The United States has an average elevation of roughly 2,500 feet (763m) above sea level, however there is a stark contrast in elevations across the country. Highest states Colorado is the highest state in the United States, with an average elevation of 6,800 feet (2,074m) above sea level. The 10 states with the highest average elevation are all in the western region of the country, as this is, by far, the most mountainous region in the country. The largest mountain ranges in the contiguous western states are the Rocky Mountains, Sierra Nevada, and Cascade Range, while the Appalachian Mountains is the longest range in the east - however, the highest point in the U.S. is Denali (Mount McKinley), found in Alaska. Lowest states At just 60 feet above sea level, Delaware is the state with the lowest elevation. Delaware is the second smallest state, behind Rhode Island, and is located on the east coast. Larger states with relatively low elevations are found in the southern region of the country - both Florida and Louisiana have an average elevation of just 100 feet (31m) above sea level, and large sections of these states are extremely vulnerable to flooding and rising sea levels, as well as intermittent tropical storms.

Out of all 50 states, New York had the highest per-capita real gross domestic product (GDP) in 2023, at 90,730 U.S. dollars, followed closely by Massachusetts. Mississippi had the lowest per-capita real GDP, at 39,102 U.S. dollars. While not a state, the District of Columbia had a per capita GDP of more than 214,000 U.S. dollars. What is real GDP? A country’s real GDP is a measure that shows the value of the goods and services produced by an economy and is adjusted for inflation. The real GDP of a country helps economists to see the health of a country’s economy and its standard of living. Downturns in GDP growth can indicate financial difficulties, such as the financial crisis of 2008 and 2009, when the U.S. GDP decreased by 2.5 percent. The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on U.S. GDP, shrinking the economy 2.8 percent. The U.S. economy rebounded in 2021, however, growing by nearly six percent. Why real GDP per capita matters Real GDP per capita takes the GDP of a country, state, or metropolitan area and divides it by the number of people in that area. Some argue that per-capita GDP is more important than the GDP of a country, as it is a good indicator of whether or not the country’s population is getting wealthier, thus increasing the standard of living in that area. The best measure of standard of living when comparing across countries is thought to be GDP per capita at purchasing power parity (PPP) which uses the prices of specific goods to compare the absolute purchasing power of a countries currency.

In 2021, the average size of households in Utah was 2.99 people, the largest of any state. Hawaii, California, Idaho, and Texas rounded out the top five states for largest household size in that year. Nationwide, the average household size was 2.54 people.

New York was the U.S. state with the highest level of employment of librarians as of May 2023, with over 11 thousand librarians. Texas recorded the second-highest figure, with around 9,320 librarians as of that period.

When surveyed in 2022, it was found that Florida and New York were the two most visited states by adults in the United States, having been visited by 61 and 54 percent of respondents, respectively. Although it is not a state, the federal district of Washington, D.C. proved a popular travel destination for respondents, 49 percent of whom claimed to have visited the U.S. capital. In contrast, only 13 percent of respondents said they had visited Alaska, making it the least-visited state.

What is the most visited national park in the U.S.?

With approximately 15.7 million recreational visits in 2022, the Blue Ridge Parkway was the most visited National Park Service park in the United States. The park extends 469 miles through Virginia and North Carolina, connecting the Shenandoah National Park to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Meanwhile, the number of recreational visitors to Yellowstone National Park in 2022 was 3.29 million, down from the previous year’s total of 4.86 million.

How many domestic leisure trips do Americans take?

The number of domestic leisure trips in the U.S. amounted to 1.88 billion in 2022. As estimated, domestic leisure travels in the U.S. dropped to 1.4 billion in 2020. This was due to travel restrictions related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. It is forecast that the number of leisure trips will recover gradually during the following years, reaching two billion by 2026. The number of business trips, by comparison, is forecast to reach 480 million that same year.

In 2021, about 13.43 million households were counted in the federal state of California, the most out of any state. Texas, Florida, New York, and Pennsylvania rounded out the top five states with the most number of households in that year.

