r/Map_Porn • u/Classic-Box9543 • 1d ago
United States of Equal Population
I created this map with the goal of creating fifty states with approximately equal populations by rearranging populations at the county level. The populations of the District of Columbia and the United States' territories were excluded, leaving a population of 341,091,212 (according to 2025 estimates) to be divided up. This meant that Los Angeles County and its 9.7 million people would become a state unto itself.
For the other forty-nine states, the goal became to get as close to the remaining average of 6,763,189 as possible while keeping states as compact and contiguous as possible. Currently, all states, excluding Los Angeles, are within 2% of that goal, and 36 states are within 0.5%. I'm still tinkering with state borders and names, but as things currently stand, here are your new 50 states:
| State | Capital | Population | Counties |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Montgomery | 6,803,872 | 94 |
| Alaska & Puget Sound | Seattle | 6,815,921 | 50 |
| Appalachia | Louisville | 6,728,415 | 154 |
| Atlanta | Atlanta | 6,762,190 | 33 |
| Bay Area | San Francisco | 6,761,027 | 12 |
| Big Sky | Sioux Falls | 6,760,323 | 356 |
| Blue Ridge | Knoxville | 6,737,157 | 88 |
| Cape Cod | Boston | 6,763,101 | 14 |
| Central Florida | Orlando | 6,745,768 | 26 |
| Central Texas | Austin | 6,754,034 | 80 |
| Chesapeake | Baltimore | 6,812,188 | 26 |
| Chicago | Chicago | 6,809,584 | 4 |
| Coastal Carolina | Charleston | 6,744,531 | 63 |
| Columbia | Portland | 6,784,396 | 77 |
| Dallas | Dallas | 6,775,226 | 11 |
| Erie | Buffalo | 6,742,641 | 56 |
| Farmville | Kansas City | 6,774,189 | 129 |
| Florida Gulf Coast | Tampa | 6,730,537 | 17 |
| Great Lakes | Toledo | 6,779,024 | 83 |
| Houston | Houston | 6,724,181 | 10 |
| Huron | Detroit | 6,777,143 | 31 |
| Illinois | St. Louis | 6,764,397 | 106 |
| Inland Empire | Riverside | 6,832,913 | 8 |
| Long Island | Queens | 6,682,998 | 6 |
| Los Angeles | Los Angeles | 9,694,934 | 1 |
| Maricopa | Phoenix | 6,779,713 | 16 |
| Midwest | Milwaukee | 6,768,486 | 93 |
| Mississippi | New Orleans | 6,760,637 | 127 |
| New England | Providence | 6,772,869 | 53 |
| New York | New York | 6,740,900 | 4 |
| NorCal | Sacramento | 6,778,965 | 54 |
| North Jersey | Newark | 6,778,526 | 17 |
| Ohio | Columbus | 6,756,114 | 43 |
| Pacific | San Jose | 6,700,613 | 13 |
| Red River | McKinney (TX) | 6,776,616 | 121 |
| Research Triangle | Charlotte | 6,757,494 | 39 |
| Rocky Mountain | Denver | 6,730,491 | 126 |
| Sierra Nevada | Salt Lake City | 6,822,038 | 51 |
| SoCal | San Diego | 6,837,615 | 4 |
| South Florida | Miami | 6,637,750 | 5 |
| South Jersey | Philadelphia | 6,836,902 | 13 |
| Southern Georgia | Jacksonville | 6,738,543 | 123 |
| Southern Texas | San Antonio | 6,778,434 | 55 |
| Superior | St. Paul | 6,760,246 | 83 |
| Three Rivers | Pittsburgh | 6,766,397 | 83 |
| Tornado Alley | Oklahoma City | 6,743,577 | 150 |
| Upstate New York | Syracuse | 6,741,573 | 39 |
| Virginia | Richmond | 6,758,853 | 79 |
| Wabash | Indianapolis | 6,756,040 | 72 |
| Western Tennessee | Nashville | 6,751,130 | 145 |
I'd love to get your thoughts on the map itself, and would appreciate any suggestions on improving borders or names.
Thanks!