How to color a map of the United States by state

Election night graphics, states-I've-visited maps, sales territories, "states that have banned X" news maps — the colored US state map is probably the most-made custom map there is. MapPalette's USA map has all 50 states plus Washington, D.C., each individually clickable, and runs free in your browser with no sign-up.

1Color the states

Open the USA map.
Pick a color from the palette, or enter any hex value in the Custom picker — for an election-style map, the familiar pair is red #DE2A42 and blue #2A5FDE (or use the palette's presets).
Click a state to fill it. Hold and drag to paint a stroke across several neighboring states at once.
Small states are easier by search: type Rhode Island or Delaware in Find a region… and press Enter — the state is colored and the map zooms to it. D.C. is on the map too.
Ctrl+Z undoes any click; right-click a state for more options.

💡 Alaska and Hawaii: the map shows true geography rather than the inset boxes TV graphics use, so Alaska is big and Hawaii is far out in the Pacific. Zoom and pan to frame the view you want before exporting — the export captures your current framing.

2Make it mean something

Label each color in the Legend panel: "Visited", "Won by margin > 10", "No sales tax" — whatever your categories are.
Add a map title; it renders on the map and is included in the export.
Have a number per state — population growth, unemployment, poll margin? Click 📊 Import data, paste rows like Texas, 30.5, pick a sequential ramp, and every state is shaded automatically. The choropleth guide explains classes and color ramps in detail.

3Export or share

Download as PNG up to 10,000 px wide (plenty for print) or as SVG for editing in Illustrator, Figma or Inkscape. The 🔗 Share button copies a link that reopens your exact map on any device — handy for collaborating on a territory map or challenging friends to a visited-states count.

Five US map ideas

Visited states tracker. The average American has visited 12 states — color yours and find out where you stand. Three colors: lived in, visited, someday.
Election maps. Recreate historical results or make your own forecast. Solid red/blue for safe states, stripes fill for toss-ups.
Policy maps. "States where it's legal", minimum-wage tiers, tax regimes — the bread and butter of news graphics, made in minutes.
Sports allegiance maps. Color each state by its most-supported team, or by which conference its big school belongs to.
Road-trip planning. Color the route states, mark must-stop states in a second color, and share the link with everyone in the car.

Frequently asked questions

Can I color counties instead of states?

Not yet — the USA map works at state level (51 units including D.C.). County-level support is a common request; add your voice if you need it.

Are the exported maps free to use commercially?

Yes — no watermark, no attribution required, any use allowed. Boundary data is public-domain Natural Earth. See the terms of use.

Can I make the same kind of map for another country?

Yes — there are equivalent state/province maps for Canada, Mexico, Australia, Germany and 250+ other countries, plus a dedicated India map.

Open the USA map →