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The United States seemed to start in stages. The Revolutionary War began on April 19, 1775. The Declaration of Independence was proclaimed on July 4, 1776. The name “United States of America” became official on Sept. 9 of that year. The Constitution was written on Sept. 17, 1787, but wasn’t ratified by the requisite nine states until June 21, 1788 (and George Washington wasn’t sworn in as president until April 30, 1789).
The first state to ratify the Constitution – and thus the first state to officially join the Union – was Delaware, on Dec. 7, 1787. The Constitution didn’t become the official framework for the American government, however, until New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify it, on June 21, 1788. (This is how your state was founded.)
Although the current president, Joe Biden, has lived in Delaware since he was 10, the state’s importance to the country has slipped considerably in 200 years. It does not even have a million residents. As of the 2020 Census, its population was 989,948, placing it 46th among all states.
Delaware’s rank by square miles is even smaller than its rank by population. It covers 2,488.72 square miles. Only Rhode Island is smaller at 1,544.89. Because of its physical size, Delaware is among the most densely populated states, at 508 people per square mile. (See how each state’s population has changed since 2010.)
It is also one of only seven states that, because of its small population, has only one member of the House of Representatives. (She is Lisa Blunt Rochester, known, according to Govtrack, as an “at-large” representative, because she represents the entire state.)
24/7 Tempo sourced information on the date each state was admitted to the Union from Britannica. Population figures are from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 Population and Housing State Data report.
Click here to see the first states admitted to the Union
50. Hawaii
> Date of admission: Aug. 21, 1959
> 2020 population: 1,455,271
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49. Alaska
> Date of admission: Jan. 3, 1959
> 2020 population: 733,391
48. Arizona
> Date of admission: Feb. 14, 1912
> 2020 population: 7,151,502
47. New Mexico
> Date of admission: Jan. 6, 1912
> 2020 population: 2,117,522
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46. Oklahoma
> Date of admission: Nov. 16, 1907
> 2020 population: 3,959,353
45. Utah
> Date of admission: Jan. 4, 1896
> 2020 population: 3,271,616
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44. Wyoming
> Date of admission: July 10, 1890
> 2020 population: 576,851
43. Idaho
> Date of admission: July 3, 1890
> 2020 population: 1,839,106
42. Washington
> Date of admission: Nov. 11, 1889
> 2020 population: 7,705,281
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41. Montana
> Date of admission: Nov. 8, 1889
> 2020 population: 1,084,225
40. South Dakota
> Date of admission: Nov. 2, 1889
> 2020 population: 886,667
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39. North Dakota
> Date of admission: Nov. 2, 1889
> 2020 population: 779,094
38. Colorado
> Date of admission: Aug. 1, 1876
> 2020 population: 5,773,714
37. Nebraska
> Date of admission: March 1, 1867
> 2020 population: 1,961,504
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36. Nevada
> Date of admission: Oct. 31, 1864
> 2020 population: 3,104,614
35. West Virginia
> Date of admission: June 20, 1863
> 2020 population: 1,793,716
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34. Kansas
> Date of admission: Jan. 29, 1861
> 2020 population: 2,937,880
33. Oregon
> Date of admission: Feb. 14, 1859
> 2020 population: 4,237,256
32. Minnesota
> Date of admission: May 11, 1858
> 2020 population: 5,706,494
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31. California
> Date of admission: Sept. 9, 1850
> 2020 population: 39,538,223
30. Wisconsin
> Date of admission: May 29, 1848
> 2020 population: 5,893,718
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29. Iowa
> Date of admission: Dec. 28, 1846
> 2020 population: 3,190,369
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28. Texas
> Date of admission: Dec. 29, 1845
> 2020 population: 29,145,505
27. Florida
> Date of admission: March 3, 1845
> 2020 population: 21,538,187
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26. Michigan
> Date of admission: Jan. 26, 1837
> 2020 population: 10,077,331
25. Arkansas
> Date of admission: June 15, 1836
> 2020 population: 3,011,524
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24. Missouri
> Date of admission: Aug. 10, 1821
> 2020 population: 6,154,913
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23. Maine
> Date of admission: March 15, 1820
> 2020 population: 1,362,359
22. Alabama
> Date of admission: Dec. 14, 1819
> 2020 population: 5,024,279
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21. Illinois
> Date of admission: Dec. 3, 1818
> 2020 population: 12,812,508
20. Mississippi
> Date of admission: Dec. 10, 1817
> 2020 population: 2,961,279
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19. Indiana
> Date of admission: Dec. 11, 1816
> 2020 population: 6,785,528
18. Louisiana
> Date of admission: April 30, 1812
> 2020 population: 4,657,757
17. Ohio
> Date of admission: March 1, 1803
> 2020 population: 11,799,448
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16. Tennessee
> Date of admission: June 1, 1796
> 2020 population: 6,910,840
15. Kentucky
> Date of admission: June 1, 1792
> 2020 population: 4,505,836
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14. Vermont
> Date of admission: March 4, 1791
> 2020 population: 643,077
13. Rhode Island
> Date of admission: May 29, 1790
> 2020 population: 1,097,379
12. North Carolina
> Date of admission: Nov. 21, 1789
> 2020 population: 10,439,388
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11. New York
> Date of admission: July 26, 1788
> 2020 population: 20,201,249
10. Virginia
> Date of admission: June 25, 1788
> 2020 population: 8,631,393
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9. New Hampshire
> Date of admission: June 21, 1788
> 2020 population: 1,377,529
8. South Carolina
> Date of admission: May 23, 1788
> 2020 population: 5,118,425
7. Marchyland
> Date of admission: April 28, 1788
> 2020 population: 6,177,224
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6. Massachusetts
> Date of admission: Feb. 6, 1788
> 2020 population: 7,029,917
5. Connecticut
> Date of admission: Jan. 9, 1788
> 2020 population: 3,605,944
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4. Georgia
> Date of admission: Jan. 2, 1788
> 2020 population: 10,711,908
3. New Jersey
> Date of admission: Dec. 18, 1787
> 2020 population: 9,288,994
2. Pennsylvania
> Date of admission: Dec. 12, 1787
> 2020 population: 13,002,700
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1. Delaware
> Date of admission: Dec. 7, 1787
> 2020 population: 989,948
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