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This is a list of flags in the United States describing the evolution of the flag of the United States, as well as other flags used within the United States, such as the flags of governmental agencies. There are also separate flags for embassies and ships.
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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]
1776–1777 (the "Grand Union Flag")
1777–1795 (13 stars)
Betsy Ross circular 13-star version (1792) *other
"Hopkinson" version (1777–1795) *other
Battle of Bennington version (1777) *other
1795–1818 (the "Star-Spangled Banner", 15 stars, 15 stripes)
1818–1819 (20 stars)
1819–1820 (21 stars)
1820–1822 (23 stars)
1822–1836 (24 stars)
1836–1837 (25 stars)
1837–1845 (26 stars)
1845–1846 (27 stars)
1846–1847 (28 stars)
1847–1848 (29 stars)
1848–1851 (30 stars)
1851–1858 (31 stars)
1858–1859 (32 stars)
1859–1861 (33 stars)
1861–1863 (34 stars)
1863–1865 (35 stars)
1865–1867 (36 stars)
1867–1877 (37 stars)
1877–1890 (38 stars)
1890–1891 (43 stars)
1891–1896 (44 stars)
1896–1908 (45 stars)
1908–1912 (46 stars)
1912–1959 (48 stars)
1959–1960 (49 stars).svg)
1960–present (50 stars) Betsy Ross circular 13-star version (1792) "Hopkinson" version (1777–1795) Battle of Bennington version (1777)
Flag of the Executive Office of the President
Flag of the Trade Representative
Flag of the Department of State
Flag of the Secretary of State
Flag of the Deputy Secretary of State
Flag of United States ambassadors
Flag of a Consular officer
Flag of a Foreign Service officer
Flag of the Secretary of the Treasury
Flag of the Deputy Secretary of the Treasury
Flag of an Assistant Secretary of the Treasury
Flag of an Under Secretary of the Treasury
Flag of the Comptroller of the Currency
Flag of the Secretary of Defense
Flag of the Deputy Secretary of Defense
Flag of the Inspector General of the Department of Defense
Flag of an Undersecretary of Defense
Flag of an Assistant Secretary of Defense
Flag of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Flag of the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Flag of the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman
Flag of the Supreme Allied Commander Europe
Flag of the Defense Commissary Agency
Flag of the Defense Innovation Unit
Flag of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
Flag of the National Reconnaissance Office
Flag of the National Security Agency
Flag of the United States Central Command
Flag of the United States Space Command
Flag of the United States Southern Command
Flag of the United States Forces Korea
Flag of the Secretary of the Army
Flag of the Under Secretary of the Army
Flag of an Assistant Secretary of the Army.svg)
Field flag of the United States Army
Flag of the Chief of Staff of the Army
Flag of the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army
Flag of the Sergeant Major of the Army
Flag of the Chief of the United States Army Reserve
Flag of the Surgeon General of the Army
Flag of the Judge Advocate General of the United States Army
Flag of the Chief of Chaplains of the United States Army
Flag of the United States Army Provost Marshal General
Flag of the Inspector General of the United States Army
Flag of the United States Army Combined Arms Center
Flag of the United States Army Infantry School
Flag of the United States Army Air Defense Artillery School
Flag of the United States Army Adjutant General School
Flag of the United States Army Chaplain School
Flag of the United States Army Adjutant General's Corps
Flag of the United States Army Chaplain Corps
Flag of the United States Army Corps of Engineers
Flag of the United States Army Combined Arms Support Command
Flag of the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command
Flag of a General of the Army
Flag of the First Army
Flag of the Second Army
Flag of Army Central
Flag of the Fourth Army
Flag of Army North
Flag of the Sixth Army
Flag of the Seventh Army
Flag of the Eighth Army
Flag of the I Corps
Flag of the XVIII Airborne Corps
Flag of the 1st Armored Division
Flag of the 2nd Armored Division
Flag of the 3rd Armored Division
Flag of the 1st Cavalry Division
Flag of the 1st Infantry Division
Flag of the 2nd Infantry Division
Flag of the 3rd Infantry Division
Flag of the 10th Mountain Division
Flag of the 25th Infantry Division
Flag of the 28th Infantry Division
Flag of the 29th Infantry Division
Flag of the 36th Infantry Division
Flag of the 40th Infantry Division
Flag of the 42nd Military Police Brigade
Flag of the 82nd Airborne Division
Flag of the 101st Airborne Division
Flag of the 297th Military Intelligence Battalion
Flag of the 309th Military Intelligence Battalion
Flag of the Secretary of the Navy
Flag of the Under Secretary of the Navy
Flag of an Assistant Secretary of the Navy
Flag of the Chief of Naval Operations
Flag of the Vice Chief of Naval Operations
Flag of the Navy fleet admiral
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).
Flag of an URL Navy vice admiral
Flag of an URL Navy rear admiral
.svg)
Flag of an URL Navy rear admiral (lower half)
Flag of Military Sealift Command
Flag of the Commandant of the Marine Corps
Flag of Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment
Flag of the Secretary of the Air Force
Flag of the Under Secretary of the Air Force
Flag of the United States Air Force Senior Executive Service
Flag of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force
Flag of the Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force
Flag of a General of the Air Force
Flag of the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force
Flag of the Air Force Chaplain Corps.svg)
Flag of Space Operations Command
Flag of Space Systems Command
Flag of the Chief of Space Operations
Flag of the Vice Chief of Space Operations
Flag of the Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force
Flag of the Chief of the National Guard Bureau
Flag of the Air National Guard
Flag of the First Troop Philadelphia City CavalryThe 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]
Flag of the Civil Air Patrol
Flag of the Department of Justice
Flag of the Attorney General
Flag of the Associate Attorney General
Flag of the Solicitor General
Flag of an Assistant Attorney General
Flag of a United States Attorney
Flag of the Drug Enforcement Administration
Flag of the Marshals Service
Flag of the Federal Bureau of Prisons
Flag of the Department of the Interior
Flag of the Secretary of the Interior
Flag of the Deputy Secretary of the Interior
Flag of the National Park Service
Guidon of the National Park Service
Flag of the Bureau of Indian Affairs
Flag of the Fish and Wildlife Service
Flag of the Bureau of Land Management
Flag of the Geological Survey
Flag of the Department of Agriculture
Flag of the Secretary of Agriculture
Flag of the Forest Service
Flag of the Department of Commerce
Flag of the Secretary of Commerce
Flag of the Deputy Secretary of Commerce.svg)
Flag of the General Counsel of the Department of Commerce.svg)
Flag of the Head of a Department of Commerce Primary Operating Unit
Flag of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Flag of the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Flag of the Deputy Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Flag of an Associate Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
_Flag.png)
_Flag.png)
Flag of a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps
Flag of the Department of Labor
Flag of the Secretary of Labor
Flag of the Department of Health and Human Services
Flag of the Secretary of Health and Human Services
Flag of the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health
Flag of the United States Public Health Service
Flag of the Department of Housing and Urban Development
Flag of the Department of Transportation
Flag of the Secretary of Transportation
Flag of the Deputy Secretary of Transportation
Flag of an Assistant Secretary of Transportation
Flag of the Federal Aviation Administration
Flag of the Maritime Administration
Flag of the United States Merchant Marine
Flag of the Department of Energy
Flag of the Secretary of Energy
Flag of the Department of Education
Flag of the Secretary of Education
Flag of the Department of Veterans Affairs
Flag of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Flag of the Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Flag of the United States Under Secretaries of Veterans Affairs for Health, Benefits, and Memorial Affairs
Flag of the Director of the National Cemetery System
Flag of an Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Flag of the Department of Homeland Security
Flag of the Secretary of Homeland Security
Flag of the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security
Flag of Customs and Border Protection
Flag of the CBP Office of Field Operations
Flag of the CBP Air and Marine Operations
Flag of the Border Patrol
Flag of the Secret Service
Flag of the Federal Protective Service
Flag of the Transportation Security Administration
Guidon of the Coast Guard
.svg)
Flag of the Coast Guard Auxiliary
Flag of the Commandant of the Coast Guard
Flag of the Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard
.svg)
Flag of the Senate
Flag of the House of Representatives
Flag of the Capitol Police
Flag of the Library of Congress
Flag of the Government Accountability OfficeMany 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 Exposition in Chicago, 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.
Flag of California
(February 3, 1911)
Flag of Connecticut
(September 9, 1897)
Flag of Massachusetts
(July 3, 1971)
Flag of Mississippi
(January 11, 2021)
Flag of New Hampshire
(1931)
Flag of New Jersey
(May 11, 1896)
Flag of New Mexico
(March 15, 1925)
Flag of North Carolina
(March 9, 1885)[7]
Flag of North Dakota
(March 11, 1911)
Flag of Pennsylvania
(June 13, 1907)
Flag of Rhode Island
(November 1, 1897)
Flag of South Carolina
(January 26, 1861)
Flag of South Dakota
(November 9, 1992)
Flag of Washington
(March 5, 1923)
Flag of West Virginia
(March 7, 1929)
.svg)
.svg)
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.
Ensign of the United States (1960–present) Ensign of the Coast Guard
Union Jack (state jack, 2002–present; naval and state jack, 1960–2002, 2019–present).svg)
First Navy Jack (naval jack for all warships 1975–1976 & 2002–2019; for oldest commissioned warship 1980–present)
Naval Jack (circa 1776)
Commissioning pennant of the United States Navy
Commissioning pennant of the United States Coast Guard
Flag of the Arapaho
Flag of the Cahto Tribe
Flag of the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes
Flag of the Cherokee Nation
Flag of the Chilkat Indian Village (Klukwan)
Flag of the Choctaw Nation
Flag of the Comanche Nation
Flag of the Crow Nation
Flag of the Hopi Nation
Flag of the Iroquois Confederacy
Flag of the Ketchikan Indian Community
Flag of the Mohegan Tribe
Flag of the Navajo Nation
Flag of the Ninilchik Village Tribe
Flag of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe
Flag of the Oglala Sioux Tribe (Pine Ridge Indian Reservation)
Flag of the Organized Village of Kake
Flag of the Pawnee Nation
Flag of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians
Flag of the Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa
Flag of the Seminole Tribe of Florida
Flag of the Tohono O'odham Nation
Flag of the Yupiit of AndreafskiWhile 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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The Sons of Liberty Flag
Hulbert flag
.svg)
Bedford Flag (1775)
.svg)
.svg)
French Alliance.svg)
Naval Ensign of New York (1775)
Schenectady Liberty Flag
Flag of the President (1882)
Flag of the President (1899)
.svg)
Flag of the President (1902)
.svg)
Flag of the President (1916)
.svg)
Flag of the President (1945)
.svg)
Flag of the Vice President (1915)
.svg)
Flag of the Vice President (1936)
.svg)
Flag of the Vice President (1948)
Flag of the Environmental Science Services Administration (1965–1970)
.svg)
Flag of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (until 2003)
.svg)
Flag of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (until 2003)
Flag of the Immigration and Naturalization Service
.png)
Flag of the Department of the Interior (until 1917)
.svg)
Flag of the General Services Administration (1972–1973)
.svg)
Flag of the General Services Administration (1973–1989)
.svg)
Flag of the Secretary of the Interior (1917–1934)
.svg)
Infantry Battalion flag (de facto flag of the U.S. Navy until 1959)
.svg)
Flag of the Secretary of Labor (1915–1960)
.svg)
Flag of the Department of Labor (1915–1960)
.png)
Flag of the Secretary of the Treasury (1887–1915)
Flag of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare
Flag of the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare
Flag of the Under Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare
Flag of the Assistant Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare
Flag of the Public Health and Marine-Hospital Service
Flag of the Marine Hospital Service
Flag of the Bureau of Navigation (?–1946)
.svg)
Flag of the Director of the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation (?–1946)
.png)
Ensign of the Revenue-Marine (1799)
.png)
Ensign of the Revenue-Marine (1815)
.png)
Ensign of the Revenue-Marine (1836)
.png)
Ensign of the Revenue-Marine (1841)
.png)
Ensign of the Revenue-Marine (1867)
.png)
Ensign of the Revenue-Marine (1868)
.png)
Ensign of the Coast Guard (1915–1953)
.svg)
Flag of the Coast Guard Auxiliary (1940–1968)
Flag of the Office of Homeland Security (2001–2002)
Flag of the Director of Central Intelligence
Flag of the National Imagery and Mapping Agency
.svg)
Boat flag (1912–1916)
Flag of U.S. Forces – Iraq (2010–2011)
Flag of the United States Bureau of Fisheries (?–1940)
Flag of the Commissioner of Fisheries (?–1940)
Flag of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey (1899–1970)
Commissioning pennant of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey for Class I vessels ( ? –1970)
Commissioning pennant of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey for Class II, III, and IV vessels ( ? –1970)
Pennant of the
United States Life-Saving Service
(?–1915)
Pennant of the United States Lighthouse Service
(?–1939)
Flag of the Commissioner of Lighthouses
(?–1939)
Flag of the Superintendent of Lighthouses
(?–1939)
.png)
Flag of the Marine Corps
(1914–1939)
Flag of the Chief of Chaplains of the United States Army
Flag of the United States Army Adjutant General's Corps
.jpg)
Flag of the United States Army Chaplain Corps (1983-1993)
Flag of the 140th Military Intelligence Battalion
Fort Sumter Flag (1861)
Flag of the Chief of the National Guard Bureau (1998-2008)
.png)
Flag of the Department of Transportation (1967–1980)
Flag of the Green Mountain Boys, the Vermont Republic (1777–1791), and the state of Vermont (1791–1804)
Texas Come and Take It flag
J.P Gillis Flag (California)
Alamo flag (Texas)
Flag of the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment
Flag of the 8th California Infantry Regiment.jpg)
Flag of the 1st Maine Militia from 1822 to 1861.svg)
.svg)
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