In search of America’s 51st state

By The Data Team

AMERICA admitted Alaska and Hawaii as its 49th and 50th states in 1959. Ever since, people have speculated on what (or where) could be the 51st, but the country has now gone 57 years without inducting a new one—the longest such pause in America’s history. That a new state has not been forthcoming is not for lack of trying. The most likely bet has always been on Puerto Rico, a self-governing United States territory. The island held its first referendum on statehood in 1967, and has held three more since. The most recent, in 2012, was inconclusive (another is planned, though it is as yet unscheduled). Puerto Rico’s formidable debt crisis may bring the issue to a head: statehood would open up many new avenues to deal with its creditors.