Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
The 2026 Winter Olympics are in full swing in the Milan Cortina region of northern Italy. The United States, as it has been in each of the previous 24 Winter Games, is represented.
The country is one of just six to medal in every single winter event. It is the only nation to win a gold medal in each trip.
Prior to this year’s 25th rendition of the Winter Games, the US had 114 gold medals all-time. Seven states stand above the others in terms of first-place finishes.
Which states have won the most gold medals at the Winter Olympics?
These seven states boasted five gold medals or more across the US’s previous 24 winter appearances. There is one that stands well above the rest.
Let’s run through the top performers to detail history and notable athletes in Olympic competition. We start in the Northeast.
Connecticut
Gold medals: 5
The state of Connecticut has produced five gold medals thanks to four Olympic athletes at the Winter Games. Two-time first-place finisher Lindsey Jacobellis leads the way, doubling up in snowboarding during the 2022 Games in Beijing.
Figure Skater Zachary Donahue also took gold in ’22 while the other two competitors represented the country in Men’s Skeleton.
Jimmy Shea Jr. took his gold in 2002 while Jennison Heaton became the first Connecticuter to win first-place honors in 1928.
Utah
Gold medals: 6
Utah is one of the most highly represented states in the 2026 Winter Olympics. A total of 16 athletes that currently reside in the area are competing in Italy.
Utahns were responsible for a total of six gold medals prior to the start of this year’s Games. Those include two-time winners Nathan Chen (figure skating) and Ted Ligety (alpine skiing).
Freestyle skier Joss Christensen and bobsledder Steve Holcomb round out the list of winners, with each of the six medals having been won in the 21st Century.
Michigan
Gold medals: 7
Michiganders had won a total of seven gold medals before the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. The first came more than six decades ago.
In 1964, Terry McDermott won the men’s 500m speed skating event in Innsbruck, Austria. Twelve years later, Sheila Young won gold in the women’s 500m event in the same host city.
The other five medals were captured after the turn of the century. Ice dancers Meryl Davis and Charlie White became the first American winners in 2014. The state then won three more golds in 2022 thanks to figure skaters Evan Bates and Madison Hubbell, as well as snowboarder Nick Baumgartner.
Wisconsin
Gold medals: 9
Five athletes from the state of Wisconsin are responsible for nine gold medals dating back to 1976. Speed skater Eric Heiden landed five of those wins, each of which came at the 1980 Games in Lake Placid.
Interestingly enough, all of the state’s gold medalists competed in speed skating. The very first winner from the area was Peter Mueller in ’76.
Heiden’s run in ’80 was followed by Dan Jansen (’94), Casey FitzRandolph (’02), and Chris Witty (’02).
Illinois
Gold medals: 11
Illinoisans had taken home 11 first-place finishes prior to the start of the 2026 Winter Olympics. Those wins date all the way back to the second Winter Games in 1928.
Bobsledders Billy Fiske and Clifford Grey won as part of the 5-man crew in Switzerland. They’d repeat the following appearance in 1932 in the 4-man event in Lake Placid.
The remaining competitors are either speed skaters or figure skaters, ranging from the year 1952 through the most recent win in 2022.
California
Gold medals: 16
The Golden State as it’s aptly named ranks second on this list with 16 all-time gold medals in the Winter Games. Californians are again well represented in the 2026 edition.
The first winner was bobsledder Nion Tocker in 1928 as part of the 5-man crew. It would be another four decades before figure skater Peggy Fleming won gold in 1968.
The state racked up two more golds in the 1980s, followed by a 1992 figure skating victory from Kristi Yamaguchi.
Since 2002, 11 of the 16 gold medals have been won. Snowboarder Shaun White is responsible for three wins while Chloe Kim and Jamie Anderson each have two golds on the women’s side of the sport.
New York
Gold medals: 28
New York is the state responsible for the most gold medal wins in the Winter Olympics. Prior to the start of the 2026 Games, 28 first-place finishers called the Empire State home.
Unlike California, which has seen most of its success of late, New York experienced early triumphs. The first winner was speed skater Charles Jewtraw in the very first edition of the Winter Olympics (1924). He is the US’s first gold medalist.
Athletes then picked up wins in 1928, 1932 (7x), 1936 (2x), 1948 (4x), and 1960 before speed skater Bonnie Blair won five golds between 1988-1994.
Cathy Turner and Diann Roffe also took first-place in various events to close the 1990s before a quartet of winners won gold after the turn of the century.