The Longest Rivers in the United States
America's great rivers, ranked by length.
From the Mississippi–Missouri system that drains the heartland to the Rio Grande along the southern border, these are the longest rivers in the United States, ranked by total length. Lengths reflect each river's full course; figures are shown in both miles and kilometers.
| # | Place | Length (mi) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
 The Missouri RiverThe longest river in North America |
2,341 mi 3,767 km |
| 2 |
 The Mississippi RiverThe great river that drains the American heartland |
2,340 mi 3,766 km |
| 3 |
 The Rio GrandeThe river border between the U.S. and Mexico |
1,896 mi 3,051 km |
| 4 |
 The Colorado RiverThe river that carved the Grand Canyon |
1,448 mi 2,330 km |
| 5 |
 The Columbia RiverThe great river of the Pacific Northwest |
1,243 mi 2,000 km |
| 6 |
 The Snake RiverThe Columbia's largest tributary, carver of Hells Canyon |
1,078 mi 1,735 km |
| 7 |
 The Ohio RiverThe Mississippi's largest tributary by volume |
981 mi 1,579 km |
| 8 |
The Hudson River The tidal river that made New York the gateway of a continent |
315 mi 507 km |
Figures are drawn from standard government and reference sources and shown in both imperial and metric units. See each entry for full details and citations. Browse all guides or open the explore map.