US Elevation Map

Q: Which U.S. state has the highest average elevation?

The state with the highest average elevation in the United States is Colorado. Its average elevation is approximately 6,800 feet (2,070 meters) above sea level.

Created for educational and reference use, the US Elevation Map offers an easy-to-understand view of geographic boundaries and locations, useful for understanding regional connections, planning, and reference purposes. This US Elevation Map supports offline access when downloaded using the button below the map.

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About US Elevation Map

This US elevation map illustrates relative state heights. The blue states are the highest and the dark green states are the lowest. All 50 states are clearly outlined and relative height to other states is easy to read. Alaska and Hawaii are presented as insets. A legend on the bottom of the USA altitude map displays elevation ranges from 4,800m (dark blue) to 0–599m (dark green).

Elevation of US States, DC and Territories

State, District, or Territory	Highest Point Elevation in Meters	Highest Point	Lowest Point Elevation in Meters	Lowest Point	Elevation Mean in Meters
Alaska	6,191	Denali (Mount McKinley)	sea level	Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea, and Arctic Ocean	580
California	4,421	Mount Whitney	−86	Badwater Basin in Death Valley	880
Colorado	4,401	Mount Elbert	1,011	Arikaree River at Kansas border	2,070
Washington	4,389	Mount Rainier	sea level	Pacific Ocean	520
Wyoming	4,209	Gannett Peak	945	Belle Fourche River at South Dakota border	2,040
Hawaii	4,207	Mauna Kea	sea level	Pacific Ocean	920
Utah	4,125	Kings Peak	610	Beaver Dam Wash at Arizona border	1,860
New Mexico	4,013	Wheeler Peak	866	Red Bluff Reservoir on Texas border	1,740
Nevada	4,007	Boundary Peak	146	Colorado River at California border	1,680
Montana	3,904	Granite Peak	549	Kootenai River at Idaho border	1,040
Idaho	3,861	Borah Peak	216	Confluence of Snake and Clearwater rivers	1,520
Arizona	3,852	Humphreys Peak	21	Colorado River at Sonora border, San Luis, Arizona	1,250
Oregon	3,429	Mount Hood	sea level	Pacific Ocean	1,010
Texas	2,667	Guadalupe Peak	sea level	Gulf of Mexico	520
South Dakota	2,208	Black Elk Peak	294	Big Stone Lake on Minnesota border	670
North Carolina	2,037	Mount Mitchell	sea level	Atlantic Ocean	210
Tennessee	2,025	Kuwohi (formerly Clingmans Dome)	54	Mississippi River at Mississippi border	270
New Hampshire	1,916	Mount Washington	sea level	Atlantic Ocean (Gulf of Maine)	300
Virginia	1,741	Mount Rogers	sea level	Atlantic Ocean	290
Nebraska	1,656	Panorama Point	256	Missouri River at Kansas border	790
New York	1,629	Mount Marcy	sea level	Atlantic Ocean	300
Maine	1,606	Mount Katahdin	sea level	Atlantic Ocean	180
Oklahoma	1,516	Black Mesa	88	Little River at Arkansas border	400
West Virginia	1,482	Spruce Knob	73	Potomac River at Virginia border	460
Georgia	1,458	Brasstown Bald	sea level	Atlantic Ocean	180
Vermont	1,340	Mount Mansfield	29	Lake Champlain	300
Puerto Rico	1,338	Cerro de Punta	sea level	Atlantic Ocean (Caribbean Sea)	261
Kentucky	1,262	Black Mountain	78	Mississippi River at Kentucky Bend	230
Kansas	1,232	Mount Sunflower	207	Verdigris River at Oklahoma border	610
South Carolina	1,083	Sassafras Mountain	sea level	Atlantic Ocean	110
North Dakota	1,069	White Butte	229	Red River of the North at Manitoba border	580
Massachusetts	1,063	Mount Greylock	sea level	Atlantic Ocean	150
Maryland	1,027	Hoye-Crest	sea level	Atlantic Ocean	110
Pennsylvania	979	Mount Davis	sea level	Delaware River at Delaware border	340
Northern Marianas	977	Mount Agrihan on the island of Agrihan	sea level	Pacific Ocean
American Samoa	966	Lata Mountain on Taʻū Island	sea level	Pacific Ocean
Arkansas	839	Mount Magazine	17	Ouachita River at Louisiana border	200
Alabama	733	Cheaha Mountain	sea level	Gulf of Mexico	150
Connecticut	727	Southern slope of Mount Frissell at Massachusetts border	sea level	Long Island Sound	150
Minnesota	702	Eagle Mountain	183	Lake Superior	370
Michigan	603	Mount Arvon	174	Lake Erie	270
Wisconsin	595	Timms Hill	176	Lake Michigan	320
New Jersey	549	High Point	sea level	Atlantic Ocean	80
Missouri	540	Taum Sauk Mountain	70	Saint Francis River at southern Arkansas border	240
Iowa	509	Hawkeye Point	146	Confluence of Mississippi and Des Moines rivers	340
Virgin Islands	474	Crown Mountain on the island of Saint Thomas	sea level	Atlantic Ocean (Caribbean Sea)
Ohio	472	Campbell Hill	139	Ohio River at Indiana border	260
Guam	406	Mount Lamlam	sea level	Pacific Ocean
Indiana	383	Hoosier Hill	98	Confluence of Wabash and Ohio rivers	242
Illinois	376	Charles Mound	85	Confluence of Mississippi and Ohio rivers	180
Rhode Island	247	Jerimoth Hill	sea level	Atlantic Ocean	60
Mississippi	246	Woodall Mountain	sea level	Gulf of Mexico	90
Louisiana	163	Driskill Mountain	−2.4	New Orleans	30
Delaware	137	Near the Ebright Azimuth	sea level	Atlantic Ocean	20
District of Columbia	126	Point Reno	0	Potomac River at eastern Maryland border	50
Florida	105	Britton Hill	sea level	Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico	30
Outlying islands	85	Navassa Island high point	sea level	Navassa Island in the Caribbean Sea and other islands in the Pacific Ocean

U.S. States Elevations

Elevation, or altitude, is the height of land above sea level. Elevation is one of several factors that affect a region's climate, ecosystem, population, and economic activities. The elevation of land above sea level in the United States ranges from the low-lying coastal plains at sea level to the high peaks of mountains that reach above 6,000 meters. The highest elevation of any state is found in Alaska at 20,310 feet above sea level. The lowest elevation is found in Delaware at 60 feet above sea level. View the elevation of each state to get a sense of general elevation and associated weather and ecological characteristics.

State-Wise Elevation Patterns Across the United States

There are many high elevation ranges throughout the 50 states. The Western states of Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Idaho have high average elevations due to the mountains of the Rocky Mountains and high plateaus. The highest state is Colorado with an average elevation of approximately 2,070 metres (6,800 ft). On the other end of the spectrum are the Gulf Coast and Atlantic Coast states with very low average elevations including Florida, Louisiana and Delaware. The lowest state by mean elevation is Florida with an average elevation of approximately 30 metres (100 ft).

Highest and Lowest Points by State

Like each of the 50 US States, there is a highest elevation and lowest elevation above sea level for the US as a whole. Alaska has the highest difference between highest and lowest elevation with 6190m between 6,190m high Mount Denali, the highest elevation in the United States, and the lowest point in the country. The lowest point in the United States is Badwater Basin in California’s Death Valley at 86 m below sea level. States that border the ocean tend to have their lowest elevation at sea level, while states that are landlocked have the lowest point where the state surface meets a river or a basin.

Regional Elevation Differences

Elevation throughout the United States is generally organized geographically into sections of the country. The west is typically the highest part of the country with high mountain ranges and large plateaus. Many western states such as Nevada, Idaho and Montana are very mountainous and have high elevations. The middle part of the country consists of the Great Plains which includes states like Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma. The elevation in these states tends to be moderate but generally has gentle slopes. The east is the lowest part of the country with many states such as Mississippi, South Carolina and New Jersey averaging less than 500 feet in elevation. These states are characterized by broad coastal plains and rolling hills.

Impact of Elevation on Climate and Living Conditions

Elevation affects a variety of climatic conditions including temperature, precipitation, and air pressure. Generally, the higher the elevation, the cooler the temperature and the more thin the air. This can have a significant impact on a variety of human and economic activities, as well as on agriculture. States with high elevation, such as those with mountainous terrain, have colder winters and shorter growing seasons, while states such as Texas and Florida have generally warmer temperatures and longer agricultural cycles. In addition to these general effects, mountainous areas are also prone to landslides, and low-lying coastal regions are prone to flooding.

Importance of Elevation Data for Mapping and Planning

Elevation maps or country/state data is highly significant in city and country planning, infrastructure development, environment, ecology, disaster management and other things. These are essential for designing a proper transportation system, effective water management system and more. The need to know elevation differences is felt across various industries and groups such as students, professors, researchers, organizations and companies etc. all requiring elevation data to enhance their geographical knowledge base and to make timely and informed decisions.

FAQs about US Elevation

What is the highest point in the United States?

The highest point in the United States is Denali (formerly known as Mount McKinley), located in Alaska’s Denali National Park and Preserve. The summit of North America’s highest peak stands at an elevation of 20,310 feet (6,190 meters) above sea level. It is one of the most difficult physical challenges on earth for climbers to ascend to the summit.

What is the lowest point in the United States?

The lowest point in the United States is found at the bottom of Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park, California. The bottom of the basin is a mere 282 feet below sea level. This spot is famous for the flat of salt and the very hot desert environment found there.

Which U.S. state has the highest average elevation?

The state with the highest average elevation in the U.S. is the Rocky Mountain state of Colorado. Its average elevation is approximately 6,800 feet (2,070m) above sea level.

Which U.S. state has the lowest average elevation?

Delaware is the flattest state in the country. The highest point in Delaware is the Ebright Azimuth which is located at approximately 448 feet above sea level. The average elevation of the state is approximately 60 feet above sea level.

Which U.S. states have locations below sea level?

The lowest point in the United States is the bottom of a salt flat at the Badwater Basin in California’s Death Valley National Park. It is 282 feet below sea level. The lowest point in the state of Louisiana is at about 8 feet below sea level in some parts of New Orleans.

What are the extreme variations of the elevation in all of the states in the United States?

Elevations vary from state to state because of the geography and geology of each state. Mountainous states in the western part of the country such as Alaska, Colorado, California, Wyoming, and Utah have high elevations. These states have rugged landscapes that were created by tectonic activity. On the other hand, the eastern states and the coastal states are relatively flat with river valleys and coastal plains at low elevations. The elevation of a state greatly affects the climate, plants, water, and use of the land.