Quiz challenge
By 2020 Census land area, which option is larger than Kansas?
Select an answer to continue.
The correct answer is C) Utah.
According to official U.S. Census Bureau land area measurements, Utah is larger than Kansas, making C the correct choice.
Testing your knowledge of American geography often comes down to understanding the distinction between total surface area and actual dry land area. Many people assume that a state covered with thousands of lakes holds a massive expanse of land, but federal measurement standards tell a different story. The United States Census Bureau meticulously measures land area separately from inland, coastal, and Great Lakes waters. When comparing geographic footprints across the Great Plains and the Mountain West, land area rankings produce surprisingly close contests.
The correct answer
C) Utah
According to official U.S. Census Bureau land area measurements, Utah is larger than Kansas, making C the correct choice.
Utah encompasses approximately 82,170 square miles of land area, surpassing Kansas, which contains roughly 81,759 square miles of land mass. Utah ranks as the twelfth largest state by land area, whereas Kansas ranks thirteenth. When accounting for total area, which includes lakes, reservoirs, and rivers, Utah expands to around 84,897 square miles compared to 82,278 square miles for Kansas. Utah's prominent physical features, including the Wasatch Range, the Colorado Plateau, and expansive desert basins, contribute to its substantial footprint across the Intermountain West.
More context
The United States Census Bureau measures state geographic dimensions using its MAF/TIGER database, which classifies territory into land area and water area. Water classifications include inland, coastal, territorial, and Great Lakes waters. These definitions matter when ranking state sizes. For example, Michigan ranks tenth in total area due to its Great Lakes waters, but drops to twenty-second in land area. Similarly, Upper Midwest states like Minnesota benefit from glacial lakes in total surface area rankings, while arid Western states like Utah retain almost all of their total footprint as dry land.
Quick facts
- Alaska is the largest U.S. state by both land area and total area, covering more land than Texas, California, and Montana combined.
- Rhode Island is the smallest state by land area, encompassing just 1,034 square miles of terrain.
- Utah contains over two thousand square miles of water area, primarily from the Great Salt Lake and Lake Powell.
- Kansas contains the geographic center of the 48 contiguous U.S. states near Lebanon.
Sources
- State Area Measurements and Internal Point Coordinates — U.S. Census Bureau Official U.S. Census Bureau state area measurements for land area and total area.
- What's the largest U.S. state by area? — Encyclopædia Britannica U.S. state land area rankings and square mileage data.
