The United States has 19,615 FAA-registered airports and aviation facilities — from major international terminals to remote backcountry airstrips, hospital heliports, seaplane bases, and ultralight parks. This interactive US airports map plots all of them. Filter by facility type, find the nearest airport to any point on the map, or search every state’s aviation network by name or FAA code.
How to Use This Map
Filter by Facility Type
The chips below the map toggle each category on and off: Airports, Heliports, Seaplane Bases, Ultralight Parks, Gliderports, and Balloonports. By default only operational facilities are shown. Check Show non-operational to include the 376 facilities with indefinite or closed status.
Find the Nearest Airport
Click Find Nearest Airport, then click anywhere on the map. The tool queries the full FAA database within 100 miles of your chosen point and draws a line to the closest matching facility, displaying its name and exact distance in miles. Click the locate button to use your device’s GPS and find the nearest airport to your current position.
Radius Search
Click Radius Search, select 25, 50, or 100 miles, then click a point on the map. A circle is drawn and every airport within that radius is listed in order of distance. Useful for identifying alternate landing options or scouting aviation infrastructure in an unfamiliar area.
Search by Name, Code, or City
Type an airport name, FAA identifier (such as DAL or ORD), ICAO code (such as KDAL or KORD), or city name into the search bar. Matching results appear as a dropdown — click any result to fly to that location on the map.
US Airports by the Numbers
The FAA registers all civil and joint-use airports, heliports, seaplane bases, and specialty aviation facilities. The current dataset contains:
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Total aviation facilities | 19,615 |
| Operational | 19,239 (98.1%) |
| Non-operational (indefinite or closed) | 376 (1.9%) |
| Airports and aerodromes (AD) | 13,241 |
| Heliports (HP) | 5,663 |
| Seaplane bases (SP) | 555 |
| Ultralight parks (UL) | 107 |
| Gliderports (GL) | 36 |
| Balloonports (BP) | 13 |
| Public-use facilities | 5,279 (27%) |
| Private-use facilities | 13,960 (71%) |
Of the 13,241 airports, the vast majority are small general aviation fields serving private pilots. Only a few hundred have scheduled commercial service. The 5,663 heliports include hospital rooftop pads, offshore oil platform facilities, corporate heliports, and emergency medical service bases. For coverage beyond US borders, the interactive North America airports map extends this data to include airports across Canada and Mexico.
States with the Most Airports
Texas leads the nation by a wide margin with over 2,000 registered aviation facilities — roughly one airport for every 15,000 residents. Alaska’s 777 airports are especially striking for a state with a population under 750,000: with vast areas unreachable by road, aviation is the primary mode of transport for hundreds of remote communities, and Alaska has more pilots per capita than any other state. Select any state from the map to explore its airports in detail.
| State | Total Facilities |
|---|---|
| Texas | 2,010 |
| Florida | 930 |
| California | 876 |
| Alaska | 777 |
| Pennsylvania | 652 |
| Illinois | 636 |
| Ohio | 586 |
| Wisconsin | 532 |
| Washington | 527 |
| North Carolina | 515 |
| Missouri | 502 |
| Indiana | 501 |
| New York | 495 |
| Michigan | 488 |
| Minnesota | 476 |
Types of Aviation Facility
The FAA classifies registered facilities into six types, each shown in a distinct color on the map:
- Airport / Aerodrome (AD) — Any area on land or water designated for aircraft arrival, departure, and surface movement. Ranges from major international terminals to unpaved grass strips. 13,241 in the dataset, making up 67% of all facilities.
- Heliport (HP) — Designated areas for helicopter operations. Includes hospital rooftop pads, offshore platform facilities, corporate and private heliports, and EMS bases. 5,663 in the dataset.
- Seaplane Base (SP) — Water areas designated for floatplane and amphibious aircraft. Concentrated in Alaska, Florida, the Pacific Northwest, and the Great Lakes region. 555 in the dataset.
- Ultralight Park (UL) — Areas designated for ultralight aircraft operating under FAA Part 103 rules. 107 in the dataset.
- Gliderport (GL) — Facilities primarily serving gliders, motorgliders, and sailplanes. 36 in the dataset.
- Balloonport (BP) — Designated launch and landing areas for hot air balloons. 13 in the dataset.
Aviation and US Infrastructure
Airports are one node in a broader US transportation network. Ground access to major airports connects to the surface systems mapped in the US railroad interactive map, which covers all 140,000+ miles of active freight and passenger rail. For urban connectivity between airports and city centers, the US national transit map shows bus, rail, and subway routes by state. The energy infrastructure that powers airport terminals and air traffic control is part of the network shown in the US power plants interactive map.
Data Source
Airport locations and attributes come from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Aeronautical Information Services (AIS) dataset, served as a live ArcGIS FeatureServer. The dataset covers all FAA-registered civil and joint-use airports, heliports, seaplane bases, ultralight parks, gliderports, and balloonports in the United States and its territories. Data is drawn live from the FAA service — no local copy is stored on this page. For official FAA data access, visit the FAA AIS Open Data portal.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many airports are in the United States?
The FAA registers 19,615 airports and aviation facilities in the United States. Of those, 13,241 are classified as airports or aerodromes. The remaining 6,374 are heliports, seaplane bases, ultralight parks, gliderports, and balloonports. 19,239 facilities (98.1%) are operational.
What is the difference between a public and private airport?
A public-use airport is open to all pilots without prior permission from the owner. A private-use airport requires permission before landing. Of FAA-registered facilities, 5,279 (27%) are public-use and 13,960 (71%) are private-use. The map shows both by default.
Which US state has the most airports?
Texas has the most airports of any US state with 2,010 registered aviation facilities. Florida (930) and California (876) rank second and third. Alaska ranks fourth with 777 — an extraordinary figure for a state with under 750,000 people, driven by the dependence on aviation for communities with no road access.
How do I find the nearest airport to my location?
Click Find Nearest Airport in the controls below the map, then click the location icon to use your device’s GPS. The tool will identify the closest FAA-registered airport and display its name, type, and distance in miles. Alternatively, click any point on the map while the mode is active to find the nearest airport to that location.
Does this map include military airports?
Joint civil-military airports that are FAA-registered appear on this map. Purely military airfields that are not registered with the FAA as civil aviation facilities are not included in the dataset.
Why does Alaska have so many airports?
Alaska has 777 registered aviation facilities despite a population under 750,000. Hundreds of Alaskan communities have no road connection to the highway system, making aviation the only practical means of transport for supplies, medical care, and travel. Alaska consistently has the highest rate of pilots per capita of any US state.
