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.

California was the leading U.S. state in terms of the overall number of milk cows, with a total of over 1.7 million milk cows as of 2024. The total number of milk cows on farms in the United States shows that California holds a significant share of the total number of milk cows in the country. Unsurprisingly, California is also the leading milk producing state in the United States. Dairy industry in the U.S. According to the USDA, milk from U.S. farms is 90 percent water, with milk fat and skim solids making up the remaining 10 percent. Cow milk is a component of several dietary staples, such as cheese, butter, and yoghurt. Dairy is a very important industry in the United States, with this sector alone creating significant employment throughout the United States. The overall income of dairy farms in the U.S. amounted to about 51.3 billion U.S. dollars. Holtsein is the most popular breed of dairy cow farmed in the United States. Holstein have the highest milk production per cow in comparison to any other breed. Where is the U.S. positioned in the global dairy market? Topped only by the EU-27, the United States ranks as the second largest cow milk producer in the world, followed by India, Russia, and China. The United States also features among the top ten global milk exporters. The outlook for the future of the industry is also good, with milk production in the United States projected to steadily increase over the next years.

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.

Texas is by far the largest oil-producing state in the United States. In 2023, Texas produced a total of over two billion barrels. In a distant second place is New Mexico, which produced 667.5 million barrels in the same year. Virginia is the smallest producing state in the country, at five thousand barrels. Macro perspective of U.S. oil production The U.S. oil production totaled some 16.6 million barrels of oil per day, or a total annual oil production of 711 million metric tons. As the largest oil producer in the U.S., it is not surprising that Texas is home to the most productive U.S. oil basin, the Permian. The Permian has routinely accounted for at least 50 percent of total onshore production. Regional distribution of U.S. oil production A total of 32 of the 50 U.S. states produce oil. There are five regional divisions for oil production in the U.S., known as the Petroleum Administration for Defense Districts (PADD). These five regional divisions of the allocation of fuels derived from petroleum products were established in the U.S. during the Second World War and they are still used today for data collection purposes. In line with the fact that Texas is by far the largest U.S. oil producing state, PADD 3 (Gulf Coast) is also the largest oil producing PADD, as it also includes the federal offshore region in the Gulf of Mexico. There are around 711 operational oil and gas rigs in the country as of May 2023

In 2023, Mississippi had the highest rate of teen births in the United States with approximately 25 teen births per 1,000 women aged between 15 and 19 years. This statistic depicts the birth rates of teenagers in the United States aged 15 to 19 years in 2023, by state.

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.

As of December 2022, there was a total of 139,631 prisoners in the state of Texas, the most out of any state. California, Florida, Georgia, and Ohio rounded out the top five states with the most prisoners in the United States.

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.

Wyoming had the highest pet ownership rate in the United States, with 72 percent of households owning a pet in 2024. West Virginia came in second place with a 71 percent pet ownership rate. In comparison, Colorado's pet ownership rate that year was 65 percent.

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

Hogs and pigs are one of the main sources of meat in the United States, and there is a thriving domestic pork market. As of March 2024, Iowa had an inventory of about 25.1 million hogs and pigs, making it the top producer of swine in the country by a large margin. In that same year, the second largest producer of hogs and pigs was Minnesota, with about nine million head. Swine Production Pigs have several advantages over other livestock. They are good at converting animal feed into meat and do not require large grazing areas. In addition, almost every part of the pig can be eaten or processed, making them an efficient source of meat. Thus, raising pigs for consumption is a good investment for small-scale farmers and factory farms alike. Pork Market in the U.S. Some of the classic staples of an American breakfast are bacon, sausage, or ham, which are all pork products. Pork is one of the most frequently consumed types of meat in the United States with the average American consuming about 51.1 pounds of pork per year as of 2020. In 2022, over 27 billion pounds of pork were produced in the United States.

