List of flags of the United States

Since 1818, a star for each new state has been added to the flag on the Fourth of July the year immediately following each state's admission. In years in which multiple states have been admitted, the corresponding number of stars were added to the flag. This change has typically been the only change made with each revision of the flag since 1777, with the exception of changes in 1795 and 1818, which increased the number of stripes to 15 and then returned it to 13, respectively. As the exact pattern of stars was not specified prior to 1912, many of the historical U.S. national flags (shown below) have had varied arrangements of the stars.^[1]

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    Flag of the Navy

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    Flag of the Chief of Naval Operations

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    Flag of the Vice Chief of Naval Operations

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    Flag of the Navy fleet admiral

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    Flag of an unrestricted line (URL) Navy admiral (staff corps flag officers have white flags with the appropriate number of blue stars in an identical pattern as URL admiral's flags).

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    Flag of an URL Navy vice admiral

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    Flag of an URL Navy rear admiral

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    Flag of an URL Navy rear admiral (lower half)

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    Flag of United States Navy Chaplain Corps

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    Flag of Military Sealift Command

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    Church Pennant

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    Jewish Worship Pennant

The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is a congressionally chartered, federally supported non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force. It has quasi-military organizational and rank structures modeled on those of the Air Force.^[2]

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    Flag of the Department of the Interior

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    Flag of the Secretary of the Interior

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    Flag of the Deputy Secretary of the Interior

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    Flag of the National Park Service

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    Guidon of the National Park Service

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    Flag of the Bureau of Indian Affairs

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    Flag of the Fish and Wildlife Service

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    Flag of the Bureau of Land Management

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    Flag of the Geological Survey

Many agencies, departments, and offices of the U.S. federal government have their own flags, guidons, or standards. Following traditional American vexillology, these usually consist of the agency's departmental seal on a blank opaque background, but not always.

The flags of the U.S. states, territories, and federal district exhibit a variety of regional influences and local histories, as well as different styles and design principles. Nonetheless, the majority of the states' flags share the same design pattern consisting of the state seal superimposed on a monochrome background, commonly every different shade of blue, which remains a source of criticism from vexillologists.

The most recent current state flag is that of Minnesota (May 11, 2024), while the most recent current territorial flag is that of the Northern Mariana Islands (July 1, 1985).

Modern U.S. state flags date from the 1890s, when states wanted to have distinctive symbols at the 1893 World's Columbian ExpositioninChicago, Illinois. Most U.S. state flags were designed and adopted between 1893 and World War I.^[3]

According to a 2001 survey by the North American Vexillological Association, New Mexico has the best-designed flag of any U.S. state, U.S. territory, or Canadian province, while Georgia's state flag was rated the worst design.^[4] (Georgia adopted a new flag in 2003; Nebraska's state flag, whose design was rated second worst, remains in use to date.)

Dates in parentheses denote when the current flag was adopted by the state's legislature.

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  FlagofAlabama
  (February 16, 1895)^[5]

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  FlagofAlaska
  (May 2, 1927)

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  FlagofArizona
  (February 27, 1917)

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  FlagofArkansas
  (February 26, 1913)

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  FlagofCalifornia
  (February 3, 1911)

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  FlagofColorado
  (June 5, 1911)

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  FlagofConnecticut
  (September 9, 1897)

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  FlagofDelaware
  (July 24, 1913)

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  FlagofFlorida
  (May 6, 1868)

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  FlagofGeorgia
  (February 19, 2003)

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  FlagofHawaii
  (December 29, 1845)

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  FlagofIdaho
  (March 12, 1907)

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  FlagofIllinois
  (September 17, 1969)

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  FlagofIndiana
  (May 11, 1917)

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  FlagofIowa
  (March 29, 1921)

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  FlagofKansas
  (September 24, 1961)

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  FlagofKentucky
  (March 26, 1918)

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  FlagofLouisiana
  (November 22, 2010)^[6]

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  FlagofMaine
  (February 23, 1909)

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  FlagofMaryland
  (March 9, 1904)

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  FlagofMassachusetts
  (July 3, 1971)

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  FlagofMichigan
  (August 1, 1911)

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  FlagofMinnesota
  (May 11, 2024)

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  FlagofMississippi
  (January 11, 2021)

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  FlagofMissouri
  (March 22, 1913)

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  FlagofMontana
  (July 1, 1981)

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  FlagofNebraska
  (July 16, 1963)

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  FlagofNevada
  (July 25, 1991)

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  FlagofNew Hampshire
  (1931)

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  FlagofNew Jersey
  (May 11, 1896)

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  FlagofNew Mexico
  (March 15, 1925)

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  FlagofNew York
  (April 2, 1901)

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  FlagofNorth Carolina
  (March 9, 1885)^[7]

