Top 10 U.S. States with the Longest Coastline

What are the ten U.S. states that have the most coastline?

Full list, based on original research by the Quizmaster

Does not include lakeshore, but does include oceanic inlets, bays, etc...

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Last updated: April 18, 2019

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First submitted	March 15, 2015
Times taken	50,773
Average score	80.0%
Rating	4.45

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Coastline (km)	State
37,300	Alaska
4,850	Florida
2,740	California
2,600	Washington
2,590	North Carolina

Coastline (km)	State
2,440	Texas
2,350	Louisiana
1,820	Maryland
1,740	Maine
1,640	Virginia

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36 Comments

+42

Level ∞

Apr 18, 2019

I completely redid this quiz. As several people pointed out, the Wikipedia source is extremely poor. I spent a couple hours computing the coastlines myself, and got results which make a lot more sense. You can read more here. As far as I know, my list is the only accurate source for state coastlines that exists on the internet.

Level 72

Apr 24, 2019

Wow, thank you. Short, sweet, accurate. Yay!

+10

Level 21

Jul 25, 2019

There is no correct lenght of any coastline. Read about coastline paradox

+10

Level 73

Apr 3, 2022

he knows

+11

Level 70

Jul 25, 2019

Why exclude coastline from lakes? Michigan has the second most shoreline of any state (behind Alaska). I don't understand the logic.

+14

Level 45

Jul 25, 2019

well it does say that it doesn't accept lakeshore states, so...

Level 65

Apr 3, 2022

He’s just asking why

Level 36

Apr 7, 2022

Why don't they ever use softballs in baseball?

Level 86

Dec 15, 2025

And river banks. Why don't they count?

Also puddles when it's rainy?

Outdoor swimming pools?

Level 75

Apr 18, 2019

I forgot the state I live in *facepalm*

Level 69

Apr 19, 2019

No Oregon?

Level 68

Apr 22, 2019

In the last version, before the correction mentioned above, I think I remember Oregon was there but not Washington, which did seem strange to me.

+10

Level 68

Jul 25, 2019

I found it hard to believe that Maryland has more coastline than Oregon, but Oregon's coastline is pretty much a straight line and Maryland has the Chesapeake bay, so I guess it makes sense.

Level 36

May 7, 2020

I was surprised too, then I realized that Washington and pretty much everywhere else had all of those bays, islands, and peninsulas.

Level 77

Apr 23, 2019

I would have thought Hawaii would have been in there.

Level 79

Apr 24, 2019

Hawaii is pretty small, but according to QM's data it's #11.

Level 71

Jun 6, 2019

Love the quiz. What about Michigan? More than 3,000 miles of coastline.

Level 41

Jul 5, 2019

Does not include lakeshore

+10

Level 44

Jul 25, 2019

It should.

Level 85

Mar 10, 2020

Michigan's borders do not stop at the edge of the lake, it includes much of the water as well, so it doesn't really have any coastline.

Level 78

Nov 28, 2021

Maybe, but this is about coastline, not state borders.

Level 65

Apr 3, 2022

Technically the same would go for all states

Level 92

Apr 4, 2022

Hawaii's borders don't stop at the coastline either. All coastal states have state marine borders 3 nautical miles from all points of land. You are fully within state jurisdiction in that area. The U.S. has borders within 12 nautical miles and exclusive economic zones out to 200 nautical miles of all those states.

There is a common fallacy on JetPunk of listing Michigan at nearly twice its size because of adjacent Great Lakes area while not including adjacent oceanic waters of coastal states. Both, of course, would be totally misleading. Using that methodology, Hawaii would jump from one of the tiniest states to a very large state, especially if including integral U.S. waters around Hawaii.

Level 65

Jul 25, 2019

Good job. I believe the description should include the resolution used.

Level 36

Jul 26, 2019

Thank you for the tremendous effort in redoing the quiz. It is heartening to know that some quizzers aim for accuracy to inform and educate.

Level 51

Jul 26, 2019

this should include lake shore lines. No one outside the great lakes area knows how massive these lake are and how long the coastline of Michigan really is. ITs longer than the eastern seaboard!

Level 86

Mar 1, 2021

That's quite a sweeping statement.

Level 68

Apr 3, 2022

I'm sure that there is at least one person outside of the great lakes region who knows how big the lakes are, though I am not sure.

Level 36

May 7, 2020

A message to everyone who wants Michigan included and every other lakeshore state: The quiz says longest coastlines, not shorelines. A longest shorelines quiz is what you want if you want ocean and lake, but that's not a coastline!

Level 73

Apr 3, 2022

Thought Oregon has much longer coastline, good quiz

Level 70

Apr 4, 2022

Yet another typing contest, not trivia.

Level 61

Apr 6, 2022

nah u just not smart

Level 60

Feb 16, 2023

Idaho?

Level 73

May 2, 2023

?????

Level 53

Sep 1, 2024

Random person, have you ever seen the states along with Canada?

Level 62

Jan 27, 2025

I only missed Louisiana