Census region 4

The West region

The West region has 13 states with 80,015,776 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimates, 23.5% of the US total, on 1,752,321 square miles of land. It ranks 2nd of 4 regions by population and 1st by land area.

Residents 2024
80,015,776
23.5% of the US
Land area
1,752,321 sq mi
Density
45.7 / sq mi
Member states
13
449 counties
GeorgiaIndianaMaineMinnesotaNorth DakotaColoradoAlaskaArkansasIllinoisIowaMississippiNew YorkTennesseeTexasVirginiaKansasAlabamaNorth CarolinaMichiganMissouriNebraskaOhioSouth CarolinaVermontWisconsinCaliforniaKentuckySouth DakotaNevadaFloridaMarylandPennsylvaniaArizonaRhode IslandIdahoOregonMontanaWashingtonWest VirginