What does this airport traffic ranking show?

It orders states by Passengers boarding at the nearest airline airport. It is a comparison of this one published measure, not an overall ranking of where to live.

Where do these figures come from?

FAA supplies this measure. States without a comparable published value are shown as not ranked rather than estimated.

How should I use this ranking?

Use it to narrow a search, then open a state or county profile for the underlying figures, source dates and caveats. A statewide number may not describe every neighbourhood.

Rankings · Transportation

Highest airport traffic by state

Passengers boarding at the nearest airline airport.

This measure has no better end. The order describes the states, it does not rank them — see the other direction.

Annual passenger boardings at the airport counted above. Distance alone does not distinguish a field with two flights a day from a hub — this does. It describes the airport, not the county, so neighbouring counties served by the same airport share a figure.

How to read this ranking

Georgia has the highest published airport traffic in this comparison, at 33075637. The next states shown are Colorado (25493696) and Nevada (21668935).

The table orders 51 states by passengers boarding at the nearest airline airport. It describes one published measure, not an overall judgment about where to live.

Use the result as a starting point, then compare the underlying source, dates, and local county figures before making a decision. Annual passenger boardings at the airport counted above. Distance alone does not distinguish a field with two flights a day from a hub — this does. It describes the airport, not the county, so neighbouring counties served by the same airport share a figure.

1Georgia33075637
2Colorado25493696
3Nevada21668935
4Arizona16230599
5New Jersey15917603
6Massachusetts13977932
7Illinois13122745
8Texas12923715
9District of Columbia12750892
10New York11999977
11Maryland11142949
12Minnesota10957327
13Florida8101046
14Hawaii7814638
15Michigan7404719
16North Carolina7245511
17Washington5733697
18Utah5389073
19Virginia5357476
20Tennessee5269231
21California4781492
22Pennsylvania4338422
23Missouri4277414
24Oregon4193736
25South Carolina3564522
26Indiana3472485
27Ohio2525548
28Kansas2502197
29Louisiana2438717
30Kentucky2381724
31Wisconsin1931494
32Oklahoma1855486
33Rhode Island1751556
34New Mexico1519316
35Connecticut1495585
36Idaho1481355
37Nebraska1207468
38Alabama923798
39Arkansas905714
40Iowa807829
41New Hampshire529909
42Maine524345
43Vermont512283
44Mississippi500589
45Montana470175
46South Dakota406811
47West Virginia316632
48North Dakota258076
49Alaska136556
50Delaware108893
51Wyoming87029

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Frequently asked questions

What does this ranking show?: It orders states by Passengers boarding at the nearest airline airport. It is one measure, not an overall verdict on where to live.
Where do the figures come from?: FAA. States without a comparable published figure are listed as not ranked rather than estimated.
How should I use it?: Use it to narrow your search, then open a state or county profile for the source date, caveats and local context.

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<iframe src="https://movermath.com/embed/airport-traffic" width="100%" height="420" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Passengers boarding at the nearest airline airport by state"></iframe>

Source: FAA. · How this is built

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