U.S. Regions Named for Their Geographic Location

The four classic Census Bureau regions are defined by their position relative to the nation's core:

Northeast

Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey. Named for its position northeast of the original 13 colonies' center.

South

Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Oklahoma. Named for lying south of the Mason-Dixon Line (PA/MD border).

Midwest

Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota. Named for its location in the middle-west between the East Coast and the Rocky Mountains.

West

Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska, Hawaii. Named for the westernmost U.S. territory.

These regional names reflect 19th-century perspectives as the nation expanded westward.