The United States is commonly divided into regions to help organize geographic, demographic and statistical information.
These regions are not states themselves, but groupings of states that share geographic proximity and are often analyzed together for population, economic and social data.
There is no single universal way to divide the United States into regions. Different systems are used depending on context, including education, government statistics and cultural geography.
However, one system is used far more consistently than the others: the official US Census Bureau regions.
Official US Census Bureau regions and divisions
For statistical and demographic purposes, the US Census Bureau defines four major regions, which are further divided into nine divisions.
This system has been in use since 1950 and is the most widely accepted framework for population, economic and geographic analysis in the United States.
The four Census regions are: Northeast, Midwest, South and West. Each region is broken down into divisions as follows.
Download the file: Regions of the United States map.
Northeast Region
The Northeast is the smallest US region by land area but one of the most densely populated. It contains some of the earliest permanent European settlements in the present-day United States.
Divisions: New England, Mid-Atlantic
States:
- New England: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont
- Mid-Atlantic: New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania
Midwest Region
The Midwest occupies much of the north-central United States and contains over 127 million acres of agricultural land and extensive Great Lakes coastline.
Divisions: East North Central, West North Central
States:
- East North Central: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin
- West North Central: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota
South Region
The South is the most populous Census region overall and spans the southeastern and south-central United States. It includes some coastal states, Appalachian states, as well as some inland states.
Divisions: South Atlantic, East South Central, West South Central
States:
- South Atlantic: Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, District of Columbia
- East South Central: Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee
- West South Central: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas
West Region
The West is the largest region by land area and includes mountainous states, deserts and the Pacific Coast. It also contains the two non-contiguous states, Alaska and Hawaii.
Divisions: Mountain, Pacific
States:
- Mountain: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming
- Pacific: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington
States by region table
| State | Division | Region |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | East South Central | South |
| Alaska | Pacific | West |
| Arizona | Mountain | West |
| Arkansas | West South Central | South |
| California | Pacific | West |
| Colorado | Mountain | West |
| Connecticut | New England | Northeast |
| Delaware | South Atlantic | South |
| District of Columbia | South Atlantic | South |
| Florida | South Atlantic | South |
| Georgia | South Atlantic | South |
| Hawaii | Pacific | West |
| Idaho | Mountain | West |
| Illinois | East North Central | Midwest |
| Indiana | East North Central | Midwest |
| Iowa | West North Central | Midwest |
| Kansas | West North Central | Midwest |
| Kentucky | East South Central | South |
| Louisiana | West South Central | South |
| Maine | New England | Northeast |
| Maryland | South Atlantic | South |
| Massachusetts | New England | Northeast |
| Michigan | East North Central | Midwest |
| Minnesota | West North Central | Midwest |
| Mississippi | East South Central | South |
| Missouri | West North Central | Midwest |
| Montana | Mountain | West |
| Nebraska | West North Central | Midwest |
| Nevada | Mountain | West |
| New Hampshire | New England | Northeast |
| New Jersey | Mid-Atlantic | Northeast |
| New Mexico | Mountain | West |
| New York | Mid-Atlantic | Northeast |
| North Carolina | South Atlantic | South |
| North Dakota | West North Central | Midwest |
| Ohio | East North Central | Midwest |
| Oklahoma | West South Central | South |
| Oregon | Pacific | West |
| Pennsylvania | Mid-Atlantic | Northeast |
| Rhode Island | New England | Northeast |
| South Carolina | South Atlantic | South |
| South Dakota | West North Central | Midwest |
| Tennessee | East South Central | South |
| Texas | West South Central | South |
| Utah | Mountain | West |
| Vermont | New England | Northeast |
| Virginia | South Atlantic | South |
| Washington | Pacific | West |
| West Virginia | South Atlantic | South |
| Wisconsin | East North Central | Midwest |
| Wyoming | Mountain | West |
Note: Washington, DC is included in the South Atlantic division under US Census classifications.
