Which States Could Survive on Their Own If They Seceded From the Union?

In recent months, several counties in Illinois have voted to leave the state and join neighboring Indiana. Since 2020, a total of 33 Illinois counties have shown interest in breaking away, with seven—Calhoun, Clinton, Greene, Iroquois, Jersey, Madison, and Perry—approving secession measures in November 2024.

Indiana lawmakers have responded by proposing a new bill. House Bill 1008, introduced by Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston, would create a special commission to study changing state borders and adding these Illinois counties to Indiana.

Although it’s highly unlikely to happen and these votes are focused on shifting counties between states, they raise bigger questions: Could an entire state successfully leave the United States?

Some people point to Texas as the primary possibility, due to several factors, including its unique history regarding independence. Because the sprawling state of Texas is home to a large population and a significant economy, it could conceivably run its own government. Similarly, California’s large swath of land and huge economic standing give it the potential to survive on its own.

What if the states had to go it alone today? In a worst-case scenario, what if a natural disaster, economic collapse, catastrophic war, or intense social unrest caused some or all of the states to secede from the Union? Which of them are best suited to survive as separate countries?

This is an updated version of a previously published article, reflecting recent news on county secession votes in the state of Illinois.

Why We Are Mentioning This

Some people, frustrated with the federal government, may think it’s better to break away and form their own little country. However, the U.S. is stronger as a whole. A comparison of the states’ resources for independence as well as how they compare to other countries in the world can be a reality check for people who somehow think dividing the country would be a good thing. It’s not hard to see that doing so would profoundly affect every American’s safety, prosperity, and happiness for the worse.

50. Vermont

• Average rank: 49.3
• State Population: 647,818 (49th), comparable to Luxembourg.
• State GDP: $43.1 billion (50th), comparable to Latvia.
• Active-Duty Military: 118 (49th), comparable to Haiti.
• Other Factors: International border with Canada; landlocked; formerly an independent country.

49. Wyoming

• Average Rank: 45
• State Population: 586,485 (50th), comparable to Micronesia
• State GDP: $50.2 billion (49th), comparable to Paraguay.
• Active-Duty Military: 3,148 (37th), comparable to Guyana.
• Other Factors: Landlocked; thinly populated; nuclear weapons sites.

48. Maine

• Average Rank: 44th
• State Population: 1.4 million (42nd), comparable to Mauritius.
• State GDP: $91.1 billion (43rd), comparable to Panama.
• Active-Duty Military: 287 (47th), comparable to Antigua and Barbuda.
• Other Factors: International border with Canada; ports on the Atlantic.

47. West Virginia

• Average Rank: 43.3
• State Population: 1.8 million (39th), comparable to Equatorial Guinea.
• State GDP: $99.5 billion (41st), comparable to Oman.
• Active-Duty Military: 117 (50th), comparable to Haiti.
• Other Factors: Landlocked but has Ohio River access; extensive coal deposits.

46. Montana

• Average Rank: 42
• State Population: 1.1 million (43rd), comparable to Cyprus.
• State GDP: $70.6 billion (47th), comparable to Serbia.
• Active-Duty Military: 3,251 (36th), comparable to Guyana.
• Other Factors: International border with Canada; mineral wealth; nuclear missile facilities.

45. South Dakota

• Average rank: 42
• State Population: 928,767 (46th), comparable to Fiji.
• State GDP: $72.4 billion (46th), comparable to Lithuania.
• Active-Duty Military: 3,388 (34th), comparable to Guyana.
• Other Factors: Landlocked and thinly populated.

44. Rhode Island

• Average Rank: 41.3
• State Population: 1.1 million (44th), comparable to Eswatini.
• State GDP: $77.3 billion (45th), comparable to Tanzania.
• Active-Duty Military: 3,361 (35th), comparable to Guyana.
• Other Factors: Smallest by land area but has excellent Atlantic access for international trade.

43. New Hampshire

• Average Rank: 40.3
• State Population: 1.4 million (41st), comparable to Estonia.
• State GDP: $111.1 billion (39th), comparable to Dominican Republic.
• Active-Duty Military: 1,070 (41st), comparable to Luxembourg.
• Other Factors: International border with Canada; seaport on the Atlantic

42. Delaware

• Average rank: 40
• State Population: 1,044,321 (45th), comparable to Djibouti.
• State GDP: $93.6 billion (42nd), comparable to Venezuela.
• Active-Duty Military: 3,457 (33rd), comparable to Fiji.
• Other Factors: Atlantic Ocean access.

41. North Dakota

• Average rank: 39.3
• State Population (Rank): 788,940 (47th), comparable to Bhutan.
• State GDP: $74.1 billion (44th), comparable to Lebanon.
• Active-Duty Military:  7,273 (27th), comparable to Slovenia.
• Other Factors: Landlocked and thinly populated; international border with Canada; nuclear ICBM sites; oil producer.

40. Alaska

• Average rank: 37.7
• State Population (Rank):  733,536 (48th), comparable to Solomon Islands.
• State GDP: $67.3 billion (48th), comparable to Slovenia.
• Active-Duty Military: 18,500 (17th), comparable to Guatemala.
• Other factors: International border with Canada; maritime border with Russia; top 10 in mining; thinly populated; geographically distant from the rest of the country; oil producer.

39. Iowa

• Average Rank: 36.7
• State Population: 3.2 million (31st), comparable to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
• State GDP: $248.9 billion (31st), comparable to Qatar.
• Active-Duty Military: 212 (48th), comparable to Antigua and Barbuda.
• Other Factors: Landlocked but has access to the Missouri and Mississippi rivers; top 10 in agriculture.

38. Idaho

• Average Rank: 35.7
• State Population: 2 million (37th), comparable to North Macedonia.
• State GDP: $118.8 billion (38th), comparable to Guatemala.
• Active-Duty Military: 3,507 (32nd), comparable to Fiji.
• Other Factors: Landlocked; international border with Canada.

37. Nebraska

• Average Rank: 33
• State Population: 1,988,698 (38th), comparable to Latvia.
• State GDP: $178 million (35th), comparable to Morocco.
• Active-Duty Military: 6,506 (27th), comparable to Latvia.
• Other Factors: Landlocked; top 10 in agriculture; nuclear ICBM sites.

36. Arkansas

• Average Rank: 32.7
• State Population: 3.1 (33rd), comparable to Albania.
• State GDP: $176 billion (34th), comparable to Kuwait.
• Active-Duty Military: 3,725 (31st), comparable to Papua New Guinea.
• Other Factors: Landlocked; access to Mississippi River

35. Oregon

• Average Rank: 32
• State Population: 4.2 million (27th), comparable to Kuwait.
• State GDP: $316 billion (24th), comparable to Vietnam.
• Active-Duty Military: 555 (45th), comparable to the Seychelles.
• Other Factors: Seaport on the Pacific Ocean.

34. Mississippi

• Average rank: 31.3
• State Population: 2.9 (35th), comparable to The Gambia.
• State GDP: $146.4 billion (36th), comparable to Angola.
• Active-Duty Military: 10,820 (23rd), comparable to Kyrgyzstan.
• Other Factors: Access to the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico.

33. New Mexico

• Average rank: 31.3
• State Population: 2.1 million (36th), comparable to Slovenia.
• State GDP: $130.2 billion (37th), comparable to Ecuador.
• Active-Duty Military: 13,439 (21st), comparable to Madagascar.
• Other Factors: Landlocked; international border with Mexico.

32. Utah

• Average Rank: 30
• State Population: 3.5 million (30th), comparable to Moldova.
• State GDP: $272.6 billion (29th), comparable to Algeria.
• Active-Duty Military: 4,502 (31st), comparable to Guinea-Bissau.
• Other Factors: Landlocked; mountainous; top 10 in mining; strong cultural identity.

31. Hawaii

• Average Rank: 29.3
• State Population: 1.4 million (40th), comparable to Bahrain.
• State GDP: $108 billion (40th), comparable to Kenya.
• Active-Duty Military: 39,267 (8th), comparable to Kazakhstan.
• Other Factors: Formerly an independent country; strategic central Pacific location; cultural ties to Polynesia and Asia, massive tourism industry; strong sense of cultural identity; geographically distant from the rest of the U.S.

30. Nevada

• Average Rank: 28.7
• State Population: 3.2 million (32nd), comparable to Uruguay.
• State GDP: $239.4 billion (32nd), comparable to Hungary.
• Active-Duty Military: 12,273 (22nd), comparable to Nicaragua.
• Other Factors: Landlocked, thinly populated, U.S. military bases; nuclear weapons; top 10 mineral producer.

29. Kansas

• Average Rank: 27.7
• State Population: 2.9 million (34th), comparable to Jamaica.
• State GDP: $226 billion (33rd), comparable to Kazakhstan.
• Active-Duty Military: 20,495 (16th), comparable to Uruguay.
• Other Factors: Landlocked, top 10 agricultural state.

28. Connecticut

• Average Rank: 26
• State Population: 3.6 million (29th), comparable to Mongolia.
• State GDP: $340 billion (23rd), comparable to Chile.
• Active-Duty Military: 4,641 (26th), comparable to Gabon.
• Other Factors: Seaport on the Atlantic Ocean; next door to New York City with its economic opportunities.

