List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem) facts for kids
The main stems of 38 rivers in the United States are at least 500 miles (800 km) long. The main stem is "the primary downstream segment of a river, as contrasted to its tributaries". The United States Geological Survey (USGS) defines a main-stem segment by listing coordinates for its two end points, called the source and the mouth. Some well-known rivers like the Atchafalaya, Willamette, and Susquehanna are not included in this list because their main stems are shorter than 500 miles.
Seven rivers in this list cross or form international boundaries. Two—the Yukon and Columbia rivers—begin in Canada and flow into the United States. Three—the Milk and Saint Lawrence rivers and the Red River of the North—begin in the United States and flow into Canada. Of these, only the Milk River crosses the international border twice, leaving and then re-entering the United States. Two rivers, the Colorado and the Rio Grande, begin in the United States and flow into or form a border with Mexico. In addition, the drainage basins of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers extend into Canada, and the basin of the Gila River extends into Mexico.
Sources report hydrological quantities with varied precision. Biologist and author Ruth Patrick, describing a table of high-discharge U.S. rivers, wrote that data on discharge, drainage area, and length varied widely among authors whose works she consulted. "It seems," she said, "that the wisest course is to regard data tables such as the present one as showing the general ranks of rivers, and not to place too much importance on minor (10–20%) differences in figures."
Table
The primary source for watershed and discharge data in the table below is Rivers of North America. Conflicting data from other sources, if the difference is greater than 10 percent, is reported in the notes. Discharge refers to the flow at the mouth. In the "States, provinces, and image" column, the superscripts "s" and "m" indicate "source" and "mouth". Non-U.S. states appear in italics. Except in the "States, provinces, and image" column, abbreviations are as follows: "km" for "kilometer", "mi" for "mile", "s" for "second", "m" for "meter", and "ft" for "foot".
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River is not entirely within the United States. | |||||
Watershed is not entirely within the United States. |
# | Name | Mouth | Length | Source coordinates |
Mouth coordinates |
Watershed area |
Discharge | States, provinces, and image |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Missouri River | Mississippi River | 3,768 km |
2,341 mi45°55′39″N 111°30′29″W / 45.92750°N 111.50806°W | 38°48′49″N 90°07′11″W / 38.81361°N 90.11972°W | 1,371,017 km2 |
529,353 mi21,956 m3/s |
69,100 ft3/sMontanas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missourim |
