STATE
NAMESTATEHOOD
DATE/ORDERPRE-STATEHOOD
NOTESDelawareDec. 7, 1787
1 stThe first of the original 13 colonies.PennsylvaniaDec. 12, 1787
2 ndThe second of the original 13 colonies.New JerseyDec. 18, 1787
3 rdThe third of the original 13 colonies.GeorgiaJan. 2, 1788
4 thThe fourth of the original 13 coloniesConnecticutJan. 9, 1788
5 thThe fifth of the original 13 colonies.MassachusettsFeb. 6, 1788
6 thThe sixth of the original 13 coloniesMarylandApril 28, 1788
7 thThe seventh of the original 13 colonies.South CarolinaMay 23, 1788
8 thThe eighth of the original 13 colonies.New HampshireJune 21, 1788
9 thThe ninth of the original 13 coloniesVirginiaJune 25, 1788
10 thThe 10th of the original 13 colonies.New YorkJuly 26, 1788
11 thThe 11th of the original 13 colonies.North CarolinaNov. 21, 1789
12 thThe 12th of the original 13 colonies.Rhode IslandMay 29, 1790
13 thThe 13th of the original 13 colonies.VermontMarch 4, 1791
14 thUntil statehood, had been a region claimed by both New York and New HampshireKentuckyJune 1, 1792
15 thNever a territory, it was part of Virginia until statehood.TennesseeJune 1, 1796
16 thWas Southwest Territory before statehood.OhioMarch 1, 1803
17 thWas part of the Northwest Territory until statehood.LouisianaApril 30, 1812
18 thWith certain boundary changes, had been the Territory of Orleans.IndianaDec. 11, 1816
19 thThere was a residue of Indiana Territory that continued to exist under that name until Dec. 3, 1818, when it was attached to Michigan Territory.MississippiDec. 10, 1817
20 thTerritory by Act of April 7, 1798, effective May 7, 1798.IllinoisDec. 3, 1818
21 st.AlabamaDec. 14, 1819
22 ndTerritory by Act of March 3, 1817, effective Aug. 15, 1817.MaineMarch 15, 1820
23 rdWhat is now the state of Maine was, before statehood, called the District of Maine and belonged to Massachusetts.MissouriAug. 10, 1821
24 thThe state was much smaller than the territory. The area to the west and northwest of the state, which had been in the territory, was commonly known as the "Missouri Country" until May 30, 1854, and certain of the post offices in this area show a Missouri abbreviation in the postmark.ArkansasJune 15, 1836
25 thThe territory was larger than the state. After statehood the leftover area to the west had post offices that continued for some years to use an Arkansas abbreviation in the postmarks, although they were really in the "Indian Country."MichiganJan. 26., 1837
26 th.FloridaMarch 3, 1845
27 th.TexasDec. 29, 1845
28 thWas an independent republic before statehood.IowaDec. 28, 1846
29 th.WisconsinMay 29, 1848
30 thThe state is smaller than the territory and the leftover area continued to be called the Territory of Wisconsin until March 3, 1849.CaliforniaSept. 9, 1850
31 stCeded by Mexico by the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, concluded Feb. 2, 1848, and proclaimed July 4, 1848. From then until statehood, California had a military government until Dec. 20, 1849, and then a local civil government. It never had a territorial form of government.MinnesotaMay 11, 1858
32 nd.OregonFeb. 14, 1859
33 rd.KansasJan. 29, 1861
34 th.West VirginiaJune 20, 1863
35 thWas part of Virginia until statehood.NevadaOct. 31, 1864
36 th.NebraskaMarch 1, 1867
37 th.ColoradoAug. 1, 1876
38 th.North DakotaNov. 2, 1889
39 th or 40 thWas part of Dakota Territory before statehood. Admitted on same day as South DakotaSouth DakotaNov. 2, 1889
39 th or 40 thWas part of Dakota Territory before statehood. Admitted on same day as North DakotaMontanaNov. 8, 1889
41 st.WashingtonNov. 11, 1889
42 nd.IdahoJuly 3, 1890
43 rd.WyomingJuly 10, 1890
44 th.UtahJan. 4, 1896
45 th.OklahomaNov. 16, 1907
46 thThe state was formed from Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory.New MexicoJan. 6, 1912
47th.ArizonaFeb. 14, 1912
48 thThis region was sometimes called Arizona before 1863, although it was still in the Territory of New Mexico.AlaskaJan. 3, 1959
49 thA district from Oct. 18, 1867, until it became an organized territory Aug. 24, 1912.HawaiiAug. 21, 1959
50 thThe territorial date Aug. 12, 1898 is that of the formal transfer to the United States, with Sanford B. Dole as first Governor.
