Statehood: When did your State Join the Union?
Statehood by Dates, the date each US state joined the Union.
Click here to view list in state name order!
Statehood: When did your State Join the Union - Find a directory of dates that states were admitted into the union. Or read about the US Territories
This is a list of US states by date of statehood, that is, the date when each US 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
Click here to view list in state name order!
1880-1899 1900-1950 1950-1959
The 50 States and District of Columbia by Date
- Delaware
Delaware, one of the thirteen colonies, gained its distinction as the "First State" when it was the first to ratify the Constitution on December 7, 1787. - Pennsylvania
In September 1787, the US Constitution was signed in Philadelphia and on December 12, 1787, Pennsylvania, one of the thirteen colonies, became the second state. - New Jersey
New Jersey, one of the thirteen colonies, became the third state on December 18, 1787. - Georgia
Georgia, one of the thirteen colonies, ratified the US Constitution on January 2, 1788, becoming the fourth state to do so; it joined the Confederacy on January 19, 1861, and re-entered the Union after the Civil War. - Connecticut
Connecticut, one of the thirteen colonies, became the fifth state on January 9, 1788. - Massachusetts
Originally part of the thirteen colonies, Massachusetts became a state on February 6, 1788 - Maryland
Maryland became the seventh state on April 28, 1788. During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln placed Maryland under military control. - South Carolina
South Carolina, one of the thirteen colonies, became the eighth state on May 23, 1788. On December 20, 1860, South Carolina became the first state to secede form the Union. It re- entered after the Civil War. - New Hampshire
In a sense, New Hampshire, originally one of the thirteen colonies, "created" the new nation by becoming the ninth state on June 21, 1788, meeting the requirement for nine states to ratify the Constitution. - Virginia
Virginia one of the thirteen colonies, became the 10th state on June 25, 1788. Richmond became the capital of the Confederacy on May 29, 1861, but re-entered the Union after the war. - New York
On July 26, 1788, New York , one of the thirteen colonies, became the 11th state. - North Carolina
North Carolina, one of the thirteen colonies, became the 12th state on November 21, 1789. North Carolina troops suffered the greatest losses of all the states during the Civil War while fighting for the Confederacy, re-entered the Union after the fighting ceased. - Rhode Island
Rhode Island was the last of the thirteen colonies to join the Union on May 29, 1790. - Vermont
Vermont became the first state added to the Union following the 13 colonies on March 1, 1791. Until statehood, had been a region claimed by both New York and New Hampshire - Kentucky
Kentucky became the first state to be carved from the great western wilderness on June 1, 1792. Never a territory, it was part of Virginia until statehood. - Tennessee
Tennessee became a state on June 1, 1796. On June 8, 1861, it joined the Confederacy and became a major battleground for the Civil War, re-entering the Union after war's end. Was Southwest Territory before statehood. - Ohio
Ohio became the first state west of the Alleghenies on March 1, 1803. Was part of the Northwest Territory until statehood. - Louisiana
Louisiana became the 18th state on April 30, 1812. It joined the Confederacy on January 26, 1861 and re-entered the Union after the Civil War. With certain boundary changes, had been the Territory of Orleans. - Indiana
Indiana became the 19th state on December 11, 1816. There was a residue of Indiana Territory that continued to exist under that name until Dec. 3, 1818, when it was attached to Michigan Territory - Mississippi
On December 10, 1817, Mississippi was admitted as the 20th state. Territory by Act of April 7, 1798, effective May 7, 1798. - Illinois
Illinois became the 21st state on December 3, 1818. - Alabama
Alabama entered the Union on December 14, 1819. In January 1861, Alabama seceded from the Union, and on February 4, delegates from six states met at Montgomery and formed the Confederate States of America, with Montgomery as the capital. After the Civil War, Alabama re-entered the Union. Territory by Act of March 3, 1817, effective Aug. 15, 1817. - Maine
Maine became the 23rd state on March 15, 1820. Its admission to the Union balanced the simultaneous admission of Missouri as a slave state. What is now the state of Maine was, before statehood, called the District of Maine and belonged to Massachusetts. - Missouri
Missouri was admitted as a slave state on August 10, 1821, after an agreement known as the Missouri Compromise in which Maine was admitted as a free state. The state was much smaller than the territory. The area to the west and northwest of the state, which had been in the territory, was commonly known as the "Missouri Country" until May 30, 1854, and certain of the post offices in this area show a Missouri abbreviation in the postmark. - Arkansas
Despite opposition in Congress to a new slave state, Arkansas became a state on June 15, 1836. Arkansas Governor Henry M. Rector seized Fort Smith and Arkansas joined the Confederacy in 1861 re-entering the Union at War's end. The territory was larger than the state. After statehood the leftover area to the west had post offices that continued for some years to use an Arkansas abbreviation in the postmarks, although they were really in the "Indian Country." - Michigan
