Hawaii	HI	1455271	0.43%
41	New Hampshire	NH	1377529	0.41%
42	Maine	ME	1362359	0.41%
43	Rhode Island	RI	1097379	0.32%
44	Montana	MT	1084225	0.32%
45	Delaware	DE	989948	0.29%
46	South Dakota	SD	886667	0.27%
47	North Dakota	ND	779094	0.23%
48	Alaska	AK	733391	0.22%
49	DC	DC	689545	0.21%
50	Vermont	VT	643077	0.19%
51	Wyoming	WY	576851	0.17%
	Total U.S.	Total	331449281

Analysis:

Top 3 Most Populous States

California	39,538,223	11.91%
Texas	29,145,505	8.74%
Florida	21,538,187	6.47%

Combined: 90,221,915 (27.12% of U.S. population)

Analysis

The top 3 states alone account for over 27% of the U.S. population and hold significant electoral power in national elections. California has 52 House seats, Texas has 38, and Florida has 28—together representing 118 of the 435 total House seats. Their influence in shaping federal legislation and determining midterm outcomes cannot be overstated.

Bottom 3 Least Populous States

Vermont	643,077	0.19%
Wyoming	576,851	0.17%
DC	689,545	0.21%

Combined: 1,909,473 (0.57% of U.S. population)

Analysis

The three least populous regions combined represent less than 1% of the total U.S. population—roughly equivalent to the population of just Houston, Texas. Despite their small populations, Wyoming and Vermont each have one House representative and two senators, giving them disproportionate representation per capita in Congress compared to larger states.

Glossary:

Rank:: The numerical position of the state based on its total population, from highest to lowest.
State:: The name of the U.S. state (or district) being represented in the table.
State Code:: The two-letter abbreviation officially assigned to each state by the U.S. government.
2020 Census:: The total number of people living in that state as recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2020.
Percent of Total:: The state's share of the entire U.S. population, expressed as a percentage.

U.S. Population by State

Introduction:

Table:

Analysis:

Top 3 Most Populous States

Analysis

Bottom 3 Least Populous States

Analysis

Glossary:

Dataset from (Kaggle)