What was the first state to join the United States?

Delaware was the first state admitted to the Union, ratifying the U.S. Constitution on December 7, 1787. This is why Delaware is known as 'The First State.'

What was the last state to join the United States?

Hawaii was the last state admitted to the Union, on August 21, 1959. Alaska joined just months earlier on January 3, 1959, making them the 49th and 50th states.

How many states joined on the same day?

North Dakota and South Dakota were both admitted on November 2, 1889. The order was determined alphabetically, making North Dakota the 39th and South Dakota the 40th state.

Which states joined the Union during the Civil War?

West Virginia (June 20, 1863) and Nevada (October 31, 1864) were both admitted during the Civil War. West Virginia broke away from Virginia after Virginia seceded from the Union.

When Did Each State Become a State? All 50 Dates

The United States didn’t start with 50 states. It started with 13 squabbling colonies that had just won a war and weren’t sure they trusted each other. What followed was 172 years of expansion, compromise, conflict, and negotiation — one state at a time. Some states joined peacefully through acts of Congress. Others came in as part of massive land deals like the Louisiana Purchase. A few joined in pairs to keep a political balance between free and slave states. Two even joined during the Civil War. The table below shows every state, exactly when it joined, and how it got there. You can sort by any column or filter by region to find what you’re looking for.

Showing 50 of 50 states

#↕	State↕	Admission Date↕	Capital↕	Region↕	How It Joined↕

Sources: U.S. National Archives; Library of Congress; U.S. Census Bureau regional classifications.

* Ohio’s admission is traditionally dated March 1, 1803, but Congress never formally passed an admission resolution at the time. In 1953, Congress retroactively confirmed Ohio’s statehood, officially backdating it to the 1803 date. Ohio is still recognized as the 17th state.