The 13 states that border Canada
Thirteen states touch the U.S.–Canada boundary: Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Ten of them share a land border. Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania meet Canada only across water: the boundary runs through the Great Lakes and the rivers that connect them. That is why some lists count ten border states and others thirteen. The International Boundary Commission, which maintains the line, describes it as separating ten states, seven provinces and one territory, which matches the ten states with a land border.
| State | Land border | Canadian neighbors |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | Yes | Yukon, British Columbia |
| Washington | Yes | British Columbia |
| Idaho | Yes | British Columbia |
| Montana | Yes | British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan |
| North Dakota | Yes | Saskatchewan, Manitoba |
| Minnesota | Yes | Manitoba, Ontario |
| Michigan | No, water only | Ontario |
| Ohio | No, Lake Erie only | Ontario |
| Pennsylvania | No, Lake Erie only | Ontario |
| New York | Yes | Ontario, Quebec |
| Vermont | Yes | Quebec |
| New Hampshire | Yes | Quebec |
| Maine | Yes | Quebec, New Brunswick |
Alaska is the only border state that faces a Canadian territory, Yukon, as well as a province. Minnesota’s Northwest Angle, reached by land only through Canada, is the northernmost point of the contiguous United States.
The 4 states that border Mexico
California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas share the U.S.–Mexico border. In Texas the boundary follows the Rio Grande; to the west it runs mostly over land. The International Boundary and Water Commission maintains it.
| State | Mexican neighbors |
|---|---|
| California | Baja California |
| Arizona | Sonora, Baja California |
| New Mexico | Chihuahua, Sonora |
| Texas | Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas |
How we checked
We confirmed the Canadian list by overlaying the International Boundary Commission’s digital boundary line on the Census Bureau’s 2025 state boundaries: exactly these thirteen states touch it, and Ohio and Pennsylvania touch it only in Lake Erie. Reviewed October 23, 2026. For the size of each state, see the largest states by area.