Which state has the most Olympic gold medals?
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Which state has the most Olympic gold medals? Inspired by a 2014 Business Insider article, we created an updated map showing the number of individual Olympic gold medals held by each state.
This list includes Summer and Winter Olympics since 1924, and is based on the athlete's birthplace. Also, only gold medals in individual events were counted. For the sake of simplicity, gold medals award to teams, doubles or relays were excluded. (Sorry LeBron!)
A quick breakdown
- California takes the gold with 133 Olympic gold medals since 1924.
- Beating second place, New York, by 70 medals!
- The only two states without Olympic gold to their name are North Dakota and Rhode Island.
- Ethel Catherwood, born in North Dakota, won gold in the high jump in 1928... But while competing for Team Canada!
- Washington D.C., the third-least populated state, ranks 31st. Not bad!
Arkansas Olympic quick facts
- Arkansas ranks 21st for most individual Olympic gold medals by state at 9 medals.
- Tied with Massachusetts and Virginia.
- Although only 9 gold medals have been won by native Arkansans, nearly 80 athletes with ties to the state (either through residency or affiliation with an Arkansas college) have competed in the Olympics.
- Jamaican track and field star Veronica Campbell-Brown leads this group with eight medals: a silver in 2000, two golds and a bronze in 2004, a gold in 2008, a silver and a bronze in 2012, and a silver in 2016.
- Over 20 Arkansas-affiliated athletes are competing in the Paris 2024 Olympics on July 26.
Where does your state fall?
| Rank | State | Number of gold medals |
| 1 | California | 133 |
| 2 | New York | 63 |
| 3 | Illinois | 40 |
| 4 | Ohio | 37 |
| 5 | Texas | 37 |
| 6 | Maryland | 29 |
| 7 | Pennsylvania | 23 |
| 8 | Florida | 22 |
| 9 | Michigan | 21 |
| 10 | New Jersey | 21 |
| 11 | Wisconsin | 20 |
| 12 | Alabama | 18 |
| 13 | Georgia | 18 |
| 14 | Washington | 17 |
| 15 | Colorado | 12 |
| 16 | Oregon | 12 |
| 17 | Iowa | 11 |
| 18 | Mississippi | 11 |
| 19 | Missouri | 11 |
| 20 | North Carolina | 10 |
| 21 | Arkansas | 9 |
| 22 | Massachusetts | 9 |
| 23 | Virginia | 9 |
| 24 | Oklahoma | 8 |
| 25 | Utah | 8 |
| 26 | Connecticut | 7 |
| 27 | Montana | 7 |
| 28 | Hawaii | 6 |
| 29 | Indiana | 6 |
| 30 | Kansas | 6 |
| 31 | Washington, DC | 6 |
| 32 | Arizona | 5 |
| 33 | Minnesota | 5 |
| 34 | Tennessee | 5 |
| 35 | Vermont | 5 |
| 36 | West Virginia | 5 |
| 37 | Idaho | 4 |
| 38 | Louisiana | 4 |
| 39 | Nebraska | 4 |
| 40 | Nevada | 4 |
| 41 | South Dakota | 4 |
| 42 | Kentucky | 3 |
| 43 | New Hampshire | 3 |
| 44 | New Mexico | 3 |
| 45 | South Carolina | 3 |
| 46 | Alaska | 2 |
| 47 | Delaware | 1 |
| 48 | Maine | 1 |
| 49 | Wyoming | 1 |
| 50 | North Dakota | 0 |
| 51 | Rhode Island | 0 |
Will Paris 2024 shake up these numbers? Keep up with KNWA to find out.