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Bordering States

Have you ever wondered which state borders the most states?  I’ve always assumed that the state which borders the most states must be Missouri, however, I was surprised to learn that Missouri and Tennessee are tied.

Missouri and Tennessee both have eight bordering states, and interestingly, the states of Colorado and Kentucky are also tied as they are the only states to have seven bordering states.  Here is a quick list of all the states categorized by number of border states.

Of the US states, there are:

  • 2 states with 8 bordering states
  • 2 states with 7 bordering states
  • 9 states with 6 bordering states
  • 10 states with 5 bordering states
  • 11 states with 4 bordering states
  • 9 states with 3 bordering states
  • 4 states with 2 bordering states
  • 1 state with 1 bordering state
  • 2 states with 0 bordering states

To help you visualize this, let’s consider the following image and list containing each state and each state’s number of bordering states in parentheses (land borders only):

The states by number of bordering states.

The states by number of bordering states.
  1. Missouri (8)
  2. Tennessee (8)
  3. Colorado (7)
  4. Kentucky (7)
  5. Arkansas (6)
  6. Idaho (6)
  7. Iowa (6)
  8. Nebraska (6)
  9. Oklahoma (6)
  10. Pennsylvania (6)
  11. South Dakota (6)
  12. Utah (6)
  13. Wyoming (6)
  14. Arizona (5)
  15. Georgia (5)
  16. Illinois (5)
  17. Massachusetts (5)
  18. Nevada (5)
  19. New Mexico (5)
  20. New York (5)
  21. Ohio (5)
  22. Virginia (5)
  23. West Virginia (5)
  24. Alabama (4)
  25. Indiana (4)
  26. Kansas (4)
  27. Maryland (4)
  28. Minnesota (4)
  29. Mississippi (4)
  30. Montana (4)
  31. North Carolina (4)
  32. Oregon (4)
  33. Texas (4)
  34. Wisconsin (4)
  35. California (3)
  36. Connecticut (3)
  37. Delaware (3)
  38. Louisiana (3)
  39. Michigan (3)
  40. New Hampshire (3)
  41. New Jersey (3)
  42. North Dakota (3)
  43. Vermont (3)
  44. Florida (2)
  45. Rhode Island (2)
  46. South Carolina (2)
  47. Washington (2)
  48. Maine (1)
  49. Alaska (0)
  50. Hawaii (0)

The previous list I gave you is relatively easy to find, however, most sources neglect foreign states and provinces.  Many of our states border either Canadian provinces or Mexican states.  The following is an image and list of the states ranked by number of bordering domestic states and foreign states and provinces (land borders only):

The states by number of bordering American states, Mexican states, and Canadian provinces and territories.

The states by number of bordering American states, Mexican states, and Canadian provinces and territories.
  1. Missouri (8 US)
  2. Tennessee (8 US)
  3. Texas (8 US & Mex.)
  4. Arizona (7 US & Mex.)
  5. Colorado (7 US)
  6. Idaho (7 US & Can.)
  7. Kentucky (7 US)
  8. Montana (7 US & Can.)
  9. New Mexico (7 US & Mex.)
  10. New York (7 US & Can.)
  11. Arkansas (6 US)
  12. Iowa (6 US)
  13. Minnesota (6 US & Can.)
  14. Nebraska (6 US)
  15. Oklahoma (6 US)
  16. Pennsylvania (6 US)
  17. South Dakota (6 US)
  18. Utah (6 US)
  19. Wyoming (6 US)
  20. Georgia (5 US)
  21. Illinois (5 US)
  22. Massachusetts (5 US)
  23. Nevada (5 US)
  24. North Dakota (5 US & Can.)
  25. Ohio (5 US)
  26. Virginia (5 US)
  27. West Virginia (5 US)
  28. Alabama (4 US)
  29. California (4 US & Mex.)
  30. Indiana (4 US)
  31. Kansas (4 US)
  32. Maryland (4 US)
  33. Michigan (4 US & Can.)
  34. Mississippi (4 US)
  35. New Hampshire (4 US & Can.)
  36. North Carolina (4 US)
  37. Oregon (4 US)
  38. Vermont (4 US & Can.)
  39. Wisconsin (4 US)
  40. Connecticut (3 US)
  41. Delaware (3 US)
  42. Louisiana (3 US)
  43. Maine (3 US & Can.)
  44. New Jersey (3 US)
  45. Washington (3 US & Can.)
  46. Alaska (2 Can.)
  47. Florida (2 US)
  48. Rhode Island (2 US)
  49. South Carolina (2 US)
  50. Hawaii (0)

Which list do you find most surprising?

Onward American 🇺🇸

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