California has the highest tax rate on gasoline in the United States. As of January 2024, the gas tax in California amounted to 68.1 U.S. cents per gallon. California has long been known as the state with the highest tax rates – and consequently some of the highest fuel prices in the country. In October 2024, it ranked above Hawaii as the U.S. state with the highest gasoline retail price. Gas price components Out of all components making up retail gasoline prices, federal and state taxes are one of the strongest determinants for how much consumers pay for gas. These taxes are generally invested back into the construction and repair of road infrastructure. The federal government also places a tax on gasoline sold in the country, but almost every gas tax imposed by the states themselves is higher than this federal rate. Higher gasoline taxes may also affect driving habits, as those who live in states with higher gas taxes tend to drive less when other options are available. U.S. motor fuel tax revenue State taxes on fuel were first introduced in Oregon in 1919 while the rest of the states followed suit within the next decade. The amount generated through such taxes increased significantly throughout the last 40 years, with annual U.S. state and local motor fuel tax revenue climbing to over 53 billion U.S. dollars.

As of March 10, 2023, the state with the highest number of COVID-19 cases was California. Almost 104 million cases have been reported across the United States, with the states of California, Texas, and Florida reporting the highest numbers.

From an epidemic to a pandemic The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on March 11, 2020. The term pandemic refers to multiple outbreaks of an infectious illness threatening multiple parts of the world at the same time. When the transmission is this widespread, it can no longer be traced back to the country where it originated. The number of COVID-19 cases worldwide has now reached over 669 million.

The symptoms and those who are most at risk Most people who contract the virus will suffer only mild symptoms, such as a cough, a cold, or a high temperature. However, in more severe cases, the infection can cause breathing difficulties and even pneumonia. Those at higher risk include older persons and people with pre-existing medical conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, and lung disease. People aged 85 years and older have accounted for around 27 percent of all COVID-19 deaths in the United States, although this age group makes up just two percent of the U.S. population

Home Depot had 246 stores in the state of California alone at the end of the fiscal year 2023. Texas, Florida, and New York were the states with the next largest number of Home Depot stores, with each state having at least one hundred stores. As of 2023, the total number of Home Depot stores throughout the United States and its territories was 2,015. Home Depot also operates stores in Canada and Mexico.

Home improvement retail in the United States Home Depot is one of the best-known and valuable retailers in the United States. Home Depot operates within the U.S. home improvement industry, which has witnessed steady sales growth over the past years, with this trend expected to continue in the coming years.

Leading home improvement retailers As of 2022, Home Depot was the leading hardware and home improvement retailer in the United States. The company's products include building materials, appliances, tools, and hardware among many others. Lowe’s, Ace Hardware and Menards are Home Depot’s main competitors in the United States.

In 2023, the U.S. state with the highest number of employees in the legal services sector was California, with 151,180 people working in the sector. Following in the list were the states of New York, and then Florida.

The highest paying state for news analysts, reporters, and journalists in the United States as of May 2023 was the District of Columbia (Washington D.C.), paying employees in this sector an annual mean wage of 138,590 U.S. dollars. California ranked second, paying over 130,000 U.S. dollars per annum. Whilst New York was among the states with the highest employment levels of news reporters and journalists, the state did not place in the top five by annual mean wage.

The gross domestic product (GDP) of California was about 3.23 trillion U.S. dollars in 2023, meaning that it contributed the most out of any state to the country’s GDP in that year. In contrast, Vermont had the lowest GDP in the United States, with 35.07 billion U.S. dollars. What is GDP? Gross domestic product, or GDP, is the total monetary value of all goods and services produced by an economy within a certain time period. GDP is used by economists to determine the economic health of an area, as well as to determine the size of the economy. GDP can be determined for countries, states and provinces, and metropolitan areas. While GDP is a good measure of the absolute size of a country's economy and economic activity, it does account for many other factors, making it a poor indicator for measuring the cost or standard of living in a country, or for making cross-country comparisons. GDP of the United States The United States has the largest gross domestic product in the world as of 2023, with China, Japan, Germany, and India rounding out the top five. The GDP of the United States has almost quadrupled since 1990, when it was about 5.9 trillion U.S. dollars, to about 25.46 trillion U.S. dollars in 2022.

