This is a list of U.S. states by date of statehood, that is, the date when each U.S. state joined the Union. Although the first 13 states can be considered to have been members of the United States from the date of the Declaration of Independence – July 4, 1776 – or from the date on which they ratified the Articles of Confederation, they are presented here as being "admitted," as was Vermont, on the date each ratified the present United States Constitution; most other such lists, including the 50 State Quarters program, do the same.
The admission dates for later states were set by either the act of admission or a later resolution issued under that act, except for Ohio, whose date of admission was determined by act of Congress in 1953 as March 1, 1803 when its legislature first met because of a clerical error of omission— the original act omitted setting a date that the act took effect.
This list does not account for the secession of 11 states during the American Civil War to form the Confederate States of America, the subsequent restoration of those states to representation in Congress (sometimes called "readmission") between 1866 and 1870, or the end of Reconstruction in those states; since their secession was declared illegal by the Supreme Court in Texas v. White, they never legally left the Union. It also does not account for secessionist governments formed in two other states, as their Unionist governments generally remained in control.
# | State | Admission | Preceding Entity | |
---|---|---|---|---|
!C 1 | Delaware | 01787-12-07December 7, 1787 | Delaware !Lower Counties on Delaware i.e. lower counties of Pennsylvania, then sovereign state in Confederation | |
!B9993068528194 2 | Pennsylvania | 01787-12-12December 12, 1787 | Pennsylvania !Province of Pennsylvania, then sovereign state in Confederation. | |
!B9989013877113 3 | New Jersey | 01787-12-18December 18, 1787 | New Jersey !Province of New Jersey, then sovereign state in Confederation | |
!B9986137056388 4 | Georgia | 01788-01-02January 2, 1788 | Georgia !Province of Georgia, then sovereign state in Confederation | |
!B9983905620875 5 | Connecticut | 01788-01-09January 9, 1788 | Connecticut Colony, then sovereign state in Confederation | |
!B9982082405307 6 | Massachusetts | 01788-02-06February 6, 1788 | Massachusetts !Province of Massachusetts Bay, then sovereign state in Confederation | |
!B9980540898509 7 | Maryland | 01788-04-28April 28, 1788 | Maryland !Province of Maryland, then sovereign state in Confederation | |
!B9979205584583 8 | South Carolina | 01788-05-23May 23, 1788 | South Carolina !Province of South Carolina, then sovereign state in Confederation | |
!B9978027754226 9 | New Hampshire | 01788-06-21June 21, 1788 | New Hampshire !Province of New Hampshire, then sovereign state in Confederation | |
!B9976974149070 10 | Virginia | 01788-06-25June 25, 1788 | Virginia Colony, then sovereign state in Confederation | |
!B9976021047272 11 | New York | 01788-07-26July 26, 1788 | New York !Province of New York, then sovereign state in Confederation | |
!B9975150933502 12 | North Carolina | 01789-11-21November 21, 1789 | North Carolina !Province of North Carolina, then sovereign state in Confederation | |
!B9974350506425 13 | Rhode Island | 01790-05-29May 29, 1790 | Rhode Island !Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, then sovereign state in Confederation | |
!B9973609426703 14 | Vermont | 01791-03-04March 4, 1791 | New York !Province of New York and New Hampshire Grants (ownership disputed), Vermont Republic | |
!B9972919497988 15 | Kentucky | 01792-06-01June 1, 1792 | Virginia !Split off from Virginia with consent of that state. The former huge, westmost Kentucky County | |
!B9972274112777 16 | Tennessee | 01796-06-01June 1, 1796 | North Carolina !Formed from western land donated to the Federal Government by North Carolina | |
!B9971667866559 17 | Ohio | 01803-03-01March 1, 1803 | Northwest Territory !The Northwest Territory, land donated to the Federal Government by the East Coast states such as Pennsylvania, Virginia, Connecticut, and New York | |
!B9971096282421 18 | Louisiana | 01812-04-30April 30, 1812 | Orleans, Territory of !Territory of Orleans | |
!B9970555610208 19 | Indiana | 01816-12-11December 11, 1816 | Indiana Territory, formed from the Northwest Territory | |
!B9970042677264 20 | Mississippi | 01817-12-10December 10, 1817 | Mississippi Territory, formed from land donated to the Federal Government by Georgia | |
!B9969554775622 21 | Illinois | 01818-12-03December 3, 1818 | Illinois Territory, formed from the Northwest Territory | |