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  FlagofNorth Dakota
  (March 11, 1911)

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  FlagofOhio
  (May 9, 1902)

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  FlagofOklahoma
  (April 2, 1925)^[8][9]

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  FlagofOregon (obverse)
  (April 15, 1925)^[10]

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  FlagofOregon (reverse)

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  FlagofPennsylvania
  (June 13, 1907)

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  FlagofRhode Island
  (November 1, 1897)

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  FlagofSouth Carolina
  (January 26, 1861)

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  FlagofSouth Dakota
  (November 9, 1992)

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  FlagofTennessee
  (April 17, 1905)

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  FlagofTexas
  (January 25, 1839)

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  FlagofUtah
  (March 9, 2024)^[11]

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  FlagofVermont
  (June 1, 1923)

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  FlagofVirginia
  (March 28, 1912)^[12]

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  FlagofWashington
  (March 5, 1923)

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  FlagofWest Virginia
  (March 7, 1929)

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  FlagofWisconsin
  (May 1, 1981)^[13]

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  FlagofWyoming
  (January 31, 1917)

Since 1777, the national ensign of the United States has also simultaneously served as its national flag. The current version is shown below; for previous versions, please see the section Historical progression of designs above.

While the countries mentioned are recognized independent nations with United Nations seats, the United States maintains and exercises jurisdictional control over the countries in defense, security, and funding grants.

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    Flag of the President (1882)

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    Flag of the President (1899)

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    Flag of the President (1902)

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    Flag of the President (1916)

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    Flag of the President (1945)

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    Flag of the Vice President (1915)

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    Flag of the Vice President (1936)

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    Flag of the Vice President (1948)

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    Flag of the Environmental Science Services Administration (1965–1970)

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    Flag of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (until 2003)

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    Flag of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (until 2003)

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    Flag of the Immigration and Naturalization Service

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    Flag of the Department of the Interior (until 1917)

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  Flag of the General Services Administration (1972–1973)

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  Flag of the General Services Administration (1973–1989)

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    Flag of the Secretary of the Interior (1917–1934)

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    Infantry Battalion flag (de facto flag of the U.S. Navy until 1959)

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    Flag of the Secretary of Labor (1915–1960)

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    Flag of the Department of Labor (1915–1960)

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    Flag of the Secretary of the Treasury (1887–1915)

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    Flag of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare

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    Flag of the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare

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    Flag of the Under Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare

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    Flag of the Assistant Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare

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    Flag of the Public Health and Marine-Hospital Service

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    Flag of the Marine Hospital Service

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    Flag of the Bureau of Navigation (?–1946)

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    Flag of the Director of the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation (?–1946)

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    Ensign of the Revenue-Marine (1799)

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    Ensign of the Revenue-Marine (1815)

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    Ensign of the Revenue-Marine (1836)

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    Ensign of the Revenue-Marine (1841)

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    Ensign of the Revenue-Marine (1867)

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    Ensign of the Revenue-Marine (1868)

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    Ensign of the Coast Guard (1915–1953)

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    Flag of the Coast Guard Auxiliary (1940–1968)

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    Flag of the Office of Homeland Security (2001–2002)

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    Flag of the Director of Central Intelligence

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    Flag of the National Imagery and Mapping Agency

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    Boat flag (1912–1916)

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    Flag of U.S. Forces – Iraq (2010–2011)

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    Flag of the United States Bureau of Fisheries (?–1940)

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    Flag of the Commissioner of Fisheries (?–1940)

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    Flag of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey (1899–1970)

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  Commissioning pennant of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey for Class I vessels ( ? –1970)

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  Commissioning pennant of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey for Class II, III, and IV vessels ( ? –1970)

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    Pennant of the
  United States Life-Saving Service
  (?–1915)

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    Pennant of the United States Lighthouse Service
  (?–1939)

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    Flag of the Commissioner of Lighthouses
  (?–1939)

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    Flag of the Superintendent of Lighthouses
  (?–1939)

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    Flag of the Marine Corps
  (1914–1939)

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    Flag of the Chief of Chaplains of the United States Army

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    Flag of the United States Army Adjutant General's Corps

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    Flag of the United States Army Chaplain Corps (1983-1993)

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    Flag of the 140th Military Intelligence Battalion

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    Fort Sumter Flag (1861)

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    Flag of the Chief of the National Guard Bureau (1998-2008)

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    Flag of the Department of Transportation (1967–1980)

• Flag Day in the United States
• Flag desecration in the United States
• Flags of the U.S. states and territories
• North American Vexillological Association
• United States Flag Code

• The History of U.S. Flags (YouTube) (Slideshow on U.S. National Flags Historical Progression)
• History of the flags (in Russian)
• United States Minor Outlying IslandsatFlags of the World