The last state to join the Union was Hawaii , admitted as the 50th state on August 21, 1959.

Quick Scoop

  • Hawaii became the 50th state of the United States on August 21, 1959, following the Alaska Statehood Act earlier that same year.
  • Its admission completed the current map of 50 U.S. states and followed a popular referendum in which island residents voted in favor of statehood.

A Bit of Context

  • Before Hawaii, Alaska was admitted on January 3, 1959, making Hawaii the second new state added that year and the final one overall.
  • Both states had long territorial histories before statehood, reflecting U.S. expansion beyond the continental mainland in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Why This Still Comes Up in “Latest News” and Forums

  • Discussions about “which was the last state to join the union” often trend in quizzes, trivia forums, and school-related threads, especially around U.S. holidays like Independence Day or Constitution Day.
  • Forum debates sometimes confuse “last to join the Union” with topics like potential future states (e.g., Puerto Rico, Washington D.C.), which keeps the question circulating in news explainers and online discussions.

Fast Facts (For Trivia)

  • Last state to join the Union: Hawaii.
  • Date of admission: August 21, 1959.
  • President at the time: Dwight D. Eisenhower , who signed the proclamation admitting Hawaii as a state.

TL;DR: Hawaii was the last state to join the Union, officially admitted on August 21, 1959, as the 50th U.S. state.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.