US states wheel
Spin to pick one of the 50 United States at random, from Alabama to Wyoming. It is set up for road-trip roulette, classroom geography, the license plate game and “state of the day” projects. Washington, D.C. is not a state, so it is not on the wheel, but you can add it in one line.
Press Spin, click the wheel, or press Ctrl + Enter.
Results
- Your results will appear here.
What is on the US states wheel?
Exactly the 50 states, listed alphabetically, each with an equal slice. Delaware, the first state to ratify the Constitution in December 1787, sits beside Hawaii, the last to join in August 1959. Alaska, the largest by area, has the same slice as Rhode Island, the smallest, so a spin is about chance, not size.
The wheel does not include Washington, D.C. (a federal district) or the five inhabited territories: Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands. If your lesson or trip covers them, type each name into the box and press Enter.
How do I plan a road trip with a random state?
Start by trimming the wheel to what you can actually drive to. Open Edit as text and delete the states that are too far away; for a weekend out of Chicago that might leave Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, Iowa and Illinois itself. Spin, and the winner is the destination. For a longer trip, turn on Remove the winner after each spin and spin three or four times to build a route, then put the stops in a sensible order on a map.
Families like to hand the spin to the kids and let the result stand, even if it lands on the state everyone was hoping to skip. The surprise stops tend to be the ones people talk about afterwards. Once you arrive, the what to do wheel can settle the afternoon.
License plate game, with a twist
The classic car game is to spot plates from as many states as possible. A wheel adds a target: spin a state, and the first passenger to spot that plate wins the round. Nearby states come up quickly; Hawaii and Alaska make great long-shot jackpots. Remove each state once it has been spotted so the list shrinks as the trip goes on, and use the results history to keep score.
US states games for the classroom
- State of the day. Spin each morning and have a student find the state capital, a neighbouring state and one fact about it.
- Region sort. Spin five states and ask the class to sort them into Northeast, Midwest, South and West.
- Report assignments. Give every student a different state by turning on remove-the-winner and spinning once per name. Pair it with the name picker for teachers so the order of turns is random too.
If you only need to shuffle the 50 states into a random order for presentations, the random order generator does it in one click. For worldwide geography, switch to the country wheel.
Is every state equally likely?
Each state has a 1-in-50 chance, or 2%, on every spin. Nothing changes between spins unless you remove winners or add weights; see how the wheel picks at random for the details.
About this list
The list is the 50 states of the United States as they stand in 2026, using their standard names. It has not changed since Hawaii became the 50th state in 1959.
Frequently asked questions
Is Washington, D.C. on the US states wheel?
No. Washington, D.C. is a federal district, not a state, so the wheel has the 50 states only. If you want it included, type Washington, D.C. into the box beside the wheel and press Enter.
Are Puerto Rico and Guam included?
No. U.S. territories such as Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands are not states, so they are left off by default. Add any of them in one line if your lesson covers them.
How do I pick a random state for a road trip near me?
Open Edit as text and delete the states that are too far to reach, then spin. Turn on Remove the winner after each spin if you want several stops without repeats.
Can I give each student a different state?
Yes. Turn on Remove the winner after each spin and spin once per student. Each state can only come up once, and the results history keeps a list you can copy into a document.
What are the odds of landing on a particular state?
Every state has the same slice, so each has a 1 in 50 chance, which is 2%. Size and population do not matter unless you turn on weights yourself.