List of regions of the United States

This is a list of some of the ways regions are defined in the United States. Many regions are defined in law or regulations by the federal government; others by shared culture and history, and others by economic factors.

Interstate regions

Census Bureau–designated regions and divisions

Since 1950, the United States Census Bureau defines four statistical regions, with nine divisions.^[1]^[2] The Census Bureau region definition is "widely used ... for data collection and analysis",^[3] and is the most commonly used classification system.^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7]

Region 1: Northeast
- Division 1: New England (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont)
- Division 2: Middle Atlantic (New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania)
Region 2: Midwest (designated as the North Central Region before June 1984)^[8]
- Division 3: East North Central (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin)
- Division 4: West North Central (Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota)
Region 3: South
- Division 5: South Atlantic (Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia)
- Division 6: East South Central (Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee)
- Division 7: West South Central (Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas)
Region 4: West
- Division 8: Mountain (Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming)
- Division 9: Pacific (Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington)

Puerto Rico and other US territories are not part of any census region or census division.^[9]

Federal Reserve Banks

The Federal Reserve Act of 1913 divided the country into twelve districts with a central Federal Reserve Bank in each district. These twelve Federal Reserve Banks together form a major part of the Federal Reserve System, the central banking system of the United States. Missouri is the only U.S. state to have two Federal Reserve locations within its borders, but several other states are also divided between more than one district.

Time zones

UTC−12:00 (Baker Island, Howland Island)
Samoa Time Zone (American Samoa, Jarvis Island, Kingman Reef, Midway Atoll, Palmyra Atoll)
Hawaii–Aleutian Time Zone (Hawaii, Aleutian Islands (Alaska), Johnston Atoll)
Alaska Time Zone (Alaska, excluding Aleutian Islands)
Pacific Time Zone
Arizona Time Zone (excluding the Navajo Nation)^[10]
Mountain Time Zone (excluding most parts of Arizona)
Central Time Zone
Eastern Time Zone
Atlantic Time Zone (Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands)
Chamorro Time Zone (Guam, Northern Mariana Islands)
Wake Island Time Zone (Wake Island)

Courts of Appeals circuits

The Federal Circuit is not a regional circuit. Its jurisdiction is nationwide but based on the subject matter.

Agency administrative regions

In 1969, the Office of Management and Budget published a list of ten "Standard Federal Regions",^[11] to which Federal agencies could be restructured as a means of standardizing government administration nationwide. Despite a finding in 1977 that this restructuring did not reduce administrative costs as initially expected,^[12] and the complete rescinding of the standard region system in 1995,^[13] several agencies continue to follow the system, including the Environmental Protection Agency^[14] and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.^[15]

Regions and office locations

Region I

Office location: Boston

States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont

Region II

Office location: New York City

States: New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands

Region III

Office location: Philadelphia

States: Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia

Region IV

Office location: Atlanta

States: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee

Region V

Office location: Chicago

States: Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin

Region VI

Office location: Dallas

States: Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas

Region VII

Office location: Kansas City

States: Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska

Region VIII

Office location: Denver

States: Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming

Region IX

Office location: San Francisco

States: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Guam, and American Samoa

Region X

Office location: Seattle

States: Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington

Bureau of Economic Analysis regions

The Bureau of Economic Analysis defines regions for comparison of economic data.^[16]

New England: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont
Mideast: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C.
Great Lakes: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin
Plains: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota
Southeast: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia
Southwest: Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas
Rocky Mountain: Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming
Far West: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington

Unofficial regions

Multi-state regions

Multi-territory regions

Mariana Islands (Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands)
Samoan Islands (American Samoa, except Swains Island)^{[note 1]}
Virgin Islands (the Spanish Virgin Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands)^{[note 2]}