What are the five US regions?
In addition to the official four-region Census framework, some educational and informal sources describe the United States as having five regions.
In many educational materials, the United States is often divided into five broad regions:
- Northeast
- Southeast
- Midwest
- Southwest
- West
The Northeast
This region is made up of nine states: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine.
The Southeast
This region includes Washington, D.C., Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana and Florida.
The Midwest
This region consists of 12 states: Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas.
The Southwest
This region is made up of four states: Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona.
The West
The West Region is made up of Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska and Hawaii.
| State | Region |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Southeast |
| Alaska | West |
| Arizona | Southwest |
| Arkansas | Southeast |
| California | West |
| Colorado | West |
| Connecticut | Northeast |
| Delaware | Southeast |
| District of Columbia | Southeast |
| Florida | Southeast |
| Georgia | Southeast |
| Hawaii | West |
| Idaho | West |
| Illinois | Midwest |
| Indiana | Midwest |
| Iowa | Midwest |
| Kansas | Midwest |
| Kentucky | Southeast |
| Louisiana | Southeast |
| Maine | Northeast |
| Maryland | Southeast |
| Massachusetts | Northeast |
| Michigan | Midwest |
| Minnesota | Midwest |
| Mississippi | Southeast |
| Missouri | Midwest |
| Montana | West |
| Nebraska | Midwest |
| Nevada | West |
| New Hampshire | Northeast |
| New Jersey | Northeast |
| New Mexico | Southwest |
| New York | Northeast |
| North Carolina | Southeast |
| North Dakota | Midwest |
| Ohio | Midwest |
| Oklahoma | Southwest |
| Oregon | West |
| Pennsylvania | Northeast |
| Rhode Island | Northeast |
| South Carolina | Southeast |
| South Dakota | Midwest |
| Tennessee | Southeast |
| Texas | Southwest |
| Utah | West |
| Vermont | Northeast |
| Virginia | Southeast |
| Washington | West |
| West Virginia | Southeast |
| Wisconsin | Midwest |
| Wyoming | West |
It’s worth noting that there is no single standard version of the five-region model, and state groupings may vary between sources.
These classifications are not used by US federal agencies, but they remain common in schools, textbooks and general reference materials.
What are the seven US regions?
Some sources use seven-region models, separating areas such as:
- New England
- Mid-Atlantic
- Southeast
- Midwest
- Rocky Mountains
- Southwest
- Pacific Coast
The five and seven US region models are informal and not standardized. State groupings can vary depending on the source and boundaries are often adjusted for teaching, cultural reference, or simplified maps.
By contrast, the Census Bureau’s four-region, nine-division system is the most consistent and widely used framework for official data collection and analysis. It is used in the reporting of population data, economic reporting and public health statistics.
US territories and Census regions
Puerto Rico and other US territories are not included in any Census region or division. Census regions apply only to the 50 US states and Washington, DC.
Why US regions matter
Regional divisions are used to:
- Compare population size and growth
- Analyze economic and demographic trends
- Group states for federal statistical reporting
- Provide consistent geographic context across datasets
Because state population, land area and density vary so widely, regional groupings help place individual states in a broader national context.
How US regions relate to population and size
Regional divisions help explain why population and land-area rankings vary so widely across the United States.
- The South contains the largest share of the US population, driven by fast-growing states such as Texas and Florida.
- The West includes both the country’s largest state by land area (Alaska) and its most populous state (California).
- The Midwest has fewer extremely large states by population, with about 20% of the total land area dominated by the Great Lakes.
- The Northeast, despite being the least populous region overall, has the highest population density.
These differences become clearer when regional groupings are viewed alongside state-level population and land-area data.
Related US geography resources
Caitriona Maria is an education writer and owner of The Facts Institute. With seven years of teaching experience and a background in educational content, she specialises in creating clear reference resources about countries, geography and global topics.