- The United States is home to many different regions and subregions, and there’s plenty of debate over which region certain states fall in.
- The US Census Bureau has used the same regional definitions since 1950.
- The bureau divides the US into four regions – Northeast, Midwest, South, and West – and nine subregions.
The United States is home to several different regions and subregions, each with its own unique history and culture.
But it’s not always clear where one region ends and another begins. There’s no consensus on whether the Dakotas are part of the Midwest, for example, or if Arkansas belongs to the South.
Luckily, we have the US Census Bureau, which has classified American regional divisions for more than 100 years. Since the 1950 Census, the bureau has used the same arrangement of four main regions and nine subregions.
The only changes happened in 1960, when the newly-admitted Alaska and Hawaii joined the Pacific region, and in 1984, when the North Central region was renamed the Midwest.
Take a look at how the Census groups the 50 states - and decide whether you agree with where your state ended up.
THE NORTHEAST
The Northeast includes Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
New England is the northernmost part of the Northeast ...
New England consists of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.
and the southern states in the region are considered Middle Atlantic.
The Middle Atlantic division consists of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
THE MIDWEST
The next Census region is the Midwest. It consists of Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas.
The East North Central division of the Midwest begins at Ohio and stretches west ...
East North Central consists of Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Illinois.
... to meet West North Central.
The West North Central division comprises Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas.
THE SOUTH
The third region, the South, claims more states than any other region. According to the Census Bureau, the South consists of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, and Oklahoma.
Washington, DC, is also included in the South.
South Atlantic includes the coastal states in the South ...
The South Atlantic division contains Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, as well as Washington, DC.
... East South Central stretches north from Mississippi and Alabama ...
The East South Central division contains Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi.
And West South Central includes the western-most states in the South.
The West South Central division contains Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas.
THE WEST
The West consists of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii.
Although the West covers a lot of land, it's divided into only two parts: the Mountain division ...
The Mountain division consists of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Nevada.
... and the Pacific division.
The Pacific division consists of California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii.