List of largest lakes of the United States by volume facts for kids
This article helps you discover the biggest lakes in the United States! We're talking about how much water they hold, which is called their volume. This list includes both natural lakes, formed by nature, and man-made lakes, which are also known as reservoirs. Reservoirs are created when people build dams to hold back water.
The volume of water in a lake can change a lot over time. This is especially true for man-made lakes or those in dry areas. The numbers you see here are for the normal or average amount of water the lake holds. For lakes that are shared with Canada or Mexico, the volume listed is for the entire lake, not just the part in the U.S.
The Largest Lakes by Volume
Here is a list of the largest lakes in the United States, ranked by the amount of water they contain.
| Rank | Name | Location | Volume (acre-feet) | Maximum Depth (feet) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lake Superior | Michigan - Minnesota - Ontario - Wisconsin | 9,799,680,000 acre⋅ft (12,088 km3) | 1,332 ft (406 m) | This is the third-largest freshwater lake in the world by volume! |
| 2 | Lake Michigan | Illinois - Indiana - Michigan - Wisconsin | 3,987,455,942 acre⋅ft (4,918 km3) | 925 ft (282 m) | Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are sometimes seen as one big lake. |
| 3 | Lake Huron | Michigan - Ontario | 2,872,320,000 acre⋅ft (3,543 km3) | 750 ft (229 m) | |
| 4 | Lake Ontario | New York - Ontario | 1,328,025,000 acre⋅ft (1,638 km3) | 802 ft (244 m) | |
| 5 | Lake Erie | Michigan - New York - Ohio - Ontario - Pennsylvania | 392,000,000 acre⋅ft (484 km3) | 210 ft (64 m) | |
| 6 | Lake Tahoe | California - Nevada | 122,160,280 acre⋅ft (150.7 km3) | 1,645 ft (501 m) | |
| 7 | Iliamna Lake | Alaska | 94,111,488 acre⋅ft (116.1 km3) | 988 ft (301 m) | |
| 8 | Lake Pend Oreille | Idaho | 43,939,940 acre⋅ft (54.2 km3) | 1,152 ft (351 m) | |
| 9 | Becharof Lake | Alaska | 35,671,173 acre⋅ft (44.0 km3) | 302 ft (92 m) | |
| 10 | Lake Clark | Alaska | 25,682,000 acre⋅ft (31.7 km3) | 1,056 ft (322 m) | |
| 11 | Lake Sakakawea | North Dakota | 24,200,000 acre⋅ft (29.9 km3) | 180 ft (55 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
| 12 | Pyramid Lake | Nevada | 23,660,000 acre⋅ft (29.2 km3) | 344 ft (105 m) | |
| 13 | Lake Oahe | North Dakota - South Dakota | 23,625,315 acre⋅ft (29.1 km3) | 205 ft (62 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
| 14 | Lake Champlain | Vermont - New York - Quebec | 20,916,400 acre⋅ft (25.8 km3) | 400 ft (122 m) | |
| 15 | Lake Mead | Arizona - Nevada | 19,200,000 acre⋅ft (23.7 km3) | 532 ft (162 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
| 16 | Flathead Lake | Montana | 18,788,243 acre⋅ft (23.2 km3) | 371 ft (113 m) | It's a leftover from a huge ancient lake called Glacial Lake Missoula. |
| 17 | Fort Peck Lake | Montana | 18,700,000 acre⋅ft (23.1 km3) | 220 ft (67 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
| 18 | Lake Chelan | Washington | 15,800,000 acre⋅ft (19.5 km3) | 1,486 ft (453 m) | |
| 19 | Lake of the Woods | Ontario - Minnesota - Manitoba | 15,700,000 acre⋅ft (19.4 km3) | 210 ft (64 m) | |
| 20 | Lake Powell | Utah - Arizona | 15,500,000 acre⋅ft (19.1 km3) | 583 ft (178 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
| 21 | Great Salt Lake | Utah | 15,000,000 acre⋅ft (19 km3) | 33 ft (10 m) | This lake is salty, and its size changes a lot. |
| 22 | Crater Lake | Oregon | 14,100,000 acre⋅ft (17.4 km3) | 1,949 ft (594 m) | This is the deepest lake in the United States! |
| 23 | Seneca Lake | New York | 12,566,054 acre⋅ft (15.5 km3) | 618 ft (188 m) | It's the largest of the Finger Lakes. |
| 24 | Yellowstone Lake | Wyoming | 12,095,264 acre⋅ft (14.9 km3) | 390 ft (119 m) | This large lake is very high up in the mountains. |
| 25 | Lake Franklin D. Roosevelt | Washington | 9,402,000 acre⋅ft (11.6 km3) | 349 ft (106 m) | This is a man-made lake, created in 1941 by the Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River. |
