Area of each state that is water

What percent of your state do you think is water covered? Which state has the highest percentage of water area? Is the West really "drier" than the rest of the country? The table below shows the total land area of each state, the water area, and the percent of total area that is water.

These data represent only "inland" water—water that is surrounded by lands of the United States. Areas, such as the Great Lakes, are excluded.

State	Land area (sq. miles)	Water area (sq. miles)	Percent of state that is water	State	Land area (sq. miles)	Water area (sq. miles)	Percent of state that is water
Rhode Island	1,212	158	13.0%	Kentucky	40,410	740	1.8%
D. C.	69	6	8.7%	Alabama	51,705	938	1.8%
Florida	58,664	4,511	7.7%	Texas	266,807	4,790	1.8%
North Carolina	52,669	3,826	7.3%	California	157,706	2,407	1.5%
Maine	33,265	2,270	6.8%	South Dakota	77,116	1,164	1.5%
Louisiana	47,752	3,230	6.8%	Georgia	58,910	854	1.4%
Maryland	10,460	623	6.0%	Idaho	83,564	1,153	1.4%
Minnesota	84,402	4,854	5.8%	Illinois	56,345	700	1.2%
Massachusetts	8,284	460	5.6%	Montana	147,046	1,658	1.1%
Delaware	2,045	112	5.5%	Missouri	69,697	752	1.1%
New Jersey	7,787	319	4.1%	Mississippi	47,689	457	1.0%
Vermont	9,614	341	3.5%	Pennsylvania	45,308	420	0.9%
New York	49,108	1,731	3.5%	Nebraska	77,355	711	0.9%
Alaska	591,004	20,171	3.4%	Oregon	97,073	889	0.9%
Utah	84,899	2,826	3.3%	Wyoming	97,809	820	0.8%
New Hampshire	9,279	286	3.1%	Ohio	41,330	325	0.8%
Wisconsin	56,153	1,727	3.1%	Hawaii	6471	46	0.7%
Connecticut	5,018	147	2.9%	Indiana	36,185	253	0.7%
South Carolina	31,113	909	2.9%	Kansas	82,277	499	0.6%
Michigan	58,527	1,573	2.7%	Nevada	110,561	667	0.6%
Virginia	40,767	1,063	2.6%	Iowa	56,275	310	0.6%
Washington	68,139	1,627	2.4%	Colorado	104,091	496	0.5%
Tennessee	42,144	989	2.3%	West Virginia	24,232	112	0.5%
Arkansas	53,187	1,109	2.1%	Arizona	114,000	492	0.4%
North Dakota	70,702	1,403	2.0%	New Mexico	121,593	258	0.2%
Oklahoma	69,956	1,301	1.9%
United States	3,618,770	79,481	2.2%

Data is from the Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1987

Water Science for Schools

How much of your state is wet?