List of U.S. states by date of statehood
2007 Concise Encyclopedia. Related subjects: North American Geography
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 be members of the United States from the date of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776, they are presented here as being "admitted" 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 (see note below).
The dates on this list do not account for the ostensible secession during the American Civil War of several states 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. Nor do the dates on the list reflect ratification of the Articles of Confederation, which is the original document naming the United States as such, and giving the initial label of "states" to the subnational political entities.
| # |  |
State | Ratification‡ or Admission | Preceding Entity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Delaware | Friday, December 7, 1787 ‡ | Lower Counties on Delaware, then sovereign state in Confederation |
| 2 |  |
Pennsylvania | Wednesday, December 12, 1787 ‡ | Province of Pennsylvania, then sovereign state in Confederation |
| 3 |  |
New Jersey | Tuesday, December 18, 1787 ‡ | Province of New Jersey, then sovereign state in Confederation |
| 4 |  |
Georgia | Wednesday, January 2, 1788 ‡ | Province of Georgia, then sovereign state in Confederation |
| 5 |  |
Connecticut | Wednesday, January 9, 1788 ‡ | Connecticut Colony, then sovereign state in Confederation |
| 6 |  |
Massachusetts | Wednesday, February 6, 1788 ‡ | Province of Massachusetts Bay, then sovereign state in Confederation |
| 7 |  |
Maryland | Monday, April 28, 1788 ‡ | Province of Maryland, then sovereign state in Confederation |
| 8 |  |
South Carolina | Friday, May 23, 1788 ‡ | Province of South Carolina, then sovereign state in Confederation |
| 9 |  |
New Hampshire | Saturday, June 21, 1788 ‡ | Province of New Hampshire, then sovereign state in Confederation |
| 10 |  |
Virginia | Wednesday, June 25, 1788 ‡ | Virginia Colony, then sovereign state in Confederation |
| 11 |  |
New York | Saturday, July 26, 1788 ‡ | Province of New York, then sovereign state in Confederation |
| 12 |  |
North Carolina | Saturday, November 21, 1789 ‡ | Province of North Carolina, then sovereign state in Confederation |
| 13 |  |
Rhode Island | Saturday, May 29, 1790 ‡ | Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, then sovereign state in Confederation |
| 14 |  |
Vermont | Friday, March 4, 1791 | Province of New York and New Hampshire Grants (ownership disputed), Vermont Republic |
| 15 |  |
Kentucky | Friday, June 1, 1792 | Virginia |
| 16 |  |
Tennessee | Wednesday, June 1, 1796 | Province of North Carolina, Southwest Territory |
| 17 |  |
Ohio | Tuesday, March 1, 1803* | Northwest Territory |
| 18 |  |
Louisiana | Thursday, April 30, 1812 | Orleans Territory |
| 19 |  |
Indiana | Wednesday, December 11, 1816 | Indiana Territory |
| 20 |  |
Mississippi | Wednesday, December 10, 1817 | Mississippi Territory |
| 21 |  |
Illinois | Thursday, December 3, 1818 | Illinois Territory |
| 22 |  |
Alabama | Tuesday, December 14, 1819 | Alabama Territory |
| 23 |  |
Maine | Wednesday, March 15, 1820 | Massachusetts |
| 24 |  |
Missouri | Friday, August 10, 1821 | Missouri Territory |
| 25 |  |
Arkansas | Wednesday, June 15, 1836 | Arkansas Territory |
| 26 |  |
Michigan | Thursday, January 26, 1837 | Michigan Territory |
| 27 |  |
Florida | Monday, March 3, 1845 | Florida Territory |
| 28 |  |
Texas | Monday, December 29, 1845 | Republic of Texas |
| 29 |  |
Iowa | Monday, December 28, 1846 | Iowa Territory |
| 30 |  |
Wisconsin | Monday, May 29, 1848 | Wisconsin Territory |
| 31 |  |
California | Monday, September 9, 1850 | Mexican Cession, Alta California |
| 32 |  |
Minnesota | Tuesday, May 11, 1858 | Minnesota Territory |
| 33 |  |
Oregon | Monday, February 14, 1859 | Oregon Territory |
| 34 |  |
Kansas | Tuesday, January 29, 1861 | Kansas Territory |
| 35 |  |
West Virginia | Saturday, June 20, 1863 | Virginia |
| 36 |  |
Nevada | Monday, October 31, 1864 | Nevada Territory |
| 37 |  |
Nebraska | Friday, March 1, 1867 | Nebraska Territory |
| 38 |  |
Colorado | Tuesday, August 1, 1876 | Colorado Territory |
| 39 † |  |
North Dakota | Saturday, November 2, 1889 | Dakota Territory |
| 40 † |  |
South Dakota | Saturday, November 2, 1889 | Dakota Territory |
| 41 |  |
Montana | Friday, November 8, 1889 | Montana Territory |
| 42 |  |
Washington | Monday, November 11, 1889 | Washington Territory |
| 43 |  |
Idaho | Thursday, July 3, 1890 | Idaho Territory |
| 44 |  |
Wyoming | Thursday, July 10, 1890 | Wyoming Territory |
| 45 |  |
Utah | Saturday, January 4, 1896 | Utah Territory |
| 46 |  |
Oklahoma | Saturday, November 16, 1907 | Oklahoma Territory & Indian Territory |
| 47 |  |
New Mexico | Saturday, January 6, 1912 | New Mexico Territory |
| 48 |  |
Arizona | Wednesday, February 14, 1912 | Arizona Territory |
| 49 |  |
Alaska | Saturday, January 3, 1959 | Alaska Territory |
| 50 |  |
Hawaii | Friday, August 21, 1959 | Kingdom of Hawaii, Hawaii Territory |