| 26 | Cayuga Lake | New York | 7,672,000 acre⋅ft (9.5 km3) | 435 ft (133 m) | It's the second largest of the Finger Lakes. |
| 27 | Rainy Lake | Ontario - Minnesota | 7,072,000 acre⋅ft (8.7 km3) | 161 ft (49 m) | |
| 28 | Bear Lake | Idaho - Utah | 6,557,440 acre⋅ft (8.1 km3) | 208 ft (63 m) | |
| 29 | Salton Sea | California | 6,000,000 acre⋅ft (7.4 km3) | 43 ft (13 m) | This lake is salty and its size changes. Its current volume is man-made. |
| 30 | Skilak Lake | Alaska | 5,930,640 acre⋅ft (7.3 km3) | 528 ft (161 m) | |
| 31 | Tustumena Lake | Alaska | 5,801,523 acre⋅ft (7.2 km3) | 950 ft (290 m) | |
| 32 | Lake Pontchartrain | Louisiana | 4,838,400 acre⋅ft (6.0 km3) | 65 ft (20 m) | This lake is salty and is often thought of as an estuary (where a river meets the sea). |
| 33 | Lake Shasta | California | 4,552,000 acre⋅ft (5.6 km3) | 517 ft (158 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
| 34 | Toledo Bend Reservoir | Louisiana - Texas | 4,477,000 acre⋅ft (5.5 km3) | 110 ft (34 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
| 35 | Moosehead Lake | Maine | 4,210,000 acre⋅ft (5.2 km3) | 246 ft (75 m) | |
| 36 | Lake Okeechobee | Florida | 4,210,000 acre⋅ft (5.2 km3) | 12 ft (4 m) | |
| 37 | Kenai Lake | Alaska | 4,130,087 acre⋅ft (5.1 km3) | 541 ft (165 m) | |
| 38 | Kentucky Lake | Kentucky - Tennessee | 4,008,000 acre⋅ft (4.9 km3) | 60 ft (18 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
| 39 | Sam Rayburn Reservoir | Texas | 3,997,000 acre⋅ft (4.9 km3) | 80 ft (24 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
| 40 | Flaming Gorge Reservoir | Utah - Wyoming | 3,788,900 acre⋅ft (4.7 km3) | 436 ft (133 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
| 41 | Devils Lake | North Dakota | 3,573,502 acre⋅ft (4.4 km3) | 75 ft (23 m) | This natural lake has no outlet. Its volume has grown 6 times since 1993 due to flooding. |
| 42 | Lake Oroville | California | 3,537,577 acre⋅ft (4.4 km3) | 695 ft (212 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
| 43 | Dworshak Reservoir | Idaho | 3,468,000 acre*ft | 632 ft | This is a man-made lake. |
| 44 | Hungry Horse Reservoir | Montana | 3,467,179 acre⋅ft (4.3 km3) | This is a man-made lake. | |
| 45 | Bull Shoals Lake | Arkansas - Missouri | 3,400,000 acre⋅ft (4.2 km3) | 204 ft (62 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
| 46 | Kerr Lake | Virginia - North Carolina | 3,364,500 acre⋅ft (4.2 km3) | 100 ft (30 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
| 47 | Lake Amistad | Mexico - Texas | 3,159,270 acre⋅ft (3.9 km3) | 200 ft (61 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
| 48 | Lake Francis Case | South Dakota | 3,124,000 acre⋅ft (3.9 km3) | 140 ft (43 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
| 49 | Mille Lacs Lake | Minnesota | 2,782,736 acre⋅ft (3.4 km3) | 42 ft (13 m) | |
| 50 | Lake Saint Clair | Michigan - Ontario | 2,770,944 acre⋅ft (3.4 km3) | 27 ft (8 m) | |
| 51 | Lake Ouachita | Arkansas | 2,768,000 acre⋅ft (3.4 km3) | 200 ft (61 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
| 52 | Table Rock Lake | Missouri - Arkansas | 2,702,000 acre⋅ft (3.3 km3) | 220 ft (67 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
| 53 | Torch Lake | Michigan | 2,635,927 acre⋅ft (3.3 km3) | 302 ft (92 m) | |
| 54 | Lake Texoma | Oklahoma - Texas | 2,566,946 acre⋅ft (3.2 km3) | 100 ft (30 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
| 55 | Lake Hartwell | Georgia - South Carolina | 2,550,000 acre⋅ft (3.1 km3) | 185 ft (56 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
| 56 | Trinity Lake | California | 2,447,650 acre⋅ft (3.0 km3) | 390 ft (119 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
| 57 | New Melones Lake | California | 2,420,000 acre⋅ft (3.0 km3) | 565 ft (172 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
| 58 | Mono Lake | California | 2,407,820 acre⋅ft (3.0 km3) | 159 ft (48 m) | |
| 59 | Lake George | New York | 2,380,000 acre⋅ft (2.9 km3) | 200 ft (61 m) | |