The Belts

Interstate megalopolises

Interstate metropolitan areas

Central Savannah River Area (part of Georgia and South Carolina)
Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area (Washington, D.C. and parts of Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania)
- Washington metropolitan area (District of Columbia and parts of Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia)
Greater Boston (parts of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire)
Charlotte metropolitan area (parts of North Carolina and South Carolina)
Chattanooga Metropolitan Area
Chicago metropolitan area (parts of Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin)
Cincinnati metropolitan area (parts of Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky)
Columbus-Auburn-Opelika (GA-AL) Combined Statistical Area (parts of Georgia and Alabama)
Delaware Valley (parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland)
Evansville, IN–KY Metropolitan Statistical Area (parts of Indiana and Kentucky)
Fargo–Moorhead (parts of North Dakota and Minnesota)
Fort Smith metropolitan area (parts of Arkansas and Oklahoma)
Front Range Urban Corridor (parts of Colorado and Wyoming)
Greater Grand Forks (part of Minnesota and North Dakota)
Hartford-Springfield (parts of Connecticut and Massachusetts)
Kansas City metropolitan area (parts of Missouri and Kansas)
Louisville metropolitan area (Kentuckiana) (parts of Kentucky and Indiana)
Memphis metropolitan area (parts of Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi)
Michiana (parts of Michigan and Indiana)
Minneapolis–Saint Paul (the Twin Cities) (parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin)
New York metropolitan area (parts of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania)
Omaha–Council Bluffs metropolitan area (parts of Nebraska and Iowa)
Portland metropolitan area (parts of Oregon and Washington)
Quad Cities (parts of Iowa and Illinois)
Sacramento metropolitan area (parts of California and Nevada)
Greater St. Louis (parts of Missouri and Illinois)
Texarkana metropolitan area (parts of Texas and Arkansas)
Tri-Cities (parts of Tennessee and Virginia)
Twin Ports (Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin)
Hampton Roads region (parts of Virginia and North Carolina)
Youngstown–Warren–Boardman metropolitan statistical area (parts of Ohio and Pennsylvania)

Intrastate and intraterritory regions

Alabama

Regions of Alabama include:

Alaska

Regions of Alaska include:

American Samoa

Regions of American Samoa include:

Arizona

Regions of Arizona include:

Arkansas

Regions of Arkansas include:

California

Colorado

Regions of Colorado include:

Central Colorado (part of Southern Rocky Mountains)
Colorado Eastern Plains (part of High Plains)
Colorado Mineral Belt (part of Southern Rocky Mountains)
Colorado Piedmont (parts of the Front Range Urban Corridor and Colorado High Plains)
Colorado Plateau (multi-state region)
Colorado Western Slope (parts of Southern Rocky Mountains and Colorado Plateau)
Denver Metropolitan Area (part of Front Range Urban Corridor)
Four Corners Region (multi-state region of Colorado Plateau)
Front Range Urban Corridor (multi-state region)
High Plains (multi-state region of Great Plains)
North Central Colorado Urban Area (part of Front Range Urban Corridor)
Northwestern Colorado (part of Southern Rocky Mountains)
San Luis Valley
South-Central Colorado
South Central Colorado Urban Area (part of Front Range Urban Corridor)
Southern Rocky Mountains (multi-state region of Rocky Mountains)
Southwestern Colorado (parts of Southern Rocky Mountains and Colorado Plateau)

Connecticut

Connecticut has nine official planning regions, which operate as councils of governments and are recognized as county equivalents by the U.S. Census Bureau. The nine regions are:

Some of Connecticut's informal regions include:

Delaware

Regions of Delaware include:

"Upstate" or "Up North":
- Delaware Valley, also known as "Above the Canal" (referring to the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal)

"Slower Lower":

- Cape Region
- Central Kent
- Delaware coast

District of Columbia

Florida

Directional regions of Florida include:

Local vernacular regions of Florida include:

Big Bend
Emerald Coast
First Coast
Florida Heartland
Florida Keys
Florida Panhandle
Forgotten Coast
Glades
Gold Coast
Halifax area (also Surf Coast and Fun Coast)
Red Hills
Nature Coast
Space Coast
Suncoast
Tampa Bay Area
Treasure Coast

Georgia

Regions of Georgia include:

Atlanta metropolitan area
Central Georgia
Central Savannah River Area
Colonial Coast
Golden Isles of Georgia
North Georgia
North Georgia mountains (Northeast Georgia)
Southern Rivers
Southeast Georgia
Wiregrass Region

Physiographic regions

Physiographic regions of Georgia include:

Guam

Regions of Guam include:

Hawaii

Regions of Hawaii include:

Idaho

Regions of Idaho include:

Illinois

Regions of Illinois include:

Central Illinois
Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area
Chicago metropolitan area
Driftless Area
Forgottonia
Metro-East
- American Bottom
- River Bend
Metro Lakeland
Military Tract of 1812
Northern Illinois
Northwestern Illinois
Peoria, Illinois metropolitan area
Quad Cities
Rock River Valley
Shawnee Hills
Southern Illinois (sometimes, Little Egypt)
Tri-State Area
Wabash Valley

Indiana

Regions of Indiana include:

Iowa

Regions of Iowa include:

Kansas

Regions of Kansas include:

Kentucky

Regions of Kentucky include:

Louisiana

Regions of Louisiana include:

Acadiana

Central Louisiana (Cen-La)
Florida Parishes
"French Louisiana" (Acadiana and Greater New Orleans)
Greater New Orleans
North Louisiana
Southwest Louisiana

Maine

Regions of Maine include:

Maryland

Regions of Maryland include:

Regions of Maryland shared with other states include:

Allegheny Mountains
Atlantic coastal plain
Blue Ridge Mountains
Cumberland Valley
Delaware Valley
Delmarva Peninsula consists of Maryland's and Virginia's Eastern Shore and all of Delaware
Piedmont (United States)
Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians

Massachusetts

Regions of Massachusetts include:

Central Massachusetts
Northeastern Massachusetts
- North Shore
  - Merrimack Valley
  - Cape Ann
- Greater Boston
Southeastern Massachusetts
Western Massachusetts
- The Berkshires (shown in map)
- Housatonic Valley
- Pioneer Valley
- Quabbin-Swift River Valley

Michigan

Regions of Michigan include:

Lower Peninsula

Upper Peninsula

Minnesota

Regions of Minnesota include:

Mississippi

Regions of Mississippi include:

Missouri

Regions of Missouri include:

Montana

Regions of Montana include:

Nebraska

Regions of Nebraska include:

Nevada

Regions of Nevada include:

New Hampshire

Regions of New Hampshire include:

Connecticut River Valley
Dartmouth-Lake Sunapee Region (overlaps with Connecticut River Valley)
Great North Woods Region
Lakes Region
Merrimack Valley
- Golden Triangle
Monadnock Region (overlaps with Connecticut River Valley)
Seacoast Region
White Mountains

New Jersey

Regions of New Jersey include:

Central Jersey
North Jersey
- Skylands
  - Amwell Valley
  - Black Dirt Region (shared with New York)
  - Great Valley
  - Hunterdon Plateau
  - Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians
  - Highlands
  - Somerset Hills
  - The Sourlands
- Gateway
  - Chemical Coast/Soundshore
  - Hudson Waterfront
    - North Hudson
  - Meadowlands
  - Pascack Valley
  - Raritan Bayshore
  - West Hudson
South Jersey

New Mexico

Regions of New Mexico include:

New York

The nine regions of New York, as defined by the Empire State Development Corporation:

Capital District – counties : Albany, Columbia, Greene, Warren, Washington, Saratoga, Schenectady, Rensselaer
Central New York – counties: Cortland, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oswego, Madison
Finger Lakes – counties: Orleans, Genesee, Wyoming, Monroe, Livingston, Wayne, Ontario, Yates, Seneca
Hudson Valley – counties: Sullivan, Ulster, Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Westchester
Long Island – counties: Nassau, Suffolk
Mohawk Valley – counties: Oneida, Herkimer, Fulton, Montgomery, Otsego, Schoharie
New York City – counties (boroughs): New York (Manhattan), Bronx (The Bronx), Queens (Queens), Kings (Brooklyn), Richmond (Staten Island)
North Country – counties : St. Lawrence, Lewis, Jefferson, Hamilton, Essex, Clinton, Franklin
Southern Tier – counties: Steuben, Schuyler, Chemung, Tompkins, Tioga, Chenango, Broome, Delaware
Western New York – counties: Niagara, Erie, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Allegany

Regions of New York state include:

Downstate New York
- New York metropolitan area (New York City)
- Long Island
  - East End
  - The Hamptons
  - North Shore (Gold Coast)
  - South Shore
Upstate New York
- Erie Canal Corridor
- Western New York
  - Holland Purchase
  - Burned-over district
- Finger Lakes
- former Leatherstocking Country (now the Central New York Region)
- Central New York
- Mohawk Valley
- Southern Tier
- Capital District
- North Country
- Catskill Mountains
  - Borscht Belt
- Hudson Valley
  - Shawangunk Ridge
  - Black Dirt Region (shared with New Jersey)