!B9969089575466 22 | Alabama | 01819-12-14December 14, 1819 | Alabama Territory, formed from the Mississippi Territory, formerly part of the State of Georgia | |
!B9968645057840 23 | Maine | 01820-03-19March 19, 1820 | Massachusetts !Split off from Massachusetts with consent of that state (the former District of Maine) | |
!B9968219461696 24 | Missouri | 01821-08-10August 10, 1821 | Missouri Territory | |
!B9967811241751 25 | Arkansas | 01836-06-15June 15, 1836 | Arkansas Territory | |
!B9967419034619 26 | Michigan | 01837-01-26January 26, 1837 | Michigan Territory, formed from the Northwest Territory | |
!B9967041631339 27 | Florida | 01845-03-03March 3, 1845 | Florida Territory | |
!B9966677954898 28 | Texas | 01845-12-29December 29, 1845 | Texas !Republic of Texas | |
!B9966327041700 29 | Iowa | 01846-12-28December 28, 1846 | Iowa Territory | |
!B9965988026183 30 | Wisconsin | 01848-05-29May 29, 1848 | Wisconsin Territory, formed from the Northwest Territory | |
!B9965660127955 31 | California | 01850-09-09September 9, 1850 | Directly admitted from the Mexican Cession | |
!B9965342640972 32 | Minnesota | 01858-05-11May 11, 1858 | Minnesota Territory | |
!B9965034924385 33 | Oregon | 01859-02-14February 14, 1859 | Oregon Territory | |
!B9964736394753 34 | Kansas | 01861-01-29January 29, 1861 | Kansas Territory | |
!B9964446519385 35 | West Virginia | 01863-06-20June 20, 1863 | Virginia !Divided off from Virginia, with the consent of a pro-Union Virginia government in Wheeling unrecognized by that state's rebelling legislature in Richmond | |
!B9964164810615 36 | Nevada | 01864-10-31October 31, 1864 | Nevada Territory, with parts of the Arizona Territory and the Utah Territory added on later | |
!B9963890820873 37 | Nebraska | 01867-03-01March 1, 1867 | Nebraska Territory | |
!B9963624138402 38 | Colorado | 01876-08-01August 1, 1876 | Colorado Territory | |
!B9963364383538 39 | North Dakota | 01889-11-02November 2, 1889 | Dakota Territory | |
!B9963111205458 40 | South Dakota | 01889-11-02November 2, 1889 | Dakota Territory | |
!B9962864279332 41 | Montana | 01889-11-08November 8, 1889 | Montana Territory | |
!B9962623303817 42 | Washington | 01889-11-11November 11, 1889 | Washington Territory | |
!B9962387998843 43 | Idaho | 01890-07-03July 3, 1890 | Idaho Territory | |
!B9962158103660 44 | Wyoming | 01890-07-10July 10, 1890 | Wyoming Territory | |
!B9961933375102 45 | Utah | 01896-01-04January 4, 1896 | Utah Territory | |
!B9961713586035 46 | Oklahoma | 01907-11-16November 16, 1907 | Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory | |
!B9961498523982 47 | New Mexico | 01912-01-06January 6, 1912 | New Mexico Territory | |
!B9961287989890 48 | Arizona | 01912-02-14February 14, 1912 | Arizona Territory | |
!B9961081797018 49 | Alaska | 01959-01-03January 3, 1959 | Russian America, Department of Alaska, District of Alaska and then Alaska Territory | |
!B9960879769945 50 | Hawaii | 01959-08-21August 21, 1959 | Hawaii !Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, Republic of Hawaii and then Hawaii Territory |
Famous quotes containing the words list of, list, states, date and/or statehood:
“My list of things I never pictured myself saying when I pictured myself as a parent has grown over the years.”
—Polly Berrien Berends (20th century)
“Sheathey call him Scholar Jack
Went down the list of the dead.
Officers, seamen, gunners, marines,
The crews of the gig and yawl,
The bearded man and the lad in his teens,
Carpenters, coal-passersall.”
—Joseph I. C. Clarke (18461925)
“I do seriously believe that if we can measure among the States the benefits resulting from the preservation of the Union, the rebellious States have the larger share. It destroyed an institution that was their destruction. It opened the way for a commercial life that, if they will only embrace it and face the light, means to them a development that shall rival the best attainments of the greatest of our States.”
—Benjamin Harrison (18331901)
“We, when we sow the seeds of doubt deeper than the most up-to- date and modish free-thought has ever dreamed of doing, we well know what we are about. Only out of radical skepsis, out of moral chaos, can the Absolute spring, the anointed Terror of which the time has need.”
—Thomas Mann (18751955)
“Were for statehood. We want statehood because statehood means the protection of our farms and our fences; and it means schools for our children; and it means progress for the future.”
—Willis Goldbeck (19001979)