| 60 | Falcon Lake | Mexico - Texas | 2,371,220 acre⋅ft (2.9 km3) | 110 ft (34 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
| 61 | Lake Washington | Washington | 2,350,000 acre⋅ft (2.9 km3) | 214 ft (65 m) | |
| 62 | Leech Lake | Minnesota | 2,300,000 acre⋅ft (2.8 km3) | 156 ft (48 m) | |
| 63 | Eufaula Lake | Oklahoma | 2,300,000 acre⋅ft (2.8 km3) | 87 ft (27 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
| 64 | Lake Saint Francis | Ontario - Quebec - New York | 2,269,997 acre⋅ft (2.8 km3) | 27 ft (8 m) | This is a man-made lake, part of the St. Lawrence Seaway. |
| 65 | Coeur d'Alene Lake | Idaho | 2,269,996 acre⋅ft (2.8 km3) | 220 ft (67 m) | |
| 66 | Walker Lake | Nevada | 2,200,000 acre⋅ft (2.7 km3) | 80 ft (24 m) | |
| 67 | Lake Cumberland | Kentucky | 2,142,000 acre⋅ft (2.6 km3) | 200 ft (61 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
| 68 | Lake Winnebago | Wisconsin | 2,135,000 acre⋅ft (2.6 km3) | 21 ft (6 m) | |
| 69 | Upper Red Lake | Minnesota | 2,129,000 acre⋅ft (2.6 km3) | 19 ft (6 m) | Sometimes considered one lake with Lower Red Lake (Minnesota). |
| 70 | Elephant Butte Lake | New Mexico | 2,065,010 acre⋅ft (2.5 km3) | 157 ft (48 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
| 71 | San Luis Reservoir | California | 2,041,000 acre⋅ft (2.5 km3) | 270 ft (82 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
| 72 | Don Pedro Reservoir | California | 2,030,000 acre⋅ft (2.5 km3) | 400 ft (122 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
| 73 | Lake of the Ozarks | Missouri | 2,000,000 acre⋅ft (2.5 km3) | 130 ft (40 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
| 74 | Lake Lanier | Georgia | 1,957,000 acre⋅ft (2.41 km3) | 160 ft (49 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
| 75 | Ray Roberts Lake | Texas | 1,930,000 acre⋅ft (2.38 km3) | 106 ft (32 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
| 76 | Greers Ferry Lake | Arkansas | 1,910,000 acre⋅ft (2.36 km3) | 160 ft (49 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
| 77 | Norfork Lake | Arkansas - Missouri | 1,900,000 acre⋅ft (2.34 km3) | 177 ft (54 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
| 78 | Canyon Ferry Lake | Montana | 1,891,888 acre⋅ft (2.33 km3) | 160 ft (49 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
| 79 | Lake Mohave | Arizona - Nevada | 1,818,330 acre⋅ft (2.24 km3) | 120 ft (37 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
| 80 | Lake McConaughy | Nebraska | 1,756,300 acre⋅ft (2.17 km3) | 135 ft (41 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
| 81 | Lake Livingston | Texas | 1,750,000 acre⋅ft (2.16 km3) | 90 ft (27 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
| 82 | Clarks Hill Lake | Georgia - South Carolina | 1,730,000 acre⋅ft (2.13 km3) | 180 ft (55 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
| 83 | Grand Lake o' the Cherokees | Oklahoma | 1,672,000 acre⋅ft (2.06 km3) | 164 ft (50 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
| 84 | American Falls Reservoir | Idaho | 1,671,300 acre⋅ft (2.06 km3) | 53 ft (16 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
| 85 | Lake Roosevelt | Arizona | 1,653,043 acre⋅ft (2.04 km3) | 349 ft (106 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
| 86 | Lake Martin | Alabama | 1,626,000 acre⋅ft (2.01 km3) | 150 ft (46 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
| 87 | Lake Sharpe | South Dakota | 1,621,000 acre⋅ft (2.00 km3) | 95 ft (29 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
| 88 | Lake Berryessa | California | 1,602,000 acre⋅ft (1.98 km3) | 275 ft (84 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
| 89 | Sardis Lake | Mississippi | 1,512,000 acre⋅ft (1.87 km3) | 76 ft (23 m) | This is a man-made lake. |
See also
- List of lakes of the United States by area
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List of largest lakes of the United States by volume Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.