Which U.S. state has the most lakes and ponds? Go ahead, take a guess before you read any further. Most people land on the same handful of answers: Minnesota, because of its famous nickname; Florida, because of all those sinkholes; California, because it's just so big. A few will even land on the right answer by accident. We put it to the test using the LakeMapper system, which has identified, measured, and mapped more than 4 million lakes and ponds across the country, and the results settle the debate for good.
If you answered Minnesota, the "Land of Ten-Thousand Lakes," you would be... wrong, and off by over 500,000 waterbodies. Minnesota has just 68,317 lakes, according to the LakeMapper system.
Now, Florida is a good guess! Florida is filled with natural sinkhole ponds as well as man-made ponds, but alas, you'd also be wrong. According to LakeMapper, Florida has 177,000 lakes and ponds, more than double Minnesota, but still far off from the leader.
Of course, it must be California! Because of its immense size, more land means more lakes, right? Nope! California has just over 54,000 lakes and ponds, making it one of the more sparsely-populated states for lakes and ponds in the country.
Texas! Yes, Texas is correct, with 590,223 lakes and ponds per LakeMapper, over 200,000 more than the next largest lake-laden state.
Now, to be totally honest, there's another way to slice this. On a per-county basis, Missouri might rightly be considered the state with the most ponds and lakes. Texas has more lakes overall, but just 2,323 per county, while Missouri has 3,501 lakes and ponds per county. Missouri is hilly, lush, gets great rainfall, and is filled with streams and creeks, and that topography and climate lead to a high water table and ample ground for building water-holding dams.
In total, the LakeMapper system has identified over 4 million lakes and ponds. All of which have been pinpointed, measured, and overlaid with owner data. LakeMapper makes it easy to find lakes and ponds and their owners, and reach them instantly with high-impact postcards, as well as append phone and email data where available.
Thanks for playing along! If you'd like to know how many lakes and ponds are in your state, or want to learn more about how LakeMapper connects lake and pond-focused businesses to lake and pond owners, visit LakeMapper.com.
P.S. Oklahoma is #3 with 300,340 lakes and ponds. Who'd have thunk!