1. Height Above Sea Level Chart
  2. Sea Level Height Ft

We often hear reports that sea level is rising due to global warming but what is sea level and how is sea level measured? When it is stated that 'sea level is rising,' this usually refers to 'mean sea level,' which is the average sea level around the earth based on numerous measurements over a long period of time. The elevation of mountain peaks are measured as the height of the peak of the mountain above mean sea level.

  • This is a list of United States states by alphabetical state.Elevation means the height of something above sea level.The highest point in the U.S. Is Denali at 20,320 feet (6,194 m) above sea level.The lowest point on land in the U.S. Is Badwater in Death Valley at 282 feet (86 m) below sea level.
  • Elevation Above Sea Level By Zip Code; Height Above Sea Level By Address; Top Elevation Above Sea Level by Address deals at mySimon. Mysimon.com Consumer Reports and shopping results for Elevation Above Sea Level by Address from mySimon.com. MySimon.com has the best deals and lowest prices on Elevation Above Sea Level by Address.

Other major Nevada cities include Las Vegas, which has an elevation of 2,001 feet (610 m) and Henderson, which sits at a height of 1,867 feet (538 m) above sea level, meaning that Reno is much higher than both of these locations.

Local Sea Level Varies

However, just like the surface of the land on our planet Earth, the surface of the oceans is not level either. The sea level on the West Coast of North America is usually about 8 inches higher than the sea level on the East Coast of North America. The surface of the ocean and its seas varies from place to place and from minute to minute based on many different factors. Local sea level can fluctuate because of high or low air pressure, storms, high and low tides, and snowmelt, rainfall and river flow into the oceans as part of the ongoing hydrologic cycle.

Height above sea level philadelphiaAbove

Mean Sea Level

The standard 'mean sea level' around the world is usually based on 19 years of data that average out hourly readings of the sea level around the world. Because mean sea level is averaged around the world, using a GPS even near the ocean can result in confusing elevation data (i.e. you might be on a beach but your GPS or mapping app indicates an elevation of 100 feet or more). Again, the height of the local ocean can vary from the global average.

Changing Sea Levels

There are three primary reasons why sea level changes:

  1. The first is the sinking or uplift of landmasses. Islands and continents can rise and fall due to tectonics or due to the melting or growing of glaciers and ice sheets.
  2. The second is the increase or decrease in the total amount of water in the oceans. This is primarily caused by the increase or decrease in the quantity of global ice on the Earth's landmasses. During the biggest Pleistocene glaciations about 20,000 years ago, mean sea level was about 400 feet (120 meters) lower than mean sea level today. If all of the Earth's ice sheets and glaciers were to melt, sea level could be up to 265 feet (80 meters) above current mean sea level.
  3. Temperature causes water to expand or contract, thus increasing or decreasing the volume of the ocean.

Impacts of Sea Level Rise and Fall

When sea level rises, river valleys become inundated with seawater and become estuaries or bays. Low-lying plains and islands are flooded and disappear under the sea. These are the primary concerns about climate change and rising mean sea level, which appears to be rising by about one-tenth of an inch (2 mm) each year. If climate change results in higher global temperatures, then glaciers and ice sheets (especially in Antarctica and Greenland) could melt, dramatically increasing sea levels. With warmer temperatures, there would be the expansion of the water in the ocean, further contributing to a rise in mean sea level. Sea level rise is also known as submergence since land above current mean sea level is drowned or submerged.

When the Earth enters a period of glaciation and sea levels drop, bays, gulfs, and estuaries dry up and become low-lying land. This is known as emergence when new land appears and the coastline is increased.

A topographic map of the United States.

This is a list of United States states by alphabetical state. Elevation means the height of something above sea level. The highest point in the U.S. is Denali at 20,320 feet (6,194 m) above sea level. The lowest point on land in the U.S. is Badwater in Death Valley at 282 feet (86 m) below sea level.

List[change | change source]

Sea level height ft
StateHighest pointLowest pointAverage elevationElevation difference
LocationftmLocationftmftmftm
AlabamaCheaha Mountain2405733Gulf of Mexico005001502405733
AlaskaMount McKinley (Denali)203206198Pacific Ocean001900580203206198
ArizonaHumphreys Peak126333853Colorado River702141001300125633832
ArkansasMagazine Mountain2753840Ouachita River55176502002698823
CaliforniaMount Whitney[1]145054421Death Valley-282-862900880147764505
ColoradoMount Elbert144404401Arikaree River3315101068002100111253391
ConnecticutMount Frissell2380726Long Island Sound005001502380726
DelawareEbright Azimuth448137Atlantic Ocean006020448137
District of ColumbiaTenleytown410125Potomac River1015050409125
FloridaBritton Hill345105Atlantic Ocean0010030345105
GeorgiaBrasstown Bald47841459Atlantic Ocean0060018047841459
HawaiiMauna Kea137964208Pacific Ocean003030920137964208
IdahoBorah Peak126683862Snake River71021750001500119523645
IllinoisCharles Mound1235377Mississippi River27985600180956292
IndianaHoosier Hill1257383Ohio River32098700210937285
IowaHawkeye Point1670509Mississippi River48014611003401190363
KansasMount Sunflower40391232Verdigris River679207200061033601025
KentuckyBlack Mountain[1]41451263Mississippi River2577875023038881185 m
LouisianaDriskill Mountain535163New Orleans-8-210030543165
MaineMount Katahdin52671606Atlantic Ocean0060018052671606
MarylandBackbone Mountain33601025Atlantic Ocean0035011033601025
MassachusettsMount Greylock34871064Atlantic Ocean0050015034871064
MichiganMount Arvon1979604Lake Erie5711749002801408430
MinnesotaEagle Mountain 2301702Lake Superior60118312003661700519
MississippiWoodall Mountain806246Gulf of Mexico0030090806246
MissouriTaum Sauk Mountain1772540Saint Francis River230708002401542470
MontanaGranite Peak127993904Kootenai River180054934001000109993355
NebraskaPanorama Point54241654Missouri River840256260079045841398
NevadaBoundary Peak131404007Colorado River47914655001700126613861
New HampshireMount Washington62881918Atlantic Ocean00100030062881918
New JerseyHigh Point1803550Atlantic Ocean00250801803550
New MexicoWheeler Peak131614014Red Bluff Reservoir284286757001700103193147
New YorkMount Marcy53441630Atlantic Ocean00100030053441630
North CarolinaMount Mitchell66842039Atlantic Ocean0070021066842039
North DakotaWhite Butte35061069Red River75022919005802756840
OhioCampbell Hill1549472Ohio River4551398502601094333
OklahomaBlack Mesa49731517Little River28988130040046841429
OregonMount Hood112393428Pacific Ocean0033001000112393428
PennsylvaniaMount Davis3213980Delaware River0011003403213980
Rhode IslandJerimoth Hill812248Atlantic Ocean00350110812248
South CarolinaSassafras Mountain35601086Atlantic Ocean0035011035601086
South DakotaHarney Peak72422209Big Stone Lake966295220067062761914
TennesseeClingmans Dome66432026Mississippi River1785490028064651972
TexasGuadalupe Peak87492668Gulf of Mexico00170052087492668
UtahKings Peak135284126Beaver Dam Wash200061061001860115283516
VermontMount Mansfield43931340Lake Champlain9529100030042981311
VirginiaMount Rogers57291747Atlantic Ocean0095029057291747
WashingtonMount Rainier144104395Pacific Ocean001700520144104395
West VirginiaSpruce Knob48611483Potomac River24073150046046211410
WisconsinTimms Hill1951595Lake Michigan57917710503201372418
WyomingGannett Peak138044210Belle Fourche River309994567002044107053265

Images[change | change source]

  • Mount McKinley, highest point in the United States

  • The states with the highest mean elevation are near the Rocky Mountains.

  • Death Valley, California
    lowest point

  • A Florida freshwatermarsh. Florida has the smallest difference from lowest point to highest point

Height Above Sea Level Chart

References[change | change source]

Other websites[change | change source]

Sea Level Height Ft

Retrieved from 'https://simple.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_U.S._states_by_elevation&oldid=6289560'