The states with the highest rates of HIV diagnoses in 2021 included Georgia, Louisiana, and Florida. However, the states with the highest number of people with HIV were California, Texas, and Florida. In California, there were around 4,399 people diagnosed with HIV. HIV/AIDS diagnoses The number of diagnoses of HIV/AIDS in the United States has continued to decrease in recent years. In 2021, there were an estimated 35,769 HIV diagnoses in the U.S. down from 38,433 diagnoses in the year 2017. In total, since the beginning of the epidemic in 1981 there have been around 1.25 million diagnoses in the United States. Deaths from HIV Similarly, the death rate from HIV has also decreased significantly over the past few decades. In 2019, there were only 1.4 deaths from HIV per 100,000 population, the lowest rate since the epidemic began. However, the death rate varies greatly depending on race or ethnicity, with the death rate from HIV for African Americans reaching 19.1 per 100,000 population in 2020.

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.

As of 2022, the U.S. states with the highest death rates from suicide were Montana, Alaska, and Wyoming. In Wyoming and Montana, there were around 29 and 28 suicide deaths per 100,000 population, respectively. In comparison, in New Jersey, the state with the lowest suicide death rate, there were only around eight suicide deaths per 100,000 population. Differences in suicide rates by gender In the United States, there is a vast difference in suicide rates between men and women, with rates over 3.5 times higher among men. However, rates of suicide for both men and women have increased over the past couple of decades. Among men, those aged 75 years and older have the highest suicide rates, with around 42 deaths per 100,000 population in 2021. Among women, those aged 45 to 64 years have the highest rates of suicide death with 8.2 deaths per 100,000 population. What is the most common method of suicide? In the United States, the most common method of suicide is with firearms, followed by suffocation and then poisoning. In 2022, there were around 27,032 suicide deaths from firearms in the United States, compared to 12,247 deaths from suffocation and 4,894 from drug poisoning. In 2021, firearms accounted for around 60 percent of suicide deaths among men. In comparison, around 35 percent of deaths from suicide among women were due to firearms, while suffocation and poisoning each accounted for 28 percent of such deaths.

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 2023, there were around 1.11 million active duty U.S. Armed Forces personnel stationed within the United States. In that year, there were 156,418 U.S. Armed Forces personnel stationed in California, the most of any state.

When analyzing the ratio of homelessness to state population, New York, Vermont, and Oregon had the highest rates in 2023. However, Washington, D.C. had an estimated 73 homeless individuals per 10,000 people, which was significantly higher than any of the 50 states. Homeless people by race The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development performs homeless counts at the end of January each year, which includes people in both sheltered and unsheltered locations. The estimated number of homeless people increased to 653,104 in 2023 – the highest level since 2007. However, the true figure is likely to be much higher, as some individuals prefer to stay with family or friends - making it challenging to count the actual number of homeless people living in the country. In 2023, nearly half of the people experiencing homelessness were white, while the number of Black homeless people exceeded 243,000. How many veterans are homeless in America? The  number of homeless veterans in the United States has halved since 2010. The state of California, which is currently suffering a homeless crisis, accounted for the highest number of homeless veterans in 2022. There are many causes of homelessness among veterans of the U.S. military, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance abuse problems, and a lack of affordable housing.

As of 2023, the U.S. states with the highest smoking rates included West Virginia, Tennessee, and Louisiana. In West Virginia, around 20 percent of all adults smoked as of this time. The number of smokers in the United States has decreased over the past decades. Who smokes? The smoking rates for both men and women have decreased for many years, but men continue to smoke at higher rates than women. As of 2021, around 13 percent of men were smokers compared to 10 percent of women. Concerning race and ethnicity, smoking is least prevalent among Asians with just five percent of this population smoking compared to 13 percent of non-Hispanic whites. Health impacts of smoking The negative health impacts of smoking are vast. Smoking increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, and many different types of cancers. For example, smoking is estimated to be attributable to 81 percent of all deaths from lung cancer among adults 30 years and older in the United States. Smoking is currently the leading cause of preventable death in the United States.

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.