Major League Baseball has 30 teams, but they are far from evenly spread across the country. A handful of states pack in multiple clubs, while most states have none at all, and some of America’s biggest cities are still waiting for a team. So which states actually have MLB teams, which ones do not, and where might baseball expand next?
The map is shifting, too. The Athletics recently left Oakland and are on the move, and MLB is actively eyeing expansion for the first time in over two decades. Here is a clear, up-to-date breakdown of the MLB landscape by state.
The chart below shows which states have teams, which do not, and where expansion could happen. Take a look, then we’ll break it down.
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How Many States Have MLB Teams?
Major League Baseball has 30 teams, but they sit in just 16 states plus Washington, DC. That means the other 34 states do not have an MLB team at all. The 29 US-based teams are clustered heavily in big population centers and traditional baseball markets, while the 30th team, the Toronto Blue Jays, plays up in Canada. So while baseball calls itself the national pastime, the actual major league footprint covers less than a third of the states. The rest of the country follows the game through minor league clubs, college baseball, and television rather than a hometown big-league team.
Which States Do Not Have a Baseball Team?
The majority of states, 34 of them, have no MLB team. That list includes some surprisingly large and baseball-loving states, such as North Carolina, Tennessee, Indiana, Virginia, and Nevada (at least until the Athletics complete their planned move). It also includes most of the Mountain West, the Great Plains, New England outside Massachusetts, and the Deep South outside Georgia and Florida. States like Alabama, Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, and many others all go without. For fans in these states, the nearest big-league team can be hundreds of miles away, which is part of what drives the conversation about expansion.
Which State Has the Most Teams?
California is the clear leader. The state is home to four permanent MLB teams, the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels, San Francisco Giants, and San Diego Padres, and for now it also hosts the Athletics, who are playing temporarily in West Sacramento. That gives California more big-league baseball than anywhere else in the country. After California, eight states have exactly two teams each: New York (Yankees, Mets), Texas (Astros, Rangers), Florida (Marlins, Rays), Illinois (Cubs, White Sox), Ohio (Guardians, Reds), Pennsylvania (Phillies, Pirates), and Missouri (Cardinals, Royals). These multi-team states tend to be the most populous, with metro areas big enough to support more than one club.
The Athletics: A Team Between Homes
The most important recent change to the MLB map involves the Athletics. After decades in Oakland, the franchise left following the 2024 season and is now playing in West Sacramento, California, at a minor league ballpark, while branded simply as the “Athletics” with no city name attached. This is a temporary arrangement: the team has an approved plan to relocate to Las Vegas, Nevada, with a new ballpark targeted for 2028. When that move is complete, Nevada will get its first-ever MLB team, and the Athletics will become the Las Vegas Athletics. It is the first MLB franchise relocation since the Montreal Expos became the Washington Nationals in 2005. If you like baseball history, see our piece on World Series appearances by team.
The Biggest Cities Without a Team
Several large American cities still have no MLB team, and they form the heart of the expansion conversation. San Antonio is the biggest US city without a club, though it sits in already-crowded Texas. Beyond it, fast-growing metros like Nashville, Charlotte, Portland, Indianapolis, and Columbus all lack big-league baseball. Of these, Nashville and Charlotte are frequently named as strong expansion candidates because they are large, growing, and would bring baseball to states (Tennessee and North Carolina) that have never had a team. The presence of so many viable markets without a club is exactly why MLB is now seriously weighing growth.
Will MLB Expand?
For the first time in over two decades, expansion looks genuinely likely. Commissioner Rob Manfred has openly expressed a desire to grow the league from 30 to 32 teams, which would add two new markets. Cities floated as candidates include Nashville, Charlotte, Salt Lake City, Portland, and a return to Montreal, among others. MLB last expanded in 1998, when it added the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Rays, so new teams would be a major milestone. Expansion would not only reward cities that have long wanted a team, it could finally put big-league baseball in states that have never had one. Nothing is finalized, but the momentum is real, and the MLB map of the future may look quite different.
The Bottom Line
Major League Baseball’s 30 teams are concentrated in just 16 states plus Washington, DC, leaving 34 states without a team. California has the most, with four permanent clubs plus the relocating Athletics, while eight states host two teams apiece. The map is actively changing: the Athletics are moving toward Las Vegas, which will give Nevada its first team, and MLB is eyeing expansion to cities like Nashville and Charlotte for the first time since 1998. So if your state does not have a team yet, the next few years could be the most likely chance in a generation for that to change.