Mapped: The Population of U.S. States Compared with Countries

What We're Showing

This map compares its states and Washington D.C. to countries with similar population sizes to provide a perspective on the U.S. population. The data is sourced from Census.gov and Worldometer, with population projections for U.S. states as of December 8, 2023, and other countries as of July 16, 2023.

Key Facts

• The U.S. ranks as the third most populous country globally, boasting a population of around 336 million people
• Almost a third of the U.S. population resides in three states: California, Texas, and Florida
• California, the most populated, has a population equivalent to Canada. If the Golden State were a country, it would rank as the 38th most populous
• Texas, with over 30 million people, matches the population of Madagascar
• Florida, with around 23 million, is comparable to Taiwan’s population
• On the flip side, Wyoming stands as the least populated state in the country with fewer than 600,000 people, roughly equivalent to the population of Micronesia in the western Pacific Ocean