States in Order of Statehood Quiz

Delaware first, Hawaii fiftieth: which state joined the Union when, and in what order.

Delaware was first and Hawaii was fiftieth. Test yourself on the order the US states joined the Union, then check the full list of all 50 with their dates.

How the statehood quiz works

Each round mixes four kinds of question, in turn: which of four states became a state first, what number a state was, which state was, say, the 23rd, and in which decade a state joined. Four choices each time, and after every answer you see the state's number and exact date. Easy is 10 questions, Medium 15, Hard 20 and Expert 25.

The 50 states in order of statehood

For the first thirteen the date is the day the state ratified the US Constitution; for the rest it is the day Congress's act of admission took effect.

#	State	Date
1	Delaware	December 7, 1787
2	Pennsylvania	December 12, 1787
3	New Jersey	December 18, 1787
4	Georgia	January 2, 1788
5	Connecticut	January 9, 1788
6	Massachusetts	February 6, 1788
7	Maryland	April 28, 1788
8	South Carolina	May 23, 1788
9	New Hampshire	June 21, 1788
10	Virginia	June 25, 1788
11	New York	July 26, 1788
12	North Carolina	November 21, 1789
13	Rhode Island	May 29, 1790
14	Vermont	March 4, 1791
15	Kentucky	June 1, 1792
16	Tennessee	June 1, 1796
17	Ohio	March 1, 1803
18	Louisiana	April 30, 1812
19	Indiana	December 11, 1816
20	Mississippi	December 10, 1817
21	Illinois	December 3, 1818
22	Alabama	December 14, 1819
23	Maine	March 15, 1820
24	Missouri	August 10, 1821
25	Arkansas	June 15, 1836
26	Michigan	January 26, 1837
27	Florida	March 3, 1845
28	Texas	December 29, 1845
29	Iowa	December 28, 1846
30	Wisconsin	May 29, 1848
31	California	September 9, 1850
32	Minnesota	May 11, 1858
33	Oregon	February 14, 1859
34	Kansas	January 29, 1861
35	West Virginia	June 20, 1863
36	Nevada	October 31, 1864
37	Nebraska	March 1, 1867
38	Colorado	August 1, 1876
39	North Dakota	November 2, 1889
40	South Dakota	November 2, 1889
41	Montana	November 8, 1889
42	Washington	November 11, 1889
43	Idaho	July 3, 1890
44	Wyoming	July 10, 1890
45	Utah	January 4, 1896
46	Oklahoma	November 16, 1907
47	New Mexico	January 6, 1912
48	Arizona	February 14, 1912
49	Alaska	January 3, 1959
50	Hawaii	August 21, 1959

North Dakota and South Dakota were admitted on the same day. They are numbered 39 and 40 alphabetically by convention, so the quiz never asks which of the two came first.

Patterns that make the order easier

The thirteen colonies came first, in the order they ratified: Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island.
Then the states just west of them: Vermont, Kentucky and Tennessee in the 1790s, Ohio in 1803.
The Gulf and the Midwest filled in from 1812 to 1848, often in pairs of a slave state and a free state (Missouri and Maine; Arkansas and Michigan; Florida and Iowa; Texas and Wisconsin).
The Pacific coast jumped ahead: California in 1850 and Oregon in 1859, before most of the Plains.
1889–1890 added six states in eight months: North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Washington, Idaho and Wyoming.
The last five: Utah (1896), Oklahoma (1907), New Mexico and Arizona (1912), then Alaska and Hawaii (1959).

Source

Dates from Wikipedia's "List of U.S. states by date of admission to the Union", which cites the acts of admission and the National Archives.

Keep going

The first thirteen in detail: 13 Colonies Quiz
Match states to capitals, codes and nicknames: 50 States Matching Game
Type every state from memory: Name All 50 US States

Frequently asked questions

What was the first state?

Delaware. It ratified the US Constitution on December 7, 1787, which is why it calls itself the First State.

What was the 50th state?

Hawaii, admitted on August 21, 1959. Alaska was the 49th, admitted earlier the same year on January 3, 1959.

Which states joined on the same day?

North Dakota and South Dakota were both admitted on November 2, 1889. By convention North Dakota is counted as the 39th state and South Dakota as the 40th, in alphabetical order.

Which was the last of the original 13 to become a state?

Rhode Island, which ratified the Constitution on May 29, 1790, the 13th state.

Which state was the 14th?

Vermont, admitted on March 4, 1791, the first state after the original thirteen.

Is the quiz free?

Yes. There is no sign-up, and your best score for each difficulty is saved in this browser.