How Wet is Your State? The Water Area of Each State

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By Water Science School June 8, 2018

How Wet is Your State?

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What percent of your state do you think is water covered? Which state has the highest percentage of water area? Is the West really "drier" than the rest of the country?

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What percent of your state do you think is water covered? Which state has the highest percentage of water area? Is the West really "drier" than the rest of the country? The table below shows the total land area and water area of each state.

Water area calculations in this table include only perennial water. All other water (intermittent, glacier, and marsh/swamp) is included in this table as part of land area calculations.

These water area data represent the sum of inland and coastal water and the Great Lakes. The source of this data is the U.S. Census Bureau, Geography: State Area Measurements, 2010.

Land area and water area of each state
State	Total area square miles	Total area square kilometers	Land area square miles	Land area square kilometers	Water area square miles	Water area square kilometers	Inland square miles	Inland square kilometers	Coastal square miles	Coastal square kilometers	Great Lakes square miles	Great Lakes square kilometers	Territorial square miles	Territorial square kilometers	Percent area, water
Alabama	52,420	135,767	50,645	131,171	1,775	4,597	1,058	2,740	517	1,340	—	—	199	516	3.4%
Alaska	665,384	1,723,337	570,641	1,477,953	94,743	245,383	19,304	49,997	26,119	67,647	—	—	49,320	127,739	14.2%
Arizona	113,990	295,234	113,594	294,207	396	1,026	396	1,026	—	—	—	—	—	—	0.3%
Arkansas	53,179	137,732	52,035	134,771	1,143	2,961	1,143	2,961	—	—	—	—	—	—	2.1%
California	163,695	423,967	155,779	403,466	7,916	20,501	2,833	7,339	245	634	—	—	4,837	12,528	4.8%
Colorado	104,094	269,601	103,642	268,431	452	1,170	452	1,170	—	—	—	—	—	—	0.4%
Connecticut	5,543	14,357	4,842	12,542	701	1,816	171	443	530	1,372	—	—	—	—	12.6%
Delaware	2,489	6,446	1,949	5,047	540	1,399	91	237	355	920	—	—	94	242	21.7%
District of Columbia	68	177	61	158	7	19	7	19	—	—	—	—	—	—	10.3%
Florida	65,758	170,312	53,625	138,887	12,133	31,424	5,027	13,019	1,349	3,495	—	—	5,757	14,911	18.5%
Georgia	59,425	153,910	57,513	148,959	1,912	4,951	1,412	3,657	46	119	—	—	453	1,175	3.2%
Hawaii	10,932	28,313	6,423	16,635	4,509	11,678	42	109	9	23	—	—	4,458	11,546	41.2%
Idaho	83,569	216,443	82,643	214,045	926	2,398	926	2,398	—	—	—	—	—	—	1.1%
Illinois	57,914	149,995	55,519	143,793	2,395	6,202	820	2,124	—	—	1,575	4,078	—	—	4.1%
Indiana	36,420	94,326	35,826	92,789	593	1,537	361	935	—	—	233	602	—	—	1.6%
Iowa	56,273	145,746	55,857	144,669	416	1,077	416	1,077	—	—	—	—	—	—	0.7%
Kansas	82,278	213,100	81,759	211,754	520	1,346	520	1,346	—	—	—	—	—	—	0.6%
Kentucky	40,408	104,656	39,486	102,269	921	2,387	921	2,387	—	—	—	—	—	—	2.3%