Michigan became the 26th state on January 26, 1837. - Florida
Florida became a state on March 3, 1845, a move delayed by the reluctance of Congress to admit another slave state, and it joined the Confederacy on January 10, 1861, re-entering the Union at war's end. - Texas
After ten years of independence, Texas became a state on December 29, 1845. Was an independent republic before statehood. - Iowa
On December 28, 1846, Iowa became the first free state in the old Louisiana Territory. - Wisconsin
Wisconsin became the 30th state on May 29, 1848. The state is smaller than the territory and the leftover area continued to be called the Territory of Wisconsin until March 3, 1849. - California
Congress hesitated to welcome a new free state, but because of its booming population and the discovery of gold California was admitted in September 9, 1850. Ceded by Mexico by the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, concluded Feb. 2, 1848, and proclaimed July 4, 1848. From then until statehood, California had a military government until Dec. 20, 1849, and then a local civil government. It never had a territorial form of government. - Minnesota
On May 11, 1858 Minnesota became the 32 state. - Oregon
On February 14, 1859, Oregon gained statehood. - Kansas
Kansas became a free state on January 29, 1861, after seven years of bloody feuding between residents over whether to be admitted as a slave or free state. - West Virginia
On June 20, 1863, the wartime state of West Virginia was born by acceptance of the federal government. Was part of Virginia until statehood. - Nevada
On October 31, 1864, at the urging of President Abraham Lincoln, Nevada became a state. Only a short four years earlier, it had been a wilderness. - Nebraska
President Andrew Johnson vetoed the Nebraska statehood bill of 1866, but Congress overrode his veto, and Nebraska became a state on March 1, 1867. - Colorado
After three tries Colorado was made a state on August 1, 1876. - North Dakota
Both North and South Dakota became states on November 2, 1889. Was part of Dakota Territory before statehood. Admitted on same day as South Dakota - South Dakota
Both Dakotas became states on November 2, 1889. Was part of Dakota Territory before statehood. Admitted on same day as North Dakota - Montana
Montana achieved statehood on November 8, 1889. - Washington
On November 11, 1889, Washington became a state. - Idaho
Idaho became a state on July 3, 1890. - Wyoming
Although the Wyoming population was not enough to qualify for statehood, it became one anyway on July 10, 1890. - Utah
Utah became the 45th state on January 4, 1896. - Oklahoma
Oklahoma became a state on November 6, 1907, with a population of 1,414,177, including residents in Indian Territory. The state was formed from Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory. - New Mexico
On January 6, 1912, New Mexico became the 47th state - Arizona
Arizona became the 48th state on February 14, 1912. This region was sometimes called Arizona before 1863, although it was still in the Territory of New Mexico - Alaska
Alaska became the 49th state on January 3, 1959; it was the first new state in the Union since 1912. A district from Oct. 18, 1867, until it became an organized territory Aug. 24, 1912. - Hawai
Hawaii became the Fiftieth state on August 21, 1959 The territorial date Aug. 12, 1898 is that of the formal transfer to the United States, with Sanford B. Dole as first Governor. - Washington, DC
Residents of Washington were given the right to vote for president and vice president with the ratification of the 23rd Amendment in 1961. But the District of Columbia does not have statehood.
US Territories
Puerto Rico
Puerto Ricans received US citizenship in 1917, and the island became an internally self- governing commonwealth in 1952. The people of Puerto Rico
are represented in the US House of Representatives by a nonvoting delegate.
US Virgin Islands
In 1927, the people of the US Virgin Islands became American nationals and in 1936, they achieved limited self-government. Today the Virgin Islands
has a limited form of self-government, with an elected governor and lieutenant, and a nonvoting delegate to the US House of Representatives.
American Samoa
The United States, Britain, and France claimed trade and other privileges in the islands, and the United States established a naval station at Pago
Pago in 1878. An agreement of 1899 recognized in the US right to govern present American Samoa. In 1978, a governor was popularly elected for the first
time.
Guam
After the Spanish-American War of 1898, Spain ceded the island to the United States. Guam is represented by a nonvoting delegate in the US House of
Representatives, and its residents are citizens but do not vote for the President.
Micronesia
Several Pacific Island groups, collectively known as Micronesia, were placed under US trusteeship after World War II. The trusteeship has since been
dissolved. The Northern Mariana Islands is a US commonwealth; the other island groups are now independent states with close ties to the US
The information for this listing was provided by:
The World Almanac of the USA.
World Almanac Books, 1996
An Imprint of K-III Reference Corporation
One International Boulevard
Mahwah, NJ 07497-0017
