The current U.S. flag has 50 stars, with one star representing each state.
The 50-star design became official on July 4, 1960, after Hawaii joined the Union as the 50th state. It replaced the 49-star flag adopted after Alaska’s admission in 1959. The stars are arranged in nine alternating rows of five and six stars.
The flag still has 13 stripes, symbolizing the original Thirteen Colonies. This creates a common mix-up: the stars represent present-day states, while the stripes preserve the number of founding colonies. President Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered the 50-star flag after Hawaii’s admission, and the design remains the longest-used U.S. flag design in history.