The current United States flag has 50 stars, representing the 50 states of the Union.
The stars appear in a blue canton and are arranged in nine horizontal rows that alternate between six and five stars. The design became official after Hawaii joined the Union in 1959, bringing the number of states to 50.
The 50-star flag was adopted on July 4, 1960. Alaska had become the 49th state earlier in 1959, so a 49-star flag existed briefly before Hawaii's admission required another update. The flag's 13 stripes were retained to represent the original Thirteen Colonies.
A common mix-up is confusing the number of stars with the number of stripes. The stars represent current states, while the stripes preserve the historical number of colonies that declared independence. The 50-star design is the longest-used official U.S. flag design.