Top 50 Largest Rivers in the United States

Top 50 Largest Rivers in the United States

The United States is home to hundreds of rivers, and with a land area of ​​9.834 million km2, the country can have many huge rivers.

About half of the rivers on the list are tributaries of the other rivers on the list; The remaining rivers flow directly into the oceans, seas, creeks or creeks.

1. Mississippi River

The Mississippi is the largest river in the United States, with an average discharge of 593,000 CFS (cubic feet per second) from its mouth. Calculation of release excluding Atchafalaya-Lal river basin.

• Discharge (CFS): 593,000
• Drainage area: 1,150,000 square miles in the U.S. and Canada
• Source: Lake Itasca
• Source Location: Itasca State Park, Clearwater County, Minnesota. 47°14′23″N 95°12′27″W

2. Ohio River

The Ohio River, located in the southern United States, is the second largest river by discharge. Its drainage basin covers a portion of 14 states. The depth of the river was about 3 to 20 feet. It has a network of dams and reservoirs.

• Discharge (CFS): 281,500
• Drainage area: 203,000 square miles
• Source: Allegheny River
• Source Location: Allegheny Township, Potter County, Pennsylvania. 47°14′23″N 95°12′27″W

3. St. Lawrence River

It is the second largest river in the United States, with a water withdrawal rate of 2,75,000 CFS at the US-Canada border, making it the second largest river in the country.

The Saint Lawrence River flows next to Gananoque, Brockville, Morristown, Ogdensburg, Massena, Cornwall, Montreal, Trois-Rivieres and Quebec City before flowing into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.

• Discharge (CFS): 275,000
• Drainage area: 258,000 square miles
• Source: Lake Ontario
• Source Location: Kingston, Ontario / Cape Vincent, New York. 44°06N 76°24′W

4. Columbia River

The Columbia is one of the largest and longest rivers in the United States. The river originates in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia.

It runs northwest and south into Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and Oregon before flowing into the Pacific Ocean.

Its largest tributary is the Nag River. Its drainage basin spans seven U.S. states and one Canadian province.

• Discharge (CFS): 273,000
• Drainage area: 258,000 square miles
• Source: Columbia Lake
• Source Location: British Columbia, Canada. 50°13′35″N 115°51′05″W

5. Yukon River

It runs in the Canadian territory of Yukon., (Yukon is the territory of Canada named after the river). The Yukon River is the longest in Alaska and the Yukon Territory. 75% of the river flows westward through the state of Alaska in the United States.

• Discharge (CFS): 227,000
• Drainage area: 328,000 sq miles
• Source: Llewellyn Glacier
• Source Location: Atlin District, British Columbia, Canada. 59°10′N 133°50′W

Largest Rivers in the United States

No – River  – Length (km)  – Average – Discharge – (CFS) (ft3/s)   – Mouth

1         Mississippi River  3,730 593,000   Gulf of Mexico (Pilottown, Plaquemines Parish, LA)

2         Ohio River   1,575 281,500  Mississippi River (Cairo, Illinois / Ballard County, Kentucky)

3       Saint Lawrence River  965  275,000 (On U.S. side)  Gulf of Saint Lawrence (Quebec, Canada)

4         Columbia River   2,000 273,000   Pacific Ocean (The Pacific Ocean, at Clatsop County, Oregon)

5         Yukon River  3,185 227,000  Bering Sea (Kusilvak, Alaska, U.S.)

6         Atchafalaya River    220    225,000   Gulf of Mexico (Morgan City, Louisiana)

7         Niagara River           58       204,700         Lake Ontario

8         Detroit River 51       188,000         Lake Erie

9         St. Clair River 63       183,000         Lake St. Clair

10       Missouri River          3,767 86,300           Mississippi River

11       St. Marys River         120    75,000           Lake Huron-Lake Michigan

12       Tennessee River      1,049 68,000           Ohio River

13       Mobile River 72       67,000           Gulf of Mexico

14       Kuskokwim River     1,130 67,000           Bering Sea

15       Red River      2,190 58,000           Atchafalaya River

16       Copper River 470    57,400           Gulf of Alaska

17       Snake River   1,674 55,000           Columbia River

18       Stikine River 610    56,000           Pacific Ocean

19       Susitna River 504    51,000           Gulf of Alaska

20       Arkansas River         2,322 44,500           Mississippi River

21       Tanana River 940    41,800           Yukon River

22       Susquehanna River  747    38,200           Chesapeake Bay

23       Willamette River      301    37,400           Columbia River

24       Wabash River           810    34,500           Ohio River

25       Alabama River          512    32,500           Mobile River

26       Nushagak River        450    32,000           Bering Sea

27       Alsek River    386    31,000           Gulf of Alaska

28       Cumberland River    1,120 30,000           Ohio River

29       Black River-Ouachita River 974    29,800           Red River

30       White River   1,159 29,500           Mississippi River

31       Pend Oreille River    210    27,000           Columbia River

32       Tombigbee River     320    26,300           Mobile River

33       Koyukuk River          684    25,000           Yukon River

34       Illinois River 439    24,000           Mississippi River

35       Sacramento River    719    23,500           Pacific Ocean

36       Porcupine River       916    23,000           Yukon River

37       Colorado River         2,330 22,000           Gulf of California

38       Clark Fork River       500    21,900           Pend Oreille River

39       Hudson River           507    21,900           Atlantic Ocean

40       Yentna River 121    21,000           Susitna River

41       Chitina River 180    20,000           Copper River

42       Allegheny River        523    19,900           Ohio River

43       Apalachicola River   80       19,602           Gulf of Mexico

44       Connecticut River     655    18,400           Atlantic Ocean

45       Kvichak River           80       17,900           Bering Sea

46       Klamath River           423    17,300           Pacific Ocean

47       Santee River 230    17,000           Atlantic Ocean

48       Skagit River   240    16,500           Pacific Ocean

49       Kootenai (Kootenay) River 781    27,600           Columbia River

50       Coosa River  450    16,000           Alabama River