Tennessee and Missouri share the record for bordering the most other states in the United States, with each sharing land borders with eight neighboring states. Most U.S. states border between three and six other states, but the locations of Tennessee and Missouri allow them to border states across several regions of the country.
US states with the most state borders
Missouri (8 bordering states)
Positioned near the geographic center of the contiguous United States, Missouri serves as the primary geographical anchor where the Great Plains meet the Midwest and the South.
The 8 States That Border Missouri
- Iowa (North)
- Illinois (East)
- Kentucky (East/Southeast)
- Tennessee (Southeast)
- Arkansas (South)
- Oklahoma (Southwest)
- Kansas (West)
- Nebraska (Northwest)
Tennessee (8 bordering states)
Stretching horizontally from the Appalachian Mountains in the east to the Mississippi River in the west, Tennessee’s narrow,
elongated shape allows it to touch eight distinct states across multiple sub-regions.
The 8 States That Border Tennessee:
- Kentucky (North)
- Virginia (Northeast)
- North Carolina (East)
- Georgia (Southeast)
- Alabama (South)
- Mississippi (Southwest)
- Arkansas (West)
- Missouri (Northwest)
(Also read: What US State Borders Only One Other State?)
Which States Come in Second Place?
Just behind Missouri and Tennessee, two states share a tie for second place by touching 7 bordering states.
- Colorado (7 Neighbors): Bordered by Arizona, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah, and Wyoming.
- Kentucky (7 Neighbors): Bordered by Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
US States Bordering The Most Other States
| Rank | State | Number of bordering US states |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Missouri | 8 |
| 1 | Tennessee | 8 |
| 2 | Colorado | 7 |
| 2 | Kentucky | 7 |
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