12 states · 2 divisions · 68,985,454 people · 821,726 sq mi
Midwest states map
The Census Midwest is twelve states between the Appalachians and the Rockies, from Ohio west to Kansas and the Dakotas. It was called the North Central region until 1984.
How the region is defined
The Midwest is a Census Bureau region made up of two divisions. The East North Central division holds the five Great Lakes states: Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin. The West North Central division holds the seven plains states: Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas. The Census renamed the region from "North Central" to "Midwest" in 1984 to match common usage.
The twelve states had 68,985,454 people in 2020, 21% of the country, on 821,726 square miles (22%). Illinois, Ohio and Michigan hold just over half the population. Kentucky, which many people consider part of the Midwest because it lies across the Ohio River from Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, is in the Census South.
States, capitals and largest cities
| State | Capital | Largest city | Population (2020) | Area (sq mi) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois (IL) | Springfield | Chicago | 12,812,508 | 57,914 |
| Indiana (IN) | Indianapolis | Indianapolis | 6,785,528 | 36,420 |
| Iowa (IA) | Des Moines | Des Moines | 3,190,369 | 56,273 |
| Kansas (KS) | Topeka | Wichita | 2,937,880 | 82,278 |
| Michigan (MI) | Lansing | Detroit | 10,077,331 | 96,714 |
| Minnesota (MN) | Saint Paul | Minneapolis | 5,706,494 | 86,936 |
| Missouri (MO) | Jefferson City | Kansas City | 6,154,913 | 69,707 |
| Nebraska (NE) | Lincoln | Omaha | 1,961,504 | 77,348 |
| North Dakota (ND) | Bismarck | Fargo | 779,094 | 70,698 |
| Ohio (OH) | Columbus | Columbus | 11,799,448 | 44,826 |
| South Dakota (SD) | Pierre | Sioux Falls | 886,667 | 77,116 |
| Wisconsin (WI) | Madison | Milwaukee | 5,893,718 | 65,496 |
| Total (12 states) | 68,985,454 | 821,726 |
Geography
Almost the whole region is flat or gently rolling. The eastern half was scraped and filled by the Ice Age glaciers that also left the Great Lakes; four of the five lakes touch Midwest states, and Michigan alone has shoreline on four. The western half is the Great Plains, rising gradually from about 1,000 ft at the Missouri River to over 4,000 ft at the Colorado line. The highest point in the region is Black Elk Peak in South Dakota's Black Hills at 7,242 ft; the lowest is the Mississippi at Cairo, Illinois, about 280 ft.
Two great rivers define it. The Mississippi rises in Minnesota and forms the border between Wisconsin–Iowa–Missouri on the west and Illinois on the east. The Missouri enters from Montana, crosses the Dakotas, then forms the borders of Nebraska with South Dakota, Iowa and Missouri before joining the Mississippi above St. Louis. The Ohio marks the region's south-eastern edge for 700 miles.
Other landmarks: the Ozarks of southern Missouri, the only sizeable upland; the Driftless Area of Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa, which the glaciers missed; the Badlands and Black Hills of South Dakota; and Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area, on the northern edge of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.
Related maps
- Divisions: East North Central, West North Central.
- Overlapping informal regions: Great Lakes states, Great Plains.
- Test yourself: Midwest states quiz (12 questions).
- Time: Ohio and most of Michigan and Indiana are Eastern; the rest are Central, with western parts of the Dakotas, Nebraska and Kansas on Mountain.
- Geography: Great Lakes, Mississippi River, Missouri River.
- Other regions: Northeast, South, West, or the regions overview.