Download US States Boundaries
Free download of US state boundaries — all 50 states plus the District of Columbia. Pick the format you need: GeoJSON, Shapefile, KML, GeoPackage, TopoJSON, or FlatGeobuf.
Boundary data provided by geoBoundaries (Runfola et al., 2020), licensed CC-BY 4.0. Please provide attribution when using this data.
About the US states dataset
This page bundles a one-click download of all 50 United States state boundaries (plus the District of Columbia) in every common geospatial format. The data is sourced from geoBoundaries — an open, peer-reviewed dataset of political administrative boundaries maintained by the College of William & Mary, released under CC-BY 4.0.
States are the first-level subnational division (ADM1) in the United States. For finer detail use our US counties boundaries page, which delivers ADM2 (county-level) boundaries. For any other country, use the generic administrative boundaries downloader.
When to use which format
GeoJSON
The most flexible choice — opens in QGIS, ArcGIS Pro, Mapbox, Leaflet, MapLibre, D3, and any web mapping library. Use the simplified version for client-side web maps.
Shapefile
Use for desktop GIS workflows in ArcGIS or QGIS, or when sharing data with traditional GIS users. Delivered as a ZIP containing .shp / .dbf / .prj / .shx.
KML
Use for Google Earth, Google Maps, and Google My Maps. KML preserves the state names in feature popups out of the box.
TopoJSON
A topology-encoded extension of GeoJSON — much smaller for choropleth maps where many states share borders. Common in D3.js dashboards.
GeoPackage
A modern, OGC-standard, single-file SQLite container. Use for portable GIS workflows that need a single self-contained dataset.
FlatGeobuf
A binary streaming format ideal for fast loading in MapLibre, OpenLayers, or Leaflet. Use when you want minimum latency on a public-facing map.
Common uses for US state boundaries
- • Choropleth maps for election results, demographics, or economic data
- • Sales-territory or market-area visualisation
- • State-level filtering of point data (geocoded customers, incidents)
- • Joining state-level statistics (census, BLS, BEA) to geometry
- • Web map backgrounds in Mapbox, Leaflet, MapLibre, or D3.js
- • Spatial joins to assign a state to point datasets
- • Boundary masks for satellite-imagery analysis
- • Reporting maps in Power BI, Tableau, or Looker
Alternative US state boundary sources
The geoBoundaries data on this page is the easiest one-click option for most use cases. If you need official cadastral-accuracy state boundaries you should also be aware of:
- • US Census Bureau TIGER/Line — the authoritative US source. Highest precision, multiple vintages, includes legal-boundary edits. Larger files and a more technical workflow.
- • Natural Earth — cartographer-friendly generalised boundaries at multiple scales. Great for small-scale (zoomed-out) maps.
- • OpenStreetMap — community-edited boundaries available via Overpass queries or extracts.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I download US state boundaries as GeoJSON?
The boundaries for all 50 US states (plus DC) load automatically above. Click the GeoJSON download button to save the full-resolution file, or pick the simplified version for a smaller file ideal for web maps.
What formats are available for US states?
GeoJSON (full and simplified), Shapefile (ZIP), TopoJSON, KML, GeoPackage, and FlatGeobuf. GeoJSON, Shapefile, and TopoJSON download directly from geoBoundaries; KML, GeoPackage, and FlatGeobuf are converted in your browser using GDAL.
Where does the US states data come from?
From geoBoundaries (Runfola et al., 2020), an open peer-reviewed dataset of political administrative boundaries maintained by the College of William & Mary. It is released under CC-BY 4.0 — free for commercial and non-commercial use with attribution.
How accurate are the boundaries?
geoBoundaries state boundaries are derived from authoritative national sources and are suitable for thematic mapping, choropleth visualisation, and most analytical work. For legal or cadastral applications you should use the TIGER/Line dataset from the US Census Bureau.
What is the file size of the US states GeoJSON?
The full-resolution US states GeoJSON is roughly a few megabytes. The simplified version is much smaller (typically under 200 KB) — ideal for web maps where exact precision is not required.
Does the dataset include territories or just the 50 states?
The ADM1 layer follows the geoBoundaries definition of US first-level subnational units, which includes the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Territories such as Puerto Rico, Guam, US Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and Northern Mariana Islands may also appear depending on the dataset year.
How is this different from US counties or US cities boundaries?
States are first-level (ADM1) divisions — there are around 50. Counties are second-level (ADM2) divisions — around 3,000. Cities are not part of this dataset. For US counties, see our companion page.