US regions map
How the 50 states are grouped: the Census Bureau's 4 regions and 9 divisions, and the 5-region system most schools teach.
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- South · 16 states · 126 million
AL, AR, DE, FL, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV - West · 13 states · 78.6 million
AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NV, NM, OR, UT, WA, WY - Northeast · 9 states · 57.6 million
CT, ME, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT - Midwest · 12 states · 69.0 million
IL, IN, IA, KS, MI, MN, MO, NE, ND, OH, SD, WI
Why the Census regions look the way they do
The Census Bureau first grouped states into regions for the 1910 census and settled on today's four regions and nine divisions in 1950. The boundaries follow state lines and try to keep together states with similar history and economy, so they are useful for comparing statistics rather than describing culture. That is why Delaware and Maryland sit in the "South" and Missouri in the "Midwest".
The five-region system (Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, West) comes from school geography and social-studies curricula. It is not official, so check which version your textbook uses.
Frequently asked questions
What are the 4 regions of the United States?
The U.S. Census Bureau divides the country into four regions: Northeast, Midwest, South and West. They are split into nine divisions, such as New England and the Pacific.
What are the 5 regions of the US?
Many schools teach five regions: Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest and West. This is a teaching convention rather than an official system, so state assignments vary between textbooks (Texas and Oklahoma are usually Southwest).
Is Maryland in the South?
In the Census Bureau system, yes: Maryland, Delaware, Washington, D.C., Virginia and West Virginia are in the South Atlantic division. Culturally, many people consider Maryland and Delaware Mid-Atlantic.
Which region has the most people?
The South. In the 2020 Census it had about 126 million residents, roughly 38% of the US population.