Alaska's staggering energy consumption of 987.4 million British thermal units per capita in 2022 highlights the vast disparities in energy use across the United States. This figure, more than triple the national average of 284.4 million British thermal units, underscores the unique energy demand of America's largest state. Louisiana and North Dakota followed closely behind, with consumption rates of 925.4 and 861 million British thermal units per capita, respectively. Factors influencing regional U.S. energy consumption The extreme per person energy consumption in Alaska can be attributed to its cold climate and energy-intensive industries. By comparison, New York, California, and Florida were among the states with the lowest per person energy consumption in the country because of the high energy efficiency, mild temperatures, and economies based on services and low-energy intensive industries. The overall energy consumption in the U.S. states was highest in the most populated areas –Texas, California, and Florida- and lower in sparsely populated ones, such as Alaska and Wyoming. Future energy trends in the U.S. While individual states show significant variations, the U.S. country consumed approximately 93.58 quadrillion British thermal units of primary energy in 2023, a slight decrease from the previous year. Oil remained the dominant energy source, followed by natural gas and renewable energies. The country's energy market has been evolving, with increased investments in renewable energy, reflecting a growing shift towards more sustainable energy sources.

Idaho had the highest dog ownership rate in the United States (U.S.), with 58 percent of households owning a dog in 2024. In Tennessee, around 47 percent of households were dog owners in that year. Dog food industry in the U.S. The sales value of dog food in the U.S. amounts to a total of approximately 10.5 billion U.S. dollars annually, excluding treats. Among the various dog food categories, dry dog food makes up the largest share of sales, with just under seven billion U.S. dollars. The leading dog biscuit, treat, and beverage vendor in the U.S. in terms of sales is Big Heart Pet Brands, which generates sales of over a billion U.S. dollars annually. The sales of Big Heart Pet Brands are more than twice as much as those of its biggest competitor, Nestlé Purina PetCare. The leading frozen and refrigerated dog food vendors in the U.S. is Freshpet. The company dominates the market by a considerable margin. Dog ownership in the U.S. Nationwide, approximately 65 million U.S. households own at least one dog. Dogs are the most widely owned type of pets among American households. Within the last 12 years, the number of dog-owning households grew by more than 40 percent. In general, there has been an increase in the household penetration rate of pet ownership in the U.S. during the last 35 years. In 2023, about two-thirds of households owned at least one pet. Since the state of Idaho has the highest percentage share of dog owners among U.S. states, it is unsurprising that its state capitol, the city of Boise, has the largest number of dog parks per 100,000 residents in the country. There are 7.5 off-leash dog parks per 100,000 residents in Boise, Idaho.

In 2023, the estimated number of homeless people in the United States was highest in California, with about 181,399 homeless people living in California in that year.

In 2023, the arrest rate in South Dakota was 5,878.35 arrests per 100,000 inhabitants, the highest of any state. Kentucky, North Dakota, Arkansas, and Wyoming rounded out the top five states with the highest arrest rates in that year.

The statistic shows the average information technology budget for the top-spending state governments in the United States in the period 2011 to 2015. Over that time, California had the largest state IT budget at just under four billion U.S. dollars.

Alaska is the largest U.S. state in terms of area and also contains some areas of the most untamed wildlife in North America. In 2012, there was around 91.8 million acres of forest area located in Alaska, more than any other U.S. state.

U.S. lumber production The United States lumber industry has seen ups and downs over the last several years. In 2006, some 49.74 billion board feet of lumber were produced in the United States. Three years later this figure had decreased to around 30.2 billion board feet, the lowest it had been in recent years. By 2016, the production volume of lumber had recovered somewhat, reaching 41 billion board feet.

U.S. national park system As a country with so much natural splendor, it only makes sense that there is a vast network of national parks and forests in the United States dedicated to preservation and public enjoyment. In 2018, the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in California was the leading unit in the national park system in terms of visitors. In addition, 58 percent of American campers intended to visit a national park in 2017.

As of February 3, 2024, California was the state with the most Target stores in the United States, with 316 stores. The company had a total of 1,956 stores open throughout the United States that year.

In 2023, there were 403 institutions of higher education in the state of California. Of these 403 institutions, 250 were four-year institutions and 153 were two-year institutions. California had the most higher education institutions of any state in that year.