New York

flag of New York
The Empire State
Admitted July 26, 1788

The New York flag, one of unusually wide proportion, follows a common pattern for U.S. state flags, featuring the state coat of arms on a field of blue.

It spotlights many images seen in other state seals and flags like the goddess Liberty, Phrygian cap, and bald eagle, among others.

An original version of the flag was adopted in 1788 and the current iteration was officially adopted April 2, 1901. In 2020, the motto E pluribus unum was added to the seal.

Composition

The New York flag features a field of deep blue charged with the state coat of arms, centered.

In the 2001 North American Vexillological Association (NAVA) flag survey of United States and Canada flags, the flag of New York was ranked 53rd out of 72.

flag of New York

Iconography

  • the goddess Liberty holding a staff topped with a phrygian cap

    Liberty

    the goddess Liberty, freedom

  • the goddess Justice, blindfolded, holding a sword and the scales

    Justice

    the goddess Justice, fighting tyranny

  • a phrygian cap

    phrygian cap

    liberty

  • a crown on its side

    toppled crown

    freedom from England after the Revolutionary War

  • scales

    scales

    justice and equality under the law

  • eagle atop a globe with wings spread

    eagle & globe

    Europe and the Americas, the meeting of two worlds

  • two sailboats on the water with mountains and the sun behind

    Hudson River

    natural beauty, commerce by waterway

  • a banner inscribed with “Excelsior”

    mottos

    Ever Upward, Out of many, one

Coat of Arms

The New York coat of arms was originally designed in 1777 and officially adopted on March 16th, 1778 (a few months before statehood).

A commission was appointed in 1880 to standardize its presentation.

the New York coat of arms

Colors

The prominent color is a deep blue, with supporting colors within the coat of arms.

New York statute does not provide Cable or Pantone values for the colors of the flag.The hex values here are approximations.
Blue
#002d72
White
#ffffff
Red
#ff3515
Gold
#f2a900
Light Blue
#0077c8
Green
#2c5234
Tan
#d18644

Construction

The New York flag is usually produce with a proportion of 1:2.

construction sheet for the flag of New York

Previous iterations

  • a field of buff charged with the state coat of arms

    Pre-1901

    Features a field of buff, matching the color of troop uniforms.

  • a field of blue charged with the state coat of arms

    1901–2020

    Changed to a field of blue to better align with other state flags.

  • previous flag with “E Pluribus Unum” added underneath “Excelsior”

    2020–Present

    Current flag with updated seal featuring E pluribus unum.

Sources