All of the land in the territories was property of the United States government.When a territory became a state, the Federal government was supposed to transfer the title to all of the land to the newly created state.
| # |  |
State | Ratification‡ or Admission | Preceding Entity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Delaware | Friday, December 7,1787 ‡ | Lower Counties on Delaware, then sovereign state inConfederation |
| 2 |  |
Pennsylvania | Wednesday, December 12, 1787 ‡ | Province of Pennsylvania, then sovereign state inConfederation |
| 3 |  |
New Jersey | Tuesday, December 18,1787 ‡ | Province of New Jersey, then sovereign state in Confederation |
| 4 |  |
Georgia | Wednesday, January 2,1788 ‡ | Province of Georgia, then sovereign state in Confederation |
| 5 |  |
Connecticut | Wednesday, January 9,1788 ‡ | Connecticut Colony, then sovereign state in Confederation |
| 6 |  |
Massachusetts | Wednesday, February 6,1788 ‡ | Province of Massachusetts Bay, then sovereign state inConfederation |
| 7 |  |
Maryland | Monday, April 28, 1788 ‡ | Province of Maryland, then sovereign state in Confederation |
| 8 |  |
South Carolina | Friday, May 23, 1788 ‡ | Province of South Carolina, then sovereign state inConfederation |
| 9 |  |
New Hampshire | Saturday, June 21, 1788 ‡ | Province of New Hampshire, then sovereign state inConfederation |
| 10 |  |
Virginia | Wednesday, June 25,1788 ‡ | Virginia Colony, then sovereign state in Confederation |
| 11 |  |
New York | Saturday, July 26,1788 ‡ | Province of New York, then sovereign state in Confederation |
| 12 |  |
North Carolina | Saturday, November 21,1789 ‡ | Province of North Carolina, then sovereign state inConfederation |
| 13 |  |
Rhode Island | Saturday, May 29, 1790 ‡ | Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, then sovereign state in Confederation |
| 14 |  |
Vermont | Friday, March 4, 1791 | Province of New York and New Hampshire Grants (ownership disputed), Vermont Republic |
| 15 |  |
Kentucky | Friday, June 1, 1792 | Virginia |
| 16 |  |
Tennessee | Wednesday, June 1,1796 | Province of North Carolina, Southwest Territory |
| 17 |  |
Ohio | Tuesday, March 1, 1803* | Northwest Territory |
| 18 |  |
Louisiana | Thursday, April 30, 1812 | Orleans Territory |
| 19 |  |
Indiana | Wednesday, December 11, 1816 | Indiana Territory |
| 20 |  |
Mississippi | Wednesday, December 10, 1817 | Mississippi Territory |
| 21 |  |
Illinois | Thursday, December 3,1818 | Illinois Territory |
| 22 |  |
Alabama | Tuesday, December 14,1819 | Alabama Territory |
| 23 |  |
Maine | Wednesday, March 15,1820 | Massachusetts |
| 24 |  |
Missouri | Friday, August 10, 1821 | Missouri Territory |
| 25 |  |
Arkansas | Wednesday, June 15,1836 | Arkansas Territory |
| 26 |  |
Michigan | Thursday, January 26,1837 | Michigan Territory |
| 27 |  |
Florida | Monday, March 3, 1845 | Florida Territory |
| 28 |  |
Texas | Monday, December 29,1845 | Republic of Texas |
| 29 |  |
Iowa | Monday, December 28,1846 | Iowa Territory |
| 30 |  |
Wisconsin | Monday, May 29, 1848 | Wisconsin Territory |
| 31 |  |
California | Monday, September 9,1850 | Mexican Cession, Alta California |
| 32 |  |
Minnesota | Tuesday, May 11, 1858 | Minnesota Territory |
| 33 |  |
Oregon | Monday, February 14,1859 | Oregon Territory |
| 34 |  |
Kansas | Tuesday, January 29,1861 | Kansas Territory |
| 35 |  |
West Virginia | Saturday, June 20, 1863 | Virginia |
| 36 |  |
Nevada | Monday, October 31,1864 | Nevada Territory |
| 37 |  |
Nebraska | Friday, March 1, 1867 | Nebraska Territory |
| 38 |  |
Colorado | Tuesday, August 1, 1876 | Colorado Territory |
| 39 † |  |
North Dakota | Saturday, November 2,1889 | Dakota Territory |
| 40 † |  |
South Dakota | Saturday, November 2,1889 | Dakota Territory |
| 41 |  |
Montana | Friday, November 8,1889 | Montana Territory |
| 42 |  |
Washington | Monday, November 11,1889 | Washington Territory |
| 43 |  |
Idaho | Thursday, July 3, 1890 | Idaho Territory |
| 44 |  |
Wyoming | Thursday, July 10, 1890 | Wyoming Territory |
| 45 |  |
Utah | Saturday, January 4,1896 | Utah Territory |
| 46 |  |
Oklahoma | Saturday, November 16,1907 | Oklahoma Territory & Indian Territory |
| 47 |  |
New Mexico | Saturday, January 6,1912 | New Mexico Territory |
| 48 |  |
Arizona | Wednesday, February 14, 1912 | Arizona Territory |
| 49 |  |
Alaska | Saturday, January 3,1959 | Alaska Territory |
| 50 |  |
Hawaii | Friday, August 21, 1959 | Kingdom of Hawaii, Hawaii Territory |
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