North Carolina

Regions of North Carolina include:

North Dakota

Regions of North Dakota include:

Badlands
Drift Prairie
Missouri Escarpment
Missouri Plateau (Missouri Coteau in French)
Red River Valley

Northern Mariana Islands

Regions of the Northern Mariana Islands include:

Ohio

Regions of Ohio include:

Allegheny Plateau
Appalachian Ohio
Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky metropolitan area
Columbus, Ohio metropolitan area
Connecticut Western Reserve (historic, now defunct)
Great Black Swamp (shared with Indiana)
Lake Erie Islands
Miami Valley
Northeast Ohio (often used interchangeably with Greater Cleveland, but also includes the counties of Ashtabula, Portage, Summit, Trumbull, Mahoning and Columbiana.)
Northwest Ohio

Oklahoma

Regions of Oklahoma include:

Oregon

Regions of Oregon include:

Pennsylvania

Regions of Pennsylvania include:

Puerto Rico

Regions of Puerto Rico include:

Rhode Island

Regions of Rhode Island include:

South Carolina

Regions of South Carolina include:

Other geographical distinctions:

South Dakota

Regions of South Dakota include:

Badlands
Black Hills
Coteau des Prairies
East River and West River, divided by the Missouri River

Tennessee

The Grand Divisions of Tennessee include:

Texas

Regions of Texas include:

Brazos Valley
Central Texas
- Texas blackland prairies
- The Hill Country
Gulf Coast
- Galveston Bay
- Greater Houston
East Texas
- Piney Woods and Northeast Texas
North Texas
- Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex
- Texoma
South Texas
- Rio Grande Valley
Southeast Texas
- Golden Triangle
- Greater Houston
Texas Midwest/West-Central Texas (includes Abilene, San Angelo, Brownwood, Texas)
Texas Urban Triangle (Houston to San Antonio to Dallas-Fort Worth)
West Texas
- Concho Valley
- Edwards Plateau
- Llano Estacado (a portion of northwest Texas)
- Permian Basin
- South Plains (includes 24 counties south of the Texas Panhandle and north of the Permian Basin)
- Texas Panhandle (pictured)
- Trans-Pecos
- Great Plains

U.S. Minor Outlying Islands

Regions of United States Minor Outlying Islands include:

U.S. Virgin Islands

Regions of United States Virgin Islands include:

Utah

Regions of Utah include:

Vermont

Regions of Vermont include:

Virginia

Regions of Virginia include:

Washington

Regions of Washington include:

West Virginia

Regions of West Virginia include:

Wisconsin

Wisconsin is divided into five geographic regions:

Wyoming

Regions of Wyoming include:

Explanatory notes

^ This region also includes the Independent State of Samoa, which is not a part of the United States
^ This region also includes the British Virgin Islands, which is not a part of the United States
^ Claimed by Tokelau^[18]
^ Midway Atoll, part of the Northwest Hawaiian Islands, is not politically part of Hawaii; it is one of the United States Minor Outlying Islands
^ Claimed by Haiti
^ Claimed by the Marshall Islands