27. Indiana

• Average Rank: 26
• State Population: 6.9 million (17th), comparable to Paraguay.
• State GDP: $497 billion (19th), comparable to Hong Kong.
• Active-Duty Military: 1,014 (42nd), comparable to Cape Verde.
• Other Factors: Landlocked; access to the Great Lakes and the Ohio River; top 10 in agriculture and manufacturing.

26. Alabama

• Average Rank: 25
• State Population: 5.1 million (24th), comparable to Ireland.
• State GDP: $300 billion (27th), comparable to Portugal.
• Active-Duty Military: 7,349 (24th), comparable to Benin.
• Other Factors: Seaport on the Gulf of Mexico.

25. Wisconsin

• Average Rank: 25
• State Population: 5.9 million (20th), comparable to Denmark.
• State GDP: $414 billion (21st), comparable to Denmark.
• Active-Duty Military: 976 (34th), comparable to Luxembourg.
• Other Factors: Landlocked; access to Great Lakes; top 10 in agriculture and manufacturing.

24. Oklahoma

• Average Rank: 24.3
• State Population: 4.1 million (28th), comparable to Croatia.
• State GDP: $254 billion (30th), comparable to New Zealand.
• Active-Duty Military: 21,103 (15th), comparable to Uruguay.
• Other Factors: Oil producer; landlocked.

23. Louisiana

• Average Rank: 23.7
• State Population: 4.6 million (25th), comparable to Oman.
• State GDP: $309.6 billion (26th), comparable to Finland.
• Active-Duty Military: 13,793 (20th), comparable to Senegal.
• Other Factors: Seaport on the Gulf of Mexico, controls access to the Mississippi River; nuclear weapons.

22. Minnesota

• Average Rank: 23.3
• State Population: 5.8 million (22nd), comparable to Finland.
• State GDP: $472 billion (20th), comparable to Israel.
• Active-Duty Military: 597 (28th), comparable to Barbados.
• Other Factors: International border with Canada; access to Great Lakes; top 10 in mining and agriculture.

21. Tennessee

• Average Rank: 23
• State Population: 7.2 million (15th), comparable to Nicaragua.
• State GDP: $523 billion (16th), comparable to Ireland.
• Active-Duty Military: 2,237 (38th), comparable to East Timor.
• Other Factors: Landlocked; access to the Mississippi River

20. Massachusetts

• Average Rank: 22.7
• State Population: 7 million (16th), comparable to Libya.
• State GDP: $734 billion (12th), comparable to Thailand.
• Active-Duty Military: 2,044 (40th), comparable to Lesotho.
• Other Factors: Seaport on the Atlantic Ocean; strong cultural identity.

19. Michigan

• Average Rank: 22.3
• State Population: 10 million (10th), comparable to Greece.
• State GDP: $659 billion (14th), comparable to Iran.
• Active-Duty Military: 857 (43rd), comparable to Luxembourg.
• Other Factors: Landlocked, access to the Great Lakes; international border with Canada; top 10 in mining and manufacturing.

18. Kentucky

• Average Rank: 21.7
• State Population: 4.5 million (26th), comparable to Panama.
• State GDP: $277.7 billion (28th), comparable to Greece.
• Active-Duty Military: 34,457 (11th), comparable to Bolivia.
• Other Factors: Ohio River access; landlocked.

17. Missouri

• Average Rank: 19.7
• State Population: 6.2 million (18th), Republic of Congo.
• State GDP: $422 billion (22nd), comparable to Colombia.
• Active-Duty Military: 14,200 (19th), comparable to Denmark.
• Other Factors: Landlocked; access to Mississippi River; nuclear weapons; top 10 mineral producer.

16. South Carolina

• Average Rank: 19.3
• State Population: 5.4 million (23rd), comparable to New Zealand.
• State GDP: $322 billion (25th), comparable to Czech Republic.
• Active-Duty Military: 37,238 (10th), comparable to Bulgaria.
• Other Factors: Seaport on the Atlantic Ocean.

15. Arizona

• Average Rank: 16.7
• State Population: 7.5 million (14th), comparable to Serbia.
• State GDP: $508 billion (18th), comparable to Malaysia.
• Active-Duty Military: 17,479 (18th), comparable to Kuwait.
• Other Factors: Landlocked; international border with Mexico; top 10 mineral producer.

14. Pennsylvania

• Average Rank: 16.7
• State Population: 13 million (5th), comparable to Bolivia.
• State GDP: $965 billion (6th), comparable to Saudi Arabia.
• Active-Duty Military: 2,172 (39th), comparable to East Timor.
• Other Factors: Top 10 in manufacturing; access to the Great Lakes and Atlantic Ocean.

