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Midwestern United States

The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States.[1] It was officially named the North Central Region by the U.S. Census Bureau until 1984.[2] It is between the Northeastern United States and the Western United States, with Canada to the north and the Southern United States to the south.

"Midwest" redirects here. For other uses, see Midwest (disambiguation).

The U.S. Census Bureau's definition consists of 12 states in the north central United States: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. The region generally lies on the broad Interior Plain between the states occupying the Appalachian Mountain range and the states occupying the Rocky Mountain range. Major rivers in the region include, from east to west, the Ohio River, the Upper Mississippi River, and the Missouri River.[3] The 2020 United States census put the population of the Midwest at 68,995,685.[4] The Midwest is divided by the U.S. Census Bureau into two divisions. The East North Central Division includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin, all of which are also part of the Great Lakes region. The West North Central Division includes Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, and South Dakota, several of which are located, at least partly, within the Great Plains region.


Chicago is the most populous city in the American Midwest and the third most populous in the United States. Chicago and its suburbs, colloquially known as Chicagoland, form the largest metropolitan area with 10 million people, making it the fourth largest metropolitan area in North America, after Greater Mexico City, the New York metropolitan area, and Greater Los Angeles. Other large Midwestern cities include Columbus, Indianapolis, Detroit, Milwaukee, Kansas City, Omaha, Minneapolis, Wichita, Cleveland, St. Paul, St. Louis, and Cincinnati. Large Midwestern metropolitan areas include Metro Detroit, Minneapolis–St. Paul, Greater St. Louis, Greater Cincinnati, the Kansas City metro area, the Columbus metro area, and Greater Cleveland.

Etymology[edit]

The term West was applied to the region in British North America and in the early years of the United States, when the colonial territories had not extended far from the Atlantic coast and the Pacific seaboard was generally unknown. By the early 19th century, anything west of the Appalachia was considered American frontier. Over time the American frontier moved to west of the Mississippi River. During the colonial period, the upper-Mississippi watershed including the valleys of the Missouri River and the Illinois River, which were settled in the 17th and 18th century and called Illinois Country.[5] In 1787 the Northwest Ordinance was enacted, creating the Northwest Territory, which was bounded by the Great Lakes and the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.[6] Some entities in the Midwest have "Northwest" in their names for historical reasons, such as Northwestern University in Illinois.[7]


One of the earliest late-19th-century uses of Midwest was in reference to Kansas and Nebraska to indicate that they were the civilized areas of the west.[8] A source in the 1920s referred to the Midwest included within this territory West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, Kansas, and Arkansas.[9] Another term applied to the same region is Heartland.[10]


The region's economy is a mix of heavy industry and agriculture, with extensive areas forming part of the United States' Corn Belt. Finance and services such as medicine and education are becoming increasingly important. Its central location makes it a transportation crossroads for river boats, railroads, autos, trucks, and airplanes. Politically, the region is composed of swing states, and therefore is heavily contested and often decisive in elections.[11][12]


Following the sociological Middletown studies of 1929, which were based on Muncie, Indiana,[13] commentators took Midwestern cities and the Midwest generally to be "typical" of the United States. Earlier, the rhetorical question Will it play in Peoria? had become a stock phrase, using Peoria, Illinois to signal whether something would appeal to mainstream America.[14] As of 2010 the Midwest has a higher employment-to-population ratio than the Northeastern United States, the Southern United States, or the Western United States.[15]

Isáŋyathi or Isáŋathi ("Knife"): residing in the extreme east of the Dakotas, Minnesota and northern Iowa, and are often referred to as the Santee or Eastern Dakota.

Iháŋktȟuŋwaŋ and Iháŋktȟuŋwaŋna ("Village-at-the-end" and "little village-at-the-end"): residing in the area, they are considered the middle Sioux, and are often referred to as the Yankton and the Yanktonai, or, collectively, as the Wičhíyena (endonym) or the Western Dakota (and have been erroneously classified as Nakota[32]).

Minnesota River

Thítȟuŋwaŋ or Teton (uncertain): the westernmost Sioux, known for their hunting and warrior culture, are often referred to as the Lakota.

: Old Northwest, Mississippi River (Missouri River joins near the state border), Ohio River, and Great Lakes state

Illinois

: Old Northwest, Ohio River, and Great Lakes state

Indiana

: Louisiana Purchase, Mississippi River, and Missouri River state

Iowa

: Louisiana Purchase, Great Plains, and Missouri River state

Kansas

: Old Northwest and Great Lakes state

Michigan

: Old Northwest, Louisiana Purchase, Mississippi River, part of Red River Colony before 1818, Great Lakes state

Minnesota

: Louisiana Purchase, Mississippi River (Ohio River joins near the state border), Missouri River, and border state

Missouri

: Louisiana Purchase, Great Plains, and Missouri River state

Nebraska

: Louisiana Purchase, part of Red River Colony before 1818, Great Plains, and Missouri River state

North Dakota

: Old Northwest (Historic Connecticut Western Reserve), Ohio River, and Great Lakes state. The southeastern part of the state is part of northern Appalachia

Ohio

: Louisiana Purchase, Great Plains, and Missouri River state

South Dakota

: Old Northwest, Mississippi River, and Great Lakes state

Wisconsin

: Bears (NFL), Cubs, White Sox (MLB), Bulls (NBA), Sky (WNBA), Blackhawks (NHL), Fire FC (MLS), Red Stars (NWSL)

Chicago

: Bengals (NFL), Reds (MLB), FC Cincinnati (MLS)

Cincinnati

: Browns (NFL), Guardians (MLB), Cavaliers (NBA)

Cleveland

: Blue Jackets (NHL), Crew SC (MLS)

Columbus

: Lions (NFL), Tigers (MLB), Pistons (NBA), Red Wings (NHL)

Detroit

: Packers (NFL)

Green Bay

: Colts (NFL), Pacers (NBA), Fever (WNBA)

Indianapolis

: Chiefs (NFL), Royals (MLB), Sporting (MLS), Current (NWSL)

Kansas City

: Brewers (MLB), Bucks (NBA)

Milwaukee

: Vikings (NFL), Twins (MLB), Timberwolves (NBA), Lynx (WNBA), Wild (NHL), United FC (MLS)

Minneapolis–Saint Paul

: Cardinals (MLB), Blues (NHL), City SC (MLS)

St. Louis

Cuisine of the Midwestern United States

Repopulation of wolves in Midwestern United States

Territories of the United States on stamps

Issues of Middle West Review

The Midwest History Association, scholarly association that published Middle West Review

Archives of photo images, upper Midwest