9 states · 2 divisions · 57,609,148 people · 181,319 sq mi
Northeast states map
The Census Bureau's Northeast is the smallest of the four regions by area and the most densely populated: nine states from Maine to Pennsylvania on about 5% of the country's land.
How the region is defined
The Northeast is one of four regions defined by the US Census Bureau in 1950 and used for federal statistics ever since. It contains two divisions: New England (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont) and the Middle Atlantic (New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania). Delaware, Maryland and the District of Columbia are excluded — the Census places them in the South Atlantic division — which is the main difference between the official Northeast and the everyday Mid-Atlantic.
Together the nine states had 57,609,148 residents in 2020, 17% of the national total, on 181,319 square miles, 5% of the land. New York and Pennsylvania account for about three-fifths of the population; New York State alone has more people than the six New England states combined.
States, capitals and largest cities
| State | Capital | Largest city | Population (2020) | Area (sq mi) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut (CT) | Hartford | Bridgeport | 3,605,944 | 5,543 |
| Maine (ME) | Augusta | Portland | 1,362,359 | 35,380 |
| Massachusetts (MA) | Boston | Boston | 7,029,917 | 10,554 |
| New Hampshire (NH) | Concord | Manchester | 1,377,529 | 9,349 |
| New Jersey (NJ) | Trenton | Newark | 9,288,994 | 8,723 |
| New York (NY) | Albany | New York City | 20,201,249 | 54,555 |
| Pennsylvania (PA) | Harrisburg | Philadelphia | 13,002,700 | 46,054 |
| Rhode Island (RI) | Providence | Providence | 1,097,379 | 1,545 |
| Vermont (VT) | Montpelier | Burlington | 643,077 | 9,616 |
| Total (9 states) | 57,609,148 | 181,319 |
Geography
The region lies between the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes. The Appalachian Mountains cross it diagonally from Maine's Longfellow Mountains through the White Mountains (New Hampshire), Green Mountains (Vermont), Berkshires and Catskills to the Alleghenies of Pennsylvania; Mount Washington at 6,288 ft is the highest point. East of the mountains is a narrow coastal plain that widens south of New York City into the Delaware valley and New Jersey's pine barrens. West of them lie the Allegheny Plateau and the Erie and Ontario lake shores.
The Hudson River cuts the only sea-level gap through the Appalachians, which is why the Erie Canal and New York City grew where they did. Other principal rivers are the Connecticut, the longest in New England; the Delaware, which forms New York's and Pennsylvania's border with New Jersey; and the Susquehanna, which drains half of Pennsylvania into Chesapeake Bay. Pennsylvania's western corner touches the Ohio River at Pittsburgh.
The southern border of the region is the Mason–Dixon line along Pennsylvania's south edge (39°43′N), and the northern border is Canada — Quebec and Ontario — along the 45th parallel and the St. Lawrence and Niagara rivers. Ten of the country's twenty-five largest cities are within 250 miles of New York City, and the corridor from Boston to Philadelphia is the densest part of the United States.
Related maps
- Divisions: New England, Middle Atlantic.
- Overlapping informal regions: Mid-Atlantic, Great Lakes states.
- Test yourself: Northeast states quiz (9 questions).
- Time: all nine states are on Eastern time.
- Geography: Appalachian Mountains, Hudson River, Coastlines.
- Other regions: Midwest, South, West, or the regions overview.