California produces more Olympians than many countries - here's how many athletes are representing every state for Team USA

Megan Rapinoe warms up before USWNT match in June 2021.
Megan Rapinoe is one of many American athletes from California. AP Photo/Michael Wyke
  • Team USA is sending more than 600 athletes to compete in the Summer Olympics.

  • California will send 126 athletes to the Games, more than twice as many as any other state.

  • The states are well represented, with 46 of the 50 sending at least one athlete.

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At the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Games this Friday, 621 Americans will march into Japan National Stadium with their hearts set on winning gold.

With such a large team of athletes representing the country, several individual states could compete for the top of the medal count if they were on their own at the Olympics.

Analyzing data sourced from USA Today, we broke down which states are bringing the most athletes to Tokyo this summer.

California leads the way with a whopping 126 athletes, more than double the next closest state.

Below are all of the states sending at least five athletes to compete for Team USA.

1. California - 126

2. Florida - 56

3. Texas - 32

4. Colorado - 31

5. New York - 29

T6. Illinois - 22

T6. Massachusetts - 22

8. Georgia - 20

9. Pennsylvania - 19

10. New Jersey - 17

T11. Arizona - 16

T11. Indiana - 16

T13. Michigan - 14

T13. Nevada - 14

T13. North Carolina - 14

T13. Ohio - 14

T17. Minnesota - 13

T17. Virginia - 13

19. Maryland - 11

T20. Missouri - 10

T20. Washington - 10

T22. Alabama - 9

T22. Hawaii - 9

T22. Oregon - 9

T25. South Carolina - 7

T25. Wisconsin - 7

T27. Kentucky - 6

T27. Louisiana - 6

T29. Tennessee - 5

T29. Utah - 5

Among the states sending smaller groups of athletes, Connecticut and Kansas will send four athletes to Tokyo, while Mississippi, Montana, and Vermont will send three apiece.

Alaska, Delaware, Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Rhode Island each have a pair of athletes representing them. Arkansas, Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico, and South Dakota all have just one each. Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands also have a hometown athlete competing.

California's dominance is unsurprising for two reasons.

First, based solely on population, California has roughly 10 million more residents than any other state. Second, California dominates some sports that are specific to the Summer Olympics. Of the 26 water polo players America is sending to Tokyo, 22 of them call California home. The same goes for 10 of the 15 softball players and seven of the 15 cyclists Team USA has on its roster.

As the second and third most populous states, Florida and Texas coming in behind California is also not that surprising. Colorado is punching above its weight a bit, sending the fourth most athletes to Tokyo despite having just the 21st highest population in the country.

While the athletes who make up Team USA come from all over, they'll compete as one team in Tokyo. But when it's time for the closing ceremony, don't be surprised if California has enough gold to make its own mark on the medal count.

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