Lakes in North America Ranked by Volume
Lakes recorded in Wikidata, ranked by Volume. Figures can vary with water level and season. Only items Wikidata places in North America (directly or through their country) are included. Source: Wikidata (CC0 1.0 (public domain)).
Summary
Lake Superior ranks #1 with 12,100 km³. Lake Michigan–Huron is second with 8,443 km³, 43.3% behind. The top five are Lake Superior, Lake Michigan–Huron, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron and Great Bear Lake. The median across all 50 is 7.95 km³; Lac Lynch is last at 0.074 km³.
- #1
- Lake Superior · 12,100 km³
- Median
- 7.95 km³
- Coverage
- 50 lakes in North America
- Data year
- As recorded in Wikidata
- Last updated
- 2026-11-14
Full ranking
| Rank | Lake | Location | Volume (km³) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lake Superior | Canada, United States | 12,100 |
| 2 | Lake Michigan–Huron | United States, Canada | 8,443 |
| 3 | Lake Michigan | United States | 4,918 |
| 4 | Lake Huron | Canada, United States | 3,538 |
| 5 | Great Bear Lake | Canada | 2,236 |
| 6 | Lake Ontario | Canada, United States | 1,639 |
| 7 | Lake Erie | Canada, United States | 483 |
| 8 | Lake Laberge | Canada | 444 |
| 9 | Lake Melville | Canada | 313 |
| 10 | Lake Winnipeg | Canada | 294 |
| 11 | Lake Athabasca | Canada | 204 |
| 12 | Lake Mistassini | Canada | 150 |
| 13 | Lake Nicaragua | Nicaragua | 108 |
| 14 | Reindeer Lake | Canada | 95.2 |
| 15 | Lac Etchemin | Canada | 27.4 |
| 16 | Island Lake | Canada | 21.8 |
| 17 | Lake Winnipegosis | Canada | 20.1 |
| 18 | Cold Lake | Canada | 18.6 |
| 19 | Crater Lake | United States | 17.5 |
| 20 | Seneca Lake | United States | 16 |
| 21 | Lake Manitoba | Canada | 14.1 |
| 22 | Lesser Slave Lake | Canada | 13.7 |
| 23 | Lake Simcoe | Canada | 11.6 |
| 24 | Stuart Lake | Canada | 9.3 |
| 25 | Lake Managua | Nicaragua | 8 |
| 26 | Lake Chapala | Mexico | 7.9 |
| 27 | Lake Okeechobee | United States | 5.2 |
| 28 | Moosehead Lake | United States | 5.19 |
| 29 | Lake Nipissing | Canada | 3.8 |
| 30 | Lake Saint Clair | Canada, United States | 3.4 |
| 31 | Lake Washington | United States | 3 |
| 32 | Lake Saint Francis | Canada, United States | 2.8 |
| 33 | Ross Lake | Canada, United States | 1.77 |
| 34 | Western Brook Pond | Canada | 1.65 |
| 35 | Omak Lake | United States | 0.87 |
| 36 | Lac Massawippi | Canada | 0.745 |
| 37 | Crescent Lake | United States | 0.699 |
| 38 | Lake Pátzcuaro | Mexico | 0.58 |
| 39 | Laguna Catemaco | Mexico | 0.553 |
| 40 | Lake Wenatchee | United States | 0.45 |
| 41 | Rangeley Lake | United States | 0.359 |
| 42 | Kachess Lake | United States | 0.294 |
| 43 | Lake Reventazón | Costa Rica | 0.293 |
| 44 | Lake Apopka | United States | 0.199 |
| 45 | Lake Perris | United States | 0.162 |
| 46 | Onondaga Lake | United States | 0.131 |
| 47 | Lake Monona | United States | 0.11 |
| 48 | Malheur Lake | United States | 0.104 |
| 49 | Kejimkujik Lake | Canada | 0.1 |
| 50 | Lac Lynch | Canada | 0.074 |
About the top 10
#1 Lake Superior
Lake Superior ranks #1 on this list with 12,100 km³.
- Countries
- Canada, United States
- Length
- 563 km
- Elevation
- 183 m
- Area
- 82,350 km²
- Maximum depth
- 406 m
Also ranks #3 in surface area · #10 in volume · #28 in maximum depth.
#2 Lake Michigan–Huron
Lake Michigan–Huron ranks #2 on this list with 8,443 km³.
- Countries
- United States, Canada
- Elevation
- 176 m
- Area
- 117,600 km²
- Maximum depth
- 282 m
Also ranks #2 in surface area · #12 in volume · #59 in maximum depth.
#3 Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan ranks #3 on this list with 4,918 km³.
- Country
- United States
- Length
- 494 km
- Elevation
- 176 m
- Area
- 57,750 km²
- Maximum depth
- 281 m
Also ranks #7 in surface area · #14 in volume · #60 in maximum depth.
#4 Lake Huron
Lake Huron ranks #4 on this list with 3,538 km³.
- Countries
- Canada, United States
- Length
- 332 km
- Elevation
- 176 m
- Area
- 59,600 km²
- Maximum depth
- 230 m
Also ranks #6 in surface area · #15 in volume · #86 in maximum depth.
#5 Great Bear Lake
Great Bear Lake ranks #5 on this list with 2,236 km³.
- Country
- Canada
- Length
- 400 km
- Elevation
- 155 m
- Area
- 31,153 km²
- Maximum depth
- 446 m
Also ranks #10 in surface area · #18 in volume · #23 in maximum depth.
#6 Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario ranks #6 on this list with 1,639 km³.
- Countries
- Canada, United States
- Length
- 311 km
- Elevation
- 74 m
- Area
- 18,529 km²
- Maximum depth
- 244 m
Also ranks #16 in surface area · #20 in volume · #74 in maximum depth.
#7 Lake Erie
Lake Erie ranks #7 on this list with 483 km³.
- Countries
- Canada, United States
- Length
- 388 km
- Elevation
- 173 m
- Area
- 25,744 km²
- Maximum depth
- 65 m
Also ranks #13 in surface area · #27 in volume.
#8 Lake Laberge
Lake Laberge ranks #8 on this list with 444 km³.
- Country
- Canada
- Length
- 50 km
- Elevation
- 628 m
Also ranks #29 in volume.
#9 Lake Melville
Lake Melville ranks #9 on this list with 313 km³.
- Country
- Canada
- Length
- 140 km
- Elevation
- 0 m
- Area
- 3,069 km²
- Maximum depth
- 300 m
Also ranks #30 in volume · #51 in maximum depth · #55 in surface area.
#10 Lake Winnipeg
Lake Winnipeg ranks #10 on this list with 294 km³.
- Country
- Canada
- Length
- 416 km
- Elevation
- 217 m
- Area
- 24,400 km²
- Maximum depth
- 12 m
Also ranks #14 in surface area · #31 in volume.
Profile facts: Wikidata (CC0).
Source and method
Lakes recorded in Wikidata, ranked by Volume. Figures can vary with water level and season. Only items Wikidata places in North America (directly or through their country) are included.
Source: Wikidata. Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain). Retrieved: 2026-11-14.
Data: Wikidata (CC0)
Values are shown as published. Provider terms: Wikidata. All licences: Sources & licences.