2 | Mississippi River | Gulf of Mexico | 3,544 km |
2,202 mi47°14′22″N 95°12′29″W / 47.23944°N 95.20806°W | 29°09′04″N 89°15′12″W / 29.15111°N 89.25333°W | 3,270,000 km2 |
1,260,000 mi218,400 m3/s |
650,000 ft3/sMinnesotas, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisianam |
3 | Yukon River | Bering Sea | 3,190 km |
1,979 mi59°35′00″N 133°47′00″W / 59.58333°N 133.78333°W | 62°35′55″N 164°48′00″W / 62.59861°N 164.80000°W | 839,200 km2 |
324,000 mi26,340 m3/s |
224,000 ft3/sBritish Columbias, Yukon Territory, Alaskam |
4 | Rio Grande | Gulf of Mexico | 2,830 km |
1,759 mi37°47′52″N 107°32′18″W / 37.79778°N 107.53833°W | 25°57′22″N 97°08′43″W / 25.95611°N 97.14528°W | 870,000 km2 |
340,000 mi237 m3/s |
1,300 ft3/sColorados, New Mexico, Texasm, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipasm |
5 | Colorado River | Gulf of California | 2,330 km |
1,450 mi40°28′20″N 105°49′34″W / 40.47222°N 105.82611°W | 31°48′57″N 114°48′22″W / 31.81583°N 114.80611°W | 642,000 km2 |
248,000 mi240 m3/s |
1,400 ft3/sColorados, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, California, Sonoram, Baja Californiam |
6 | Arkansas River | Mississippi River | 2,322 km |
1,443 mi39°15′30″N 106°20′38″W / 39.25833°N 106.34389°W | 33°46′30″N 91°04′15″W / 33.77500°N 91.07083°W | 414,910 km2 |
160,200 mi21,004 m3/s |
35,500 ft3/sColorados, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansasm |
7 | Columbia River | Pacific Ocean | 2,000 km |
1,243 mi50°13′00″N 115°51′00″W / 50.21667°N 115.85000°W | 46°14′39″N 124°03′29″W / 46.24417°N 124.05806°W | 724,024 km2 |
279,548 mi27,730 m3/s |
273,000 ft3/sBritish Columbias, Washingtonm, Oregonm |
8 | Red River | Atchafalaya and Mississippi rivers | 1,811 km |
1,125 mi34°34′35″N 99°57′54″W / 34.57639°N 99.96500°W | 31°01′10″N 91°44′52″W / 31.01944°N 91.74778°W | 169,890 km2 |
65,590 mi2852 m3/s |
30,100 ft3/sOklahomas, Texas, Arkansas, Louisianam |
9 | Snake River | Columbia River | 1,674 km |
1,040 mi44°07′49″N 110°13′10″W / 44.13028°N 110.21944°W | 46°11′10″N 119°01′43″W / 46.18611°N 119.02861°W | 281,000 km2 |
108,000 mi21,565 m3/s |
55,300 ft3/sWyomings, Idaho, Oregon, Washingtonm |
10 | Ohio River | Mississippi River | 1,575 km |
979 mi40°26′34″N 80°01′02″W / 40.44278°N 80.01722°W | 36°59′12″N 89°07′50″W / 36.98667°N 89.13056°W | 529,000 km2 |
204,000 mi28,733 m3/s |
308,400 ft3/sPennsylvanias, Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana, Illinois, Kentuckym |
11 | Colorado River of Texas | Gulf of Mexico | 1,560 km |
970 mi32°40′47″N 101°43′51″W / 32.67972°N 101.73083°W | 28°35′41″N 95°58′59″W / 28.59472°N 95.98306°W | 103,341 km2 |
39,900 mi275 m3/s |
2,600 ft3/sTexass, m |
12 | Tennessee River | Ohio River | 1,504 km |
935 mi35°57′33″N 83°51′01″W / 35.95917°N 83.85028°W | 37°04′02″N 88°33′53″W / 37.06722°N 88.56472°W | 105,870 km2 |
40,880 mi22,000 m3/s |
71,000 ft3/sTennessees, Alabama, Kentuckym |
13 | Canadian River | Arkansas River | 1,458 km |
