List of U.S. states by date of statehood

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 – Thursday, 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).

This list does not account for the secession during the American Civil War of 13 states, 11 of which formed the Confederate States of America, and 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.

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6
flagicon|Massachusetts
Massachusetts
Wednesday, February 6, 1788 ‡
Province of Massachusetts Bay, then sovereign state in Confederation
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7
flagicon|Maryland
Maryland
Monday, April 28, 1788 ‡
Province of Maryland, then sovereign state in Confederation
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8
flagicon|South Carolina
South Carolina
Friday, May 23, 1788 ‡
Province of South Carolina, then sovereign state in Confederation
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9
flagicon|New Hampshire
New Hampshire
Saturday, June 21, 1788 ‡
Province of New Hampshire, then sovereign state in Confederation
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10
flagicon|Virginia
Virginia
Wednesday, June 25, 1788 ‡
Virginia Colony, then sovereign state in Confederation
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11
flagicon|New York
New York
Saturday, July 26, 1788 ‡
Province of New York, then sovereign state in Confederation
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12
flagicon|North Carolina
North Carolina
Saturday, November 21, 1789 ‡
Province of North Carolina, then sovereign state in Confederation
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13
flagicon|Rhode Island
Rhode Island
Saturday, May 29, 1790 ‡
Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, then sovereign state in Confederation
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14
flagicon|Vermont
Vermont
Friday, March 4, 1791
Province of New York and New Hampshire Grants (ownership disputed), Vermont Republic
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15
flagicon|Kentucky
Kentucky
Friday, June 1, 1792
Virginia (Kentucky County)
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16
flagicon|Tennessee
Tennessee
Wednesday, June 1, 1796
Province of North Carolina, Southwest Territory
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17
flagicon|Ohio
Ohio
Tuesday, March 1, 1803*
Northwest Territory
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18
flagicon|Louisiana
Louisiana
Thursday, April 30, 1812
Orleans Territory
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19
flagicon|Indiana
Indiana
Wednesday, December 11, 1816
Indiana Territory
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20
flagicon|Mississippi
Mississippi
Wednesday, December 10, 1817
Mississippi Territory
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21
flagicon|Illinois
Illinois
Thursday, December 3, 1818
Illinois Territory
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22
flagicon|Alabama
Alabama
Tuesday, December 14, 1819
Alabama Territory
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23
flagicon|Maine
Maine
Wednesday, March 15, 1820
Massachusetts
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24
flagicon|Missouri
Missouri
Friday, August 10, 1821
Missouri Territory
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25
flagicon|Arkansas
Arkansas
Wednesday, June 15, 1836
Arkansas Territory
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26
flagicon|Michigan
Michigan
Thursday, January 26, 1837
Michigan Territory
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27
flagicon|Florida
Florida
Monday, March 3, 1845
Florida Territory
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28
flagicon|Texas
Texas
Monday, December 29, 1845
Republic of Texas
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29
flagicon|Iowa
Iowa
Monday, December 28, 1846
Iowa Territory
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30
flagicon|Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Monday, May 29, 1848
Wisconsin Territory
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31
flagicon|California
California
Monday, September 9, 1850
California Republic
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32
flagicon|Minnesota
Minnesota
Tuesday, May 11, 1858
Minnesota Territory
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33
flagicon|Oregon
Oregon
Monday, February 14, 1859
Oregon Territory
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34
flagicon|Kansas
Kansas
Tuesday, January 29, 1861
Kansas Territory
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35
flagicon|West Virginia
West Virginia
Saturday, June 20, 1863
Virginia "(divided up)"
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36
flagicon|Nevada
Nevada
Monday, October 31, 1864
Nevada Territory
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37
flagicon|Nebraska
Nebraska
Friday, March 1, 1867
Nebraska Territory
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38
flagicon|Colorado
Colorado
Tuesday, August 1, 1876
Colorado Territory
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39 †
flagicon|North Dakota
North Dakota
Saturday, November 2, 1889
Dakota Territory
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40 †
flagicon|South Dakota
South Dakota
Saturday, November 2, 1889
Dakota Territory
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41
flagicon|Montana
Montana
Friday, November 8, 1889
Montana Territory
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42
flagicon|Washington
Washington
Monday, November 11, 1889
Washington Territory
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43
flagicon|Idaho
Idaho
Thursday, July 3, 1890
Idaho Territory
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44
flagicon|Wyoming
Wyoming
Thursday, July 10, 1890
Wyoming Territory
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45
flagicon|Utah
Utah
Saturday, January 4, 1896
Utah Territory
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46
flagicon|Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Saturday, November 16, 1907
Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory
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47
flagicon|New Mexico
New Mexico
Saturday, January 6, 1912
New Mexico Territory
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48
flagicon|Arizona
Arizona
Wednesday, February 14, 1912
Arizona Territory
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49
flagicon|Alaska
Alaska
Saturday, January 3, 1959
Alaska Territory
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50
flagicon|Hawaii
Hawaii
Friday, August 21, 1959
Kingdom of Hawai'i, Republic of Hawai'i and then Hawaii Territory
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Notes

‡ Original 13 Colonies.

* Congress recognized the state of Ohio on February 19, 1803 [ [http://rs6.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llsl&fileName=002/llsl002.db&recNum=238 "An act to provide for the due execution of the laws of the United States, within the state of Ohio"] , Seventh Congress, Session II, Chapter VII] , but no formal date of statehood was set by the act of admission or a later resolution, as occurred with all other new states. On August 7, 1953, Congress passed a law retroactively setting the date of Ohio's statehood at March 1, 1803, the date when Ohio's first legislature convened.

† The actual statehood proclamations for North and South Dakota were intentionally shuffled so that no one actually knows which was admitted first; President Benjamin Harrison always refused to tell the order in which he signed the two statehood bills. However, North Dakota's proclamation was published first in the "Statutes at Large" (since it is first alphabetically).

References

* [http://www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/50sq_program/index.cfm?flash=yes&action=schedule 50 State Quarter Program] from the United States Mint (including dates of statehood) [Retrieved: January 19, 2006]
* [http://www.50states.com/statehood.htm Dates of statehood] , via 50states.com (includes notes, retrieved January 19, 2006)

References