References

^ "Statistical Groupings of States and Counties" (PDF). census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
^ United States Census Bureau, Geography Division. "Census Regions and Divisions of the United States" (PDF). Retrieved January 10, 2013.
^ "The National Energy Modeling System: An Overview 2003" (Report #: DOE/EIA-0581, October 2009). United States Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration.
^ "The most widely used regional definitions and follow those of the U.S. Bureau of the Census." Seymour Sudman and Norman M. Bradburn, Asking Questions: A Practical Guide to Questionnaire Design (1982). Jossey-Bass: p. 205.
^ "Perhaps the most widely used regional classification system is one developed by the U.S. Census Bureau." Dale M. Lewison, Retailing, Prentice Hall (1997): p. 384. ISBN 978-0-13-461427-4
^ "[M]ost demographic and food consumption data are presented in this four-region format." Pamela Goyan Kittler, Kathryn P. Sucher, Food and Culture, Cengage Learning (2008): p.475. ISBN 9780495115410
^ "Census Bureau Regions and Divisions with State FIPS Codes" (PDF). US Census Bureau. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 21, 2013. Retrieved June 20, 2010.
^ "Census Bureau Regions and Divisions with State FIPS Codes" (PDF). US Census Bureau. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 21, 2013. Retrieved June 20, 2010.
^ "Geographic Terms and Concepts - Census Divisions and Census Regions". US Census Bureau. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
^ "No DST in Most of Arizona". www.timeanddate.com. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
^ Standard Federal Regions, Office of Management and Budget, 1969, Circular A-105
^ Office of Management and Budget (August 17, 1977), Standardized Federal Regions: Little Effect on Agency Management of Personnel, Government Accountability Office, FPCD-77-39
^ 60 FR 15171
^ Williams, Dennis C. (March 1993), Why Are Our Regional Offices and Labs Located Where They Are? A Historical Perspective on Siting, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
^ HUD's Regions, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, September 20, 2017
^ "BEA Regions". Bureau of Economic Analysis. February 18, 2004. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
^ citation needed - the US Pacific Northwest region is not interchangeable with Cascadia, which is a bioregional concept - there are no references to PNW that include British Columbia other than Wikipedia, which is wrong but always used as proof, while Cascadia does include British Columbia in most reasonable definitions
^ The World Factbook CIA World Factbook - American Samoa. Retrieved July 5, 2019.

External links

U.S. Library of Congress Map of the US Regions

[18] This region also includes the Independent State of Samoa, which is not a part of the United States

[19] This region also includes the British Virgin Islands, which is not a part of the United States

[21] Claimed by Tokelau^[18]

[22] Midway Atoll, part of the Northwest Hawaiian Islands, is not politically part of Hawaii; it is one of the United States Minor Outlying Islands

[23] Claimed by Haiti

[24] Claimed by the Marshall Islands

[1] "Statistical Groupings of States and Counties" (PDF). census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 16, 2020.

[2] United States Census Bureau, Geography Division. "Census Regions and Divisions of the United States" (PDF). Retrieved January 10, 2013.

[NEMS-3] "The National Energy Modeling System: An Overview 2003" (Report #: DOE/EIA-0581, October 2009). United States Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration.

[4] "The most widely used regional definitions and follow those of the U.S. Bureau of the Census." Seymour Sudman and Norman M. Bradburn, Asking Questions: A Practical Guide to Questionnaire Design (1982). Jossey-Bass: p. 205.

[5] "Perhaps the most widely used regional classification system is one developed by the U.S. Census Bureau." Dale M. Lewison, Retailing, Prentice Hall (1997): p. 384. ISBN 978-0-13-461427-4

[6] "[M]ost demographic and food consumption data are presented in this four-region format." Pamela Goyan Kittler, Kathryn P. Sucher, Food and Culture, Cengage Learning (2008): p.475. ISBN 9780495115410

[7] "Census Bureau Regions and Divisions with State FIPS Codes" (PDF). US Census Bureau. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 21, 2013. Retrieved June 20, 2010.

[census-8] "Census Bureau Regions and Divisions with State FIPS Codes" (PDF). US Census Bureau. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 21, 2013. Retrieved June 20, 2010.

[9] "Geographic Terms and Concepts - Census Divisions and Census Regions". US Census Bureau. Retrieved August 19, 2015.

[10] "No DST in Most of Arizona". www.timeanddate.com. Retrieved August 14, 2020.

[OMB_Circular_A-105-11] Standard Federal Regions, Office of Management and Budget, 1969, Circular A-105

[GAO_FPCD-77-39-12] Office of Management and Budget (August 17, 1977), Standardized Federal Regions: Little Effect on Agency Management of Personnel, Government Accountability Office, FPCD-77-39

[60_FR_15171-13] 60 FR 15171

[EPA_regions-14] Williams, Dennis C. (March 1993), Why Are Our Regional Offices and Labs Located Where They Are? A Historical Perspective on Siting, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

[HUD_regions-15] HUD's Regions, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, September 20, 2017

[16] "BEA Regions". Bureau of Economic Analysis. February 18, 2004. Retrieved December 27, 2012.

[17] tation needed - the US Pacific Northwest region is not interchangeable with Cascadia, which is a bioregional concept - there are no references to PNW that include British Columbia other than Wikipedia, which is wrong but always used as proof, while Cascadia does include British Columbia in most reasonable definitions

[20] The World Factbook CIA World Factbook - American Samoa. Retrieved July 5, 2019.

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