List of largest lakes of the United States by area

The following is a list of the 100 largest lakes of the United States by normal surface area. The top twenty lakes in size are as listed by the National Atlas of the United States, a publication of the United States Department of the Interior. The area given is the normal or average area of the lake. The area of some lakes fluctuates substantially. For those lakes partially in Canada or Mexico the area given for the lake is the total area, not just the part of the lake in the United States. Of the top 100 lakes, 55 are man-made and 45 are natural. Two lakes in the top 100 are primarily salt water, and two are primarily brackish water. Rank Name U.S. states/Canadian provinces/Mexican states Area Type Notes 1 Lake Superior Michigan–Minnesota–Wisconsin–Ontario naturalAlso largest lake of the United States by volume.One of the Great Lakes; considered the largest lake in the United States by the National Atlas of the United States. 2 Lake Huron Michigan–Ontario Although it forms one a single hydrological unit with Lake Michigan (their surfaces are at the same elevation and the water flows in either direction in the channel separating them), they are generally considered distinct lakes, and Lake Michigan is generally considered the largest lake entirely within the United States, as Lake Huron and Lake Superior are binational (shared with Canada). 3 Lake Michigan Illinois–Indiana–Michigan–Wisconsin Largest freshwater lake located entirely within the United States.One of the Great Lakes. | 4 Lake Erie Michigan–New York–Ohio–Ontario–Pennsylvania 5 Lake Ontario New York–Ontario 6 Lake of the Woods Manitoba–Minnesota–Ontario 7 Iliamna Lake Alaska Largest lake located entirely within a single state. 8 Great Salt Lake Utah Largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere. 9 Lake Okeechobee Florida Florida's largest lake and the second-largest natural freshwater lake contained within the contiguous United States, after Lake Michigan. 10 Lake Oahe North Dakota–South Dakota man-madeLargest man-made lake in the United States.Largest man-made lake (reservoir) by surface area in the United States. 11 Lake Pontchartrain Louisiana naturalBrackishOften considered an estuary rather than a lake 12 Lake Sakakawea North Dakota man-made 13 Lake Champlain New York–Vermont–Quebec natural 14 Becharof Lake Alaska 15 Lake St. Clair Michigan–Ontario 16 Red Lake Minnesota includes both Upper and Lower Red Lake 17 Selawik Lake Alaska 18 Fort Peck Lake Montana man-made 19 Salton Sea California accidental 72 meters (236 feet) below sea level. Twice as salty as the ocean. highly variable in area 20 Rainy Lake Minnesota–Ontario natural 21 Teshekpuk Lake Alaska 22 Devils Lake North Dakota The area of Devils Lake was taken from the summer 2011 record peak of MSL. Devils Lake has experienced severe flooding and has risen more than since 1993. Area has increased by 4 times.Devils Lake Elevation-Volume TableNational Weather Service Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service (NWS AHPS) for Devils Lake at Creel Bay 23 Toledo Bend Reservoir Louisiana–Texas man-made 24 Lake Powell Arizona–Utah 25 Kentucky Lake Kentucky–Tennessee 26 Lake Mead Arizona–Nevada 27 Naknek Lake Alaska natural 28 Lake Winnebago Wisconsin 29 Mille Lacs Lake Minnesota 30 Flathead Lake Montana Largest (by surface area) natural fresh water lake west of the Mississippi River. 31 Lake Tahoe California–Nevada Largest ancient lake in the United States and largest (by volume) natural fresh water lake west of the Mississippi River. 32 Pyramid Lake Nevada 33 Sam Rayburn Reservoir Texas man-made 34 Eufaula Lake Oklahoma * Tulare Lake California natural normally a dry lake, melting snowpack and rainfall have left Tulare Lake at 168 square miles as of June 2023 35 Lake Marion South Carolina man-made 36 Leech Lake Minnesota natural 37 Sardis Lake Mississippi man-made 38 Utah Lake Utah natural 39 Lake Francis Case South Dakota man-made 40 Lake Pend Oreille Idaho natural 41 Lake Texoma Oklahoma–Texas man-made 42 Yellowstone Lake Wyoming natural 43 Falcon Lake Tamaulipas–Texas man-madeLargest lake shared between the United States and Mexico. 44 Lake Livingston Texas 45 Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake Washington 46 Lake Clark Alaska natural 47 Moosehead Lake Maine 48 Lake Strom Thurmond Georgia–South Carolina man-made 49 Bear Lake Idaho–Utah natural 50 Lake Guntersville Alabama man-made 51 Lake St. Francis New York–Ontario–Quebec Part of St. Lawrence Seaway Wheeler Lake Alabama 53 Amistad Lake Coahuila–Texas 54 Klamath Lake Oregon natural 55 Tustumena Lake Alaska Lake Moultrie South Carolina man-made 57 Lake Winnibigoshish Minnesota natural Lake Barkley Kentucky–Tennessee man-made 59 Lake Sharpe South Dakota 60 American Falls Reservoir Idaho 61 Lake Hartwell Georgia–South Carolina Truman Reservoir Missouri 63 Lake of the Ozarks 64 Oneida Lake New York natural 65 Lake Cumberland Kentucky man-made 66 Kerr Lake North Carolina–Virginia 67 Calcasieu Lake Louisiana natural 68 Lake Murray South Carolina man-made 69 Grand Lake o' the Cherokees Oklahoma Lake Koocanusa British Columbia–Montana 71 Lake George Floridanatural Slightly brackish. Florida's second-largest lake. 72 Lake Winnipesaukee New Hampshire Bull Shoals Lake Arkansas–Missouri man-made 74 Walter F. George Lake Alabama–Georgia 75Lake Martin Alabama 76Clear Lake California naturalRobert S. Kerr LakeOklahoma man-madeSeneca LakeNew York natural 79 Pickwick Lake Alabama–Mississippi–Tennessee man-made Table Rock LakeArkansas–Missouri Cayuga LakeNew York natural 82 Flaming Gorge Reservoir Utah–Wyoming man-made 83 Richland-Chambers Reservoir Texas 84 Lake Vermilion Minnesota natural Lake Ouachita Arkansas man-made Lake Mattamuskeet North Carolina natural 87Watts Bar LakeTennessee man-made Lake WallulaOregon–Washington 89 Lake LanierGeorgia 90 Lake Tawakoni Texas Elephant Butte Lake New Mexico Chickamauga Lake Tennessee 93 Grenada Lake Mississippi Lake Kissimmee Florida natural Freshwater. Third-largest lake in Florida.95Lake McConaughy Nebraska man-made Freshwater. Largest lake in Nebraska 97Lake Dardanelle Arkansas man-made 96Norris Lake Tennessee Canyon Ferry Lake Montana 99Lake Chelan Washington natural 99Cedar Creek Lake Texas man-madeLake Norman North Carolina

See also

List of lakes of the United States List of largest lakes of the United States by volume

Notes

External links List from the National Atlas of the United States