906 mi37°01′11″N 105°04′33″W / 37.01972°N 105.07583°W | 35°27′12″N 95°01′58″W / 35.45333°N 95.03278°W | 122,070 km2 |
47,130 mi2174 m3/s |
6,100 ft3/sColorados, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahomam |
14 | Brazos River | Gulf of Mexico | 1,390 km |
860 mi33°16′07″N 100°00′37″W / 33.26861°N 100.01028°W | 28°52′33″N 95°22′42″W / 28.87583°N 95.37833°W | 115,566 km2 |
44,620 mi2249 m3/s |
8,800 ft3/sTexass, m |
15 | Green River | Colorado River | 1,230 km |
760 mi43°09′13″N 109°40′18″W / 43.15361°N 109.67167°W | 38°11′21″N 109°53′07″W / 38.18917°N 109.88528°W | 116,200 km2 |
44,900 mi2172 m3/s |
6,100 ft3/sWyomings, Colorado, Utahm |
16 | Pecos River | Rio Grande | 1,175 km |
730 mi35°58′34″N 105°33′29″W / 35.97611°N 105.55806°W | 29°41′59″N 101°22′17″W / 29.69972°N 101.37139°W | 113,960 km2 |
44,000 mi22 m3/s |
71 ft3/sNew Mexicos, Texasm |
17 | White River (Arkansas) | Mississippi River | 1,159 km |
720 mi35°50′20″N 93°36′16″W / 35.83889°N 93.60444°W | 33°57′05″N 91°04′53″W / 33.95139°N 91.08139°W | 72,189 km2 |
27,872 mi2979 m3/s |
34,600 ft3/sArkansass, m, Missouri |
18 | James River |
Missouri River | 1,140 km |
710 mi47°28′53″N 99°51′32″W / 47.48139°N 99.85889°W | 42°52′17″N 97°17′26″W / 42.87139°N 97.29056°W | 54,240 km2 |
20,942 mi224.2 m3/s |
854 ft3/sNorth Dakotas, South Dakotam |
19 | Kuskokwim River | Bering Sea | 1,130 km |
702 mi63°05′16″N 154°38′33″W / 63.08778°N 154.64250°W | 60°04′59″N 162°20′02″W / 60.08306°N 162.33389°W | 124,319 km2 |
48,000 mi21,900 m3/s |
67,000 ft3sAlaskas, m |
20 | Cimarron River | Arkansas River | 1,123 km |
698 mi36°54′24″N 102°59′12″W / 36.90667°N 102.98667°W | 36°10′14″N 96°16′19″W / 36.17056°N 96.27194°W | 50,540 km2 |
19,510 mi242 m3/s |
1,500 ft3/sOklahomas, m, Colorado, Kansas |
21 | Cumberland River | Ohio River | 1,120 km |
696 mi36°50′42″N 83°19′26″W / 36.84500°N 83.32389°W | 37°08′36″N 88°24′27″W / 37.14333°N 88.40750°W | 46,430 km2 |
17,930 mi2862 m3/s |
30,400 ft3/s
Kentuckys, m, Tennessee |
22 | Yellowstone River | Missouri River | 1,091 km |
678 mi43°59′18″N 109°55′45″W / 43.98833°N 109.92917°W | 47°58′42″N 103°58′56″W / 47.97833°N 103.98222°W | 182,336 km2 |
70,400 mi2362 m3/s |
12,800 ft3/sWyomings, Montana, North Dakotam |
23 | North Platte River | Platte River | 1,070 km |
665 mi40°38′23″N 106°24′19″W / 40.63972°N 106.40528°W | 41°06′50″N 100°40′33″W / 41.11389°N 100.67583°W | 90,352 km2 |
34,885 mi221.9 m3/s |
770 ft3/sColorados, Wyoming, Nebraskam |
24 | Milk River | Missouri River | 1,005 km |
625 mi48°51′20″N 113°01′10″W / 48.85556°N 113.01944°W | 48°03′26″N 106°19′07″W / 48.05722°N 106.31861°W | 57,839 km2 |
22,332 mi218.9 m3/s |
670 ft3/sAlberta, Montanas, m |
25 | Ouachita River | Black River | 974 km |
605 mi31°41′56″N 94°19′57″W / 31.69889°N 94.33250°W | 31°37′53″N 91°48′25″W / 31.63139°N 91.80694°W | 64,454 km2 |
24,886 mi2843 m3/s |
29,800 ft3/sArkansass, Louisianam |
