Defining the Northeastern United States (NE North America)

NE North America typically refers to the Northeastern United States—a geographic, cultural, and economic region with varying definitions.

Core: New England (6 States)

• Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont.
• Shared history (Puritan roots), culture, town-meeting governance, dialects, dense urbanization.

Common Expansion: Mid-Atlantic (3–5 States)

• Always included: New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey.
• Often included: Maryland, Delaware (south of Mason-Dixon but tied to PA/NJ economically, culturally, demographically).
• Sometimes included: West Virginia (Appalachian, but historical ties to VA/MD/PA).

Key Metrics (9-State Core: NE + NY/NJ/PA/MD/DE)

• Population: ~56 million (17% of US).
• GDP: ~$5.5 trillion (18.5% of US) — #2 globally if a country.
• Density: 370/sq mi (vs. 93 US avg).
• Urbanization: >85%.
• Megalopolis: Boston–NYC–Philadelphia–Baltimore–DC corridor (BosWash) — 50M+ people.

Major Urban Centers

1. New York City (20M metro)
2. Philadelphia (6M)
3. Boston (4.5M)
4. Washington, DC (6M)
5. Baltimore (2.8M)

International Context

As a region, it's the most economically powerful and densely populated in the developed world outside the EU.