U.S. Deserts Are in the West, Not the Midwest

A common geographic misconception places American deserts in the Midwest. In reality, the United States' true desert regions lie entirely within the Western United States, separated from the Midwest by the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains.

Defining the Regions

The Midwest (North Central U.S.) comprises 12 states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. This region features humid continental climates, fertile prairies, and the Corn Belt—ecologically the opposite of desert.

U.S. Desert Regions occupy the Basin and Range Province and Colorado Plateau, spanning six states:

• California: Mojave Desert (Death Valley), Colorado Desert (Sonoran extension)
• Nevada: Great Basin Desert (cold desert), northern Mojave
• Utah: Great Basin Desert, Colorado Plateau deserts
• Arizona: Sonoran Desert (south), Mojave (northwest), Colorado Plateau (northeast)
• New Mexico: Chihuahuan Desert (south), Great Basin/Colorado Plateau (north)
• Texas: Chihuahuan Desert (Trans-Pecos region, far west)

Four North American Deserts

Why the Confusion?

Kansas and Nebraska (Midwest states) contain the High Plains—semi-arid shortgrass prairie (400–600 mm rain/year). Early explorers called this the "Great American Desert" due to its treelessness and farming difficulty. But it's grassland, not true desert. The 100th Meridian roughly marks the transition from humid Midwest to semi-arid Plains to arid West.

Climate Contrast

• Midwest (Chicago): 940 mm rain, humid summers, snowy winters, corn/soybeans
• Desert Southwest (Phoenix): 200 mm rain, 100+ days >38°C, saguaros, irrigation-dependent agriculture

Understanding this geographic distinction matters for water policy, agriculture, energy planning, and climate adaptation—issues that play out very differently in Ohio versus Arizona.