Louisiana	52,378	135,659	43,204	111,898	9,174	23,761	4,562	11,815	2,880	7,460	—	—	1,732	4,486	17.5%
Maine	35,380	91,633	30,843	79,883	4,537	11,750	2,314	5,992	591	1,530	—	—	1,633	4,228	12.8%
Maryland	12,406	32,131	9,707	25,142	2,699	6,990	768	1,990	1,820	4,714	—	—	111	286	21.8%
Massachusetts	10,554	27,336	7,800	20,202	2,754	7,134	486	1,258	1,177	3,048	—	—	1,092	2,829	26.1 %
Michigan	96,714	250,487	56,539	146,435	40,175	104,052	2,001	5,182	—	—	38,174	98,870	—	—	41.5%
Minnesota	86,936	225,163	79,627	206,232	7,309	18,930	4,763	12,336	—	—	2,546	6,594	—	—	8.4%
Mississippi	48,432	125,438	46,923	121,531	1,509	3,907	769	1,992	616	1,596	—	—	123	318	3.1%
Missouri	69,707	180,540	68,742	178,040	965	2,501	965	2,501	—	—	—	—	—	—	1.4%
Montana	147,040	380,831	145,546	376,962	1,494	3,869	1,494	3,869	—	—	—	—	—	—	1.0%
Nebraska	77,348	200,330	76,824	198,974	524	1,356	524	1,356	—	—	—	—	—	—	0.7%
Nevada	110,572	286,380	109,781	284,332	791	2,048	791	2,048	—	—	—	—	—	—	0.7%
New Hampshire	9,349	24,214	8,953	23,187	397	1,027	328	849	—	—	—	—	69	178	4.2%
New Jersey	8,723	22,591	7,354	19,047	1,368	3,544	436	1,128	427	1,105	—	—	506	1,311	15.7%
New Mexico	121,590	314,917	121,298	314,161	292	757	292	757	—	—	—	—	—	—	0.2%
New York	54,555	141,297	47,126	122,057	7,429	19,240	1,989	5,151	975	2,526	3,986	10,324	479	1,240	13.6%
North Carolina	53,819	139,391	48,618	125,920	5,201	13,471	4,052	10,495	—	—	—	—	1,149	2,976	9.7%
North Dakota	70,698	183,108	69,001	178,711	1,698	4,397	1,698	4,397	—	—	—	—	—	—	2.4%
Ohio	44,826	116,098	40,861	105,829	3,965	10,269	474	1,227	—	—	3,491	9,042	—	—	8.8%
Oklahoma	69,899	181,037	68,595	177,660	1,304	3,377	1,304	3,377	—	—	—	—	—	—	1.9%
Oregon	98,379	254,799	95,988	248,608	2,391	6,191	1,068	2,766	72	186	—	—	1,251	3,240	2.4%
Pennsylvania	46,054	119,280	44,743	115,883	1,312	3,397	563	1,459	—	—	748	1,938	—	—	2.8%
Rhode Island	1,545	4,001	1,034	2,678	511	1,324	182	470	64	165	—	—	266	688	33.1%
South Carolina	32,020	82,933	30,061	77,857	1,960	5,076	1,064	2,755	110	286	—	—	786	2,036	6.1%
South Dakota	77,116	199,729	75,811	196,350	1,305	3,379	1,305	3,379	—	—	—	—	—	—	1.7%
Tennessee	42,144	109,153	41,235	106,798	909	2,355	909	2,355	—	—	—	—	—	—	2.2%
Texas	268,596	695,662	261,232	676,587	7,365	19,075	5,616	14,546	401	1,040	—	—	1,347	3,489	2.7%
Utah	84,897	219,882	82,170	212,818	2,727	7,064	2,727	7,064	—	—	—	—	—	—	3.2%
Vermont	9,616	24,906	9,217	23,871	400	1,035	400	1,035	—	—	—	—	—	—	4.2%
Virginia	42,775	110,787	39,490	102,279	3,285	8,508	1,282	3,320	1,565	4,053	—	—	438	1,135	7.7%
Washington	71,298	184,661	66,456	172,119	4,842	12,542	1,715	4,441	2,468	6,392	—	—	660	1,709	6.8%
West Virginia	24,230	62,756	24,038	62,259	192	497	192	497	—	—	—	—	—	—	0.8%
Wisconsin	65,496	169,635	54,158	140,268	11,339	29,367	1,997	5,172	—	—	9,342	24,195	—	—	17.3%
Wyoming	97,813	253,335	97,093	251,470	720	1,864	720	1,864	—	—	—	—	—	—	0.7%
United States	3,796,742	9,833,517	3,531,905	9,147,593	264,837	685,924	85,647	221,824	42,337	109,652	60,094	155,643	76,759	198,806	7.0%

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