26 | Saint Lawrence River | Gulf of Saint Lawrence | 965 km |
600 mi44°05′55″N 76°23′28″W / 44.09861°N 76.39111°W | 49°40′00″N 64°30′00″W / 49.66667°N 64.50000°W | 1,600,000 km2 |
620,000 mi212,600 m3/s |
440,000 ft3/sNew Yorks, Ontarios, Quebecm |
27 | Gila River | Colorado River | 960 km |
600 mi33°10′47″N 108°12′22″W / 33.17972°N 108.20611°W | 32°43′11″N 114°33′19″W / 32.71972°N 114.55528°W | 149,832 km2 |
57,850 mi26 m3/s |
210 ft3/sNew Mexicos, Arizonam |
28 | Sheyenne River | Red River of the North | 951 km |
591 mi47°41′46″N 100°29′52″W / 47.69611°N 100.49778°W | 47°01′25″N 96°49′31″W / 47.02361°N 96.82528°W | 23,000 km2 |
8,800 mi28.2 m3/s |
288 ft3/sNorth Dakotas, m |
29 | Tanana River | Yukon River | 940 km |
584 mi63°02′57″N 141°51′52″W / 63.04917°N 141.86444°W | 65°09′38″N 151°57′37″W / 65.16056°N 151.96028°W | 114,000 km2 |
44,000 mi21,185 m3/s |
41,800 ft3/sAlaskas, m |
30 | Smoky Hill River | Kansas River | 927 km |
576 mi38°57′01″N 102°34′49″W / 38.95028°N 102.58028°W | 39°03′36″N 96°48′04″W / 39.06000°N 96.80111°W | 49,900 km2 |
19,260 mi243.7 m3/s |
1,542 ft3/sColorados, Kansasm |
31 | Niobrara River | Missouri River | 914 km |
568 mi42°49′15″N 104°38′50″W / 42.82083°N 104.64722°W | 42°45′58″N 98°02′50″W / 42.76611°N 98.04722°W | 32,600 km2 |
12,600 mi249 m3/s |
1,700 ft3/sWyomings, Nebraskam |
32 | Little Missouri River | Missouri River | 900 km |
560 mi44°32′25″N 104°59′57″W / 44.54028°N 104.99917°W | 47°36′38″N 102°52′24″W / 47.61056°N 102.87333°W | 21,500 km2 |
8,310 mi213 m3/s |
450 ft3/sWyomings, Montana, South Dakota, North Dakotam |
33 | Sabine River | Gulf of Mexico | 890 km |
553 mi32°48′29″N 95°55′14″W / 32.80806°N 95.92056°W | 29°59′08″N 93°47′26″W / 29.98556°N 93.79056°W | 25,268 km2 |
9,756 mi2238 m3/s |
8,400 ft3/sTexass, Louisianam |
34 | Red River of the North | Lake Winnipeg | 890 km |
550 mi46°15′52″N 96°35′55″W / 46.26444°N 96.59861°W | 50°23′47″N 96°48′39″W / 50.39639°N 96.81083°W | 287,500 km2 |
111,000 mi2236 m3/s |
8,300 ft3/sNorth Dakotas, Minnesotas, Manitobam |
35 | Des Moines River | Mississippi River | 845 km |
525 mi44°05′02″N 95°41′17″W / 44.08389°N 95.68806°W | 41°22′52″N 91°25′21″W / 41.38111°N 91.42250°W | 31,127 km2 |
12,018 mi2182 m3/s |
6,400 ft3/sMinnesotas, Missouri, Iowam |
36 | White River (Missouri River) | Missouri River | 815 km |
506 mi42°41′10″N 103°50′14″W / 42.68611°N 103.83722°W | 43°42′50″N 99°28′01″W / 43.71389°N 99.46694°W | 26,418 km2 |
10,200 mi216 m3/s |
570 ft3/sNebraskas, South Dakotam |
37 | Trinity River | Galveston Bay | 815 km |
506 mi32°47′54″N 96°53′52″W / 32.79833°N 96.89778°W | 29°44′35″N 94°42′12″W / 29.74306°N 94.70333°W | 46,540 km2 |
17,970 mi2222 m3/s |
7,800 ft3/sTexass, m |
38 | Wabash River | Ohio River | 810 km |
503 mi40°21′07″N 84°45′57″W / 40.35194°N 84.76583°W | 37°47′53″N 88°01′38″W / 37.79806°N 88.02722°W | 85,340 km2 |
32,950 mi228 m3/s |
1,001 ft3/sOhios, Indianam, Illinoism |