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List of U.S. states and territories by coastline facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Coastal states
States shaded  dark blue  have ocean coastline.*
States shaded  light blue  have Great Lakes coastline.*
States shaded  white  have no coastline.
* New York has both ocean and Great Lakes coastline.

This is a list of U.S. states and territories ranked by their coastline length. Thirty states have a coastline: twenty-three with a coastline on the Arctic Ocean, Atlantic Ocean (including the Gulf of Mexico), and/or Pacific Ocean, and eight with a Great Lakes shoreline. New York has coasts on both the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. Smaller border lakes such as Lake Champlain or Lake of the Woods are not counted. The five major U.S. territories have coastlines — three of them have a coastline on the Pacific Ocean, and two of them have a coastline on the Atlantic Ocean (Caribbean Sea). The U.S. Minor Outlying Islands also have coastlines.

Two separate measurements are used: method 1 only includes states with ocean coastline and excludes tidal inlets; method 2 includes Great Lake shoreline and the extra length from tidal inlets. For example, method 2 counts the Great Bay as part of New Hampshire's coastline, but method 1 does not.

Method 1 does not include the coastlines of the territories of the United States, while method 2 does.

The data for method 1 was retrieved from a CRS Report for Congress using data from U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, The Coastline of the United States, 1975. This is based on measurements made using large-scale nautical charts. The figure for Connecticut was arrived at separately and may not reflect the correct comparative distance. These numbers exclude the Great Lakes coastlines.

The data for method 2 is from a list maintained by the Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The state coastline lengths were computed by an unspecified method that includes tidal areas not included in the first method. These numbers also include the Great Lakes coastlines, which do not have similar tidal areas. Data for the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands is from the CIA World Factbook.

The figures also face the ambiguity inherent in all attempts at measuring coastlines, as expressed in the coastline paradox.

Contents

Table

State or territory Method 1 (CRS) Method 2 (NOAA) Ratio
(M2÷M1)
Area
(mi2)
Coast/area ratio (ft/mi2)
Coastline Rank Coastline Rank Method 1 Method 2
 Alaska 6,640 mi (10,690 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 33,904 mi (54,563 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 5.11 665384 53 270
 Florida 1,350 mi (2,170 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02 8,436 mi (13,576 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02 6.25 65758 110 680
 California 840 mi (1,350 km) 3 3,427 mi (5,515 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05 4.08 163695 27 110
 Hawaii 750 mi (1,210 km) 4 1,052 mi (1,693 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&018.&&&&&018 1.40 10932 360 510
 Louisiana 397 mi (639 km) 5 7,721 mi (12,426 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03 19.4 52378 40 780
 Texas 367 mi (591 km) 6 3,359 mi (5,406 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&&07.&&&&&07 9.15 268596 7.2 66
 North Carolina 301 mi (484 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&&07.&&&&&07 3,375 mi (5,432 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&&06.&&&&&06 11.2 53819 30 330
 Oregon 296 mi (476 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&&08.&&&&&08 1,410 mi (2,270 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&017.&&&&&017 4.76 98379 16 76
 Maine 228 mi (367 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&&09.&&&&&09 3,478 mi (5,597 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04 15.3 35380 34 520
 Massachusetts 192 mi (309 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&010.&&&&&010 1,519 mi (2,445 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&016.&&&&&016 7.91 10554 96 760
 South Carolina 187 mi (301 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&011.&&&&&011 2,876 mi (4,628 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&012.&&&&&012 15.4 32020 31 470
 Washington 157 mi (253 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&012.&&&&&012 3,026 mi (4,870 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&011.&&&&&011 19.3 71298 12 220
 New Jersey 130 mi (210 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&013.&&&&&013 1,792 mi (2,884 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&015.&&&&&015 13.8 8723 79 1,100
 New York 127 mi (204 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&014.&&&&&014 2,625 mi (4,225 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&013.&&&&&013 20.7 54555 12 250
 Virginia 112 mi (180 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&015.&&&&&015 3,315 mi (5,335 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&&08.&&&&&08 29.6 42775 14 410
 Georgia 100 mi (160 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&016.&&&&&016 2,344 mi (3,772 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&014.&&&&&014 23.4 59425 8.9 210
 Connecticut 96 mi (154 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&017.&&&&&017 618 mi (995 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&021.&&&&&021 6.44 5543 91 590
 Alabama 53 mi (85 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&018.&&&&&018 607 mi (977 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&022.&&&&&022 11.5 52420 5.3 61
 Mississippi 44 mi (71 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&019.&&&&&019 359 mi (578 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&025.&&&&&025 8.16 48432 4.8 39
 Rhode Island 40 mi (64 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&020.&&&&&020 384 mi (618 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&023.&&&&&023 9.60 1545 140 1,300
 Maryland 31 mi (50 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&021.&&&&&021 3,190 mi (5,130 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&010.&&&&&010 103 12406 13 1,400
 Delaware 28 mi (45 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&022.&&&&&022 381 mi (613 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&024.&&&&&024 13.6 2489 59 810
 New Hampshire 13 mi (21 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&023.&&&&&023 131 mi (211 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&031.&&&&&031 10.1 9349 7.3 74
 Michigan 3,224 mi (5,189 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&&09.&&&&&09 96714 180
 Wisconsin 820 mi (1,320 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&019.&&&&&019 65496 66
 Ohio 312 mi (502 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&026.&&&&&026 44826 37
 Minnesota 189 mi (304 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&028.&&&&&028 86936 11
 Pennsylvania 140 mi (230 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&030.&&&&&030 46054 16
 Illinois 63 mi (101 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&035.&&&&&035 57914 5.7
 Indiana 45 mi (72 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&036.&&&&&036 36420 6.5
 American Samoa 126 mi (203 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&032.&&&&&032
 Guam 110 mi (180 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&033.&&&&&033
 Northern Mariana Islands 206 mi (332 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&027.&&&&&027
 Puerto Rico 700 mi (1,100 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&020.&&&&&020
 U.S. Virgin Islands 175 mi (282 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&029.&&&&&029
United States U.S. Minor Outlying Islands 70.21 mi (112.99 km) &&&&&&&&&&&&&034.&&&&&034
Total 12,479 mi (20,083 km) 95,509 mi (153,707 km)
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List of U.S. states and territories by coastline Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.