Census region 2

The Midwest region

The Midwest region has 12 states with 69,596,584 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimates, 20.5% of the US total, on 750,584 square miles of land. It ranks 3rd of 4 regions by population and 3rd by land area.

Residents 2024
69,596,584
20.5% of the US
Land area
750,584 sq mi
Density
92.7 / sq mi
Member states
12
1,055 counties
GeorgiaIndianaMaineMinnesotaNorth DakotaColoradoAlaskaArkansasIllinoisIowaMississippiNew YorkTennesseeTexasVirginiaKansasAlabamaNorth CarolinaMichiganMissouriNebraskaOhioSouth CarolinaVermontWisconsinCaliforniaKentuckySouth DakotaNevadaFloridaMarylandPennsylvaniaArizonaRhode IslandIdahoOregonMontanaWashingtonWest VirginiaNew MexicoNew HampshireOklahomaUtahWyomingHawaiiLouisianaMassachusettsConnecticutNew JerseyDelawareDistrict of Columbia

Member states shaded by density; others hatched. Pins mark capitals.

Midwest population and land

The Midwest region has 12 states with 69,596,584 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimates, 20.5% of the US total, on 750,584 square miles of land. It ranks 3rd of 4 regions by population and 3rd by land area. It averages 92.7 people per square mile, close to the national figure of 96.3.

Illinois is the most populous member with 12,710,158 residents, 18% of the region, while Kansas is the largest by land at 81,759 square miles. North Dakota is the least populous, with 796,568.

States in the Midwest region

The Census Bureau groups the states into 4 regions and 9 divisions for statistics. The Midwest region is region 2 and contains 2 divisions: East North Central and West North Central. Totals below are sums of Vintage 2024 county estimates and 2024 Gazetteer land area.

StateResidentsShareLand sq miPer sq miCounties
Illinois12,710,15818.3%55,513229.0102
Ohio11,883,30417.1%40,859290.888
Michigan10,140,45914.6%56,611179.183
Indiana6,924,2759.9%35,825193.392
Missouri6,245,4669.0%68,74690.8115
Wisconsin5,960,9758.6%54,168110.072
Minnesota5,793,1518.3%79,63272.787
Iowa3,241,4884.7%55,85458.099
Kansas2,970,6064.3%81,75936.3105
Nebraska2,005,4652.9%76,81526.193
South Dakota924,6691.3%75,80812.266
North Dakota796,5681.1%68,99411.553
Sorted by population.

Counties in the Midwest region

Its 1,055 county-equivalents have a median of 19,787 residents, below the national median county of 26,122. The most populous is Cook County, IL, with 5,182,617; the largest by land is St. Louis County, MN, at 6,248 square miles.

The median county household income here is $65,868 in SAIPE 2023, 5% above the national median county, $62,851. It ranges from $32,803 in Buffalo County, SD to $129,437 in Carver County, MN.

  1. 01Cook County, IL5,182,617
  2. 02Wayne County, MI1,771,063
  3. 03Franklin County, OH1,356,303
  4. 04Oakland County, MI1,296,888
  5. 05Hennepin County, MN1,273,334
  6. 06Cuyahoga County, OH1,240,594
  7. 07St. Louis County, MO992,929
  8. 08Marion County, IN981,628
  9. 09DuPage County, IL937,142
  10. 10Milwaukee County, WI924,740
Ten most populous county-equivalents, Vintage 2024.

Distances and center

The two member capitals farthest apart are Columbus and Bismarck, 1,008 miles in a straight line. Weighting every county's internal point by population puts the region's center of population near 41.56° N, 88.50° W. The method is explained in the center of population guide.

Bordering states compared

21 pairs of member states share a border. Each comparison puts population, land, counties and capitals side by side.

Questions people ask

What states are in the Midwest region?

Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, per the Census Bureau's regions and divisions.

What is the population of the Midwest region?

69,596,584 in the Census Vintage 2024 estimates, 20.5% of the US.

What is the largest state in the Midwest region?

Kansas by land (81,759 square miles) and Illinois by population (12,710,158).

What is the most populous county in the Midwest region?

Cook County, IL, with 5,182,617 residents.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Bureau regions and divisions of the United States (last verified 2026-09-30)
  2. 02Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  3. 03Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  4. 04Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.