13. New Jersey

• Average Rank: 16.3
• State Population: 9.3 million (11th), comparable to Israel.
• State GDP: $799.3 billion (9th), comparable to Switzerland.
• Active-Duty Military: 6,175 (29th), comparable to Latvia.
• Other Factors: Atlantic port access; proximity to commercial opportunities in New York City.

12. Maryland

• Average Rank: 16
• State Population: 6.2 million (19th), comparable to Singapore.
• State GDP: $512 billion (17th), comparable to Austria.
• Active-Duty Military: 28,767 (12th), comparable to Serbia.
• Other Factors: Access to the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean; surrounds the national capital on three sides.

11. Colorado

• Average Rank: 15
• State Population: 5.9 million (21st), comparable to Slovakia.
• State GDP: $520 billion (15th), comparable to the United Arab Republic.
• Active-Duty Military: 37,934 (9th), comparable to Bulgaria.
• Other Factors: Landlocked; nuclear ICBM sites.

10. Ohio

• Average Rank: 14
• State Population: 11.8 million (7th), comparable to Haiti.
• State GDP: $873 billion (7th), comparable to Turkey.
• Active-Duty Military: 6,480 (28th), comparable to Latvia.
• Other Factors: Access to the Great Lakes and the Ohio River; top 10 in manufacturing.

9. Washington

• Average Rank: 10.3
• State Population: 7,841,283 (13th), comparable to Hong Kong.
• State GDP: $801.5 billion (11th), comparable to Poland.
• Active-Duty Military: 60,603 (7th), comparable to Lebanon.
• Other Factors: Pacific coast port, international border with Canada; nuclear submarines.

8. Virginia

• Average Rank: 8.7
• State Population: 8.8 million (12th), comparable to Switzerland.
• State GDP: $707 billion (13th), comparable to Belgium.
• Active-Duty Military: 125,162 (2nd), comparable to Azerbaijan.
• Other Factors: Seaports on the Atlantic; controls access to the Chesapeake Bay; across the river from the national capital; produced 8 presidents.

7. Illinois

• Average Rank: 8
• State Population:  12.5 million (6th), comparable to Tunisia.
• State GDP: $1.08 trillion (5th), comparable to the Netherlands.
• Active-Duty Military: 22,586 (13th), comparable to Austria.
• Other Factors: Access to the Great Lakes and Mississippi River; top 10 in agriculture and manufacturing.

6. New York

• Average Rank: 8
• State Population: 19.5 million (4th), comparable to Romania.
• State GDP: $2.15 trillion (3rd), comparable to Canada.
• Active-Duty Military: 18,417 (17th), comparable to Guatemala.
• Other Factors: International border with Canada; Atlantic Ocean port; hosts the United Nations; strong cultural identity; top 10 in manufacturing.

5. North Carolina

• Average Rank: 7.7
• State Population: 11 million (9th), comparable to Sweden.
• State GDP: $767 billion (1oth), comparable to Sweden.
• Active Duty Military: 94,540 (4th), comparable to Nepal.
• Other Factors: Atlantic ports; top 10 in agriculture and manufacturing.

4. Georgia

• Average Rank: 7
• State Population: 11.1 million (8th), comparable to Belgium.
• State GDP: $805 billion (8th), comparable to Taiwan.
• Active Duty Military: 63,414 (5th), comparable to the United Arab Emirates.
• Other Factors: Ports on the Atlantic; nuclear submarines.

3. Florida

• Average Rank: 4.3
• State Population: 23 million (3rd), comparable to Taiwan.
• State GDP: $1.6 trillion (4th), comparable to Indonesia.
• Active-Duty Military: 62,177 (6th), comparable to the United Arab Emirates.
• Other Factors: Ports on the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico; cultural connections to Latin America and the Caribbean; strong tourism industry; a primary site of the U.S. space program; top 1o in mineral production.

2. Texas

• Average Rank: 2.3
• State Population:  31 million (2nd), Comparable to Madagascar.
• State GDP: $2.6 trillion (2nd), comparable to Brazil.
• Active-Duty Military: 112,583 (3rd), comparable to Poland.
• Other Factors: Previously an independent country; ports on the Gulf of Mexico; large oil reserves; top 10 in mining, agriculture, and manufacturing; international border with Mexico; space program command and control; distinctive state culture.

1. California

• Average Rank: 1
• State Population: 38.9 million (1st), comparable to Canada.
• State GDP: $3.8 trillion (1st), comparable to India.
• Active-Duty Military: 158,754 (1st), comparable to Taiwan.
• Other Factors: Ports on the Pacific Ocean; international border with Mexico; cultural connections with Latin America; top 10 in agriculture, mining, and manufacturing; distinctive state culture.

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