The Civil War was the deadliest conflict in United States history, with an estimated 620,000 people killed. However, some historians have speculated the casualties may have been much larger with some estimates up to 850,000. One issue with getting an accurate number is the lack of written records during the time of the war in the 1860s. Regardless of the exact number, America suffered great losses during the conflict, but some states lost more young men to the fighting than others. (To get an idea of the reality of the brutality of the Civil War, see these 25 horrifying Civil War images.)
To create a ranking of Civil War deaths by state, 24/7 Tempo collected death toll data from the American Battlefield Trust and historical records by William F. Fox and Frederick H. Dyer, compiled shortly after the Civil War. Because many death records have been lost and many historians believe Civil War fatalities are substantially underestimated, we used the highest recorded death toll for each state. Information regarding the allegiance of each state during the conflict was also sourced from the American Battlefield Trust.
Here is the number of Civil War deaths by state for 36 states:
36. Oregon
- Est. Civil War deaths: 46
- Faction in the war: Union
35. Colorado
- Est. Civil War deaths: 500
- Faction in the war: Union
34. California
- Est. Civil War deaths: 573
- Faction in the war: Union
33. Florida
- Est. Civil War deaths: 1,000
- Faction in the war: Confederacy
32. Delaware
- Est. Civil War deaths: 1,000
- Faction in the war: Border State
31. Rhode Island
- Est. Civil War deaths: 1,321
- Faction in the war: Union
30. Maryland
- Est. Civil War deaths: 2,982
- Faction in the war: Border State
29. Texas
- Est. Civil War deaths: 3,000
- Faction in the war: Confederacy
28. Minnesota
- Est. Civil War deaths: 3,000
- Faction in the war: Union
27. Kansas
- Est. Civil War deaths: 3,000
- Faction in the war: Union
26. Louisiana
- Est. Civil War deaths: 4,000
- Faction in the war: Confederacy
25. West Virginia
- Est. Civil War deaths: 4,017
- Faction in the war: Border State
24. New Hampshire
- Est. Civil War deaths: 4,882
- Faction in the war: Union
23. Vermont
- Est. Civil War deaths: 5,224
- Faction in the war: Union
22. Connecticut
- Est. Civil War deaths: 5,354
- Faction in the war: Union
21. New Jersey
- Est. Civil War deaths: 5,754
- Faction in the war: Union
20. Tennessee
- Est. Civil War deaths: 6,777
- Faction in the war: Confederacy
19. Georgia
- Est. Civil War deaths: 7,000
- Faction in the war: Confederacy
18. Arkansas
- Est. Civil War deaths: 7,000
- Faction in the war: Confederacy
17. Mississippi
- Est. Civil War deaths: 8,000
- Faction in the war: Confederacy
16. Maine
- Est. Civil War deaths: 9,393
- Faction in the war: Union
15. Kentucky
- Est. Civil War deaths: 10,774
- Faction in the war: Border State
14. Wisconsin
- Est. Civil War deaths: 12,301
- Faction in the war: Union
13. Iowa
- Est. Civil War deaths: 13,001
- Faction in the war: Union
12. Missouri
- Est. Civil War deaths: 13,885
- Faction in the war: Border State
11. Massachusetts
- Est. Civil War deaths: 13,942
- Faction in the war: Union
10. Michigan
- Est. Civil War deaths: 14,753
- Faction in the war: Union
9. South Carolina
- Est. Civil War deaths: 18,000
- Faction in the war: Confederacy
8. Indiana
- Est. Civil War deaths: 26,672
- Faction in the war: Union
7. Alabama
- Est. Civil War deaths: 27,000
- Faction in the war: Confederacy
6. Virginia
- Est. Civil War deaths: 31,000
- Faction in the war: Confederacy
5. North Carolina
- Est. Civil War deaths: 31,000
- Faction in the war: Confederacy
4. Pennsylvania
- Est. Civil War deaths: 33,183
- Faction in the war: Union
3. Illinois
- Est. Civil War deaths: 34,834
- Faction in the war: Union
2. Ohio
- Est. Civil War deaths: 35,475
- Faction in the war: Union
1. New York
- Est. Civil War deaths: 46,534
- Faction in the war: Union