Six States Bordering Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania sits at the heart of the Mid-Atlantic, bordered by six states:

1. New York — North (42nd parallel; 1682 charter boundary)
2. New Jersey — East (Delaware River — 1783 compact, 1934 Supreme Court)
3. Delaware — Southeast (12-mile arc from New Castle courthouse — only circular state boundary in US)
4. Maryland — South (Mason-Dixon Line, 1763–67 — iconic cultural divide)
5. West Virginia — Southwest (split from VA 1863; border follows mountain ridges)
6. Ohio — West (Ohio River — 1780s surveys; PA's only river border)

Also Borders

• Lake Erie (Northwest) — 51 mi shoreline; international water boundary with Canada (Ontario)

Geographic Significance

PA is the keystone — linking New England, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, South. No other state touches all four Census regions (NE, MA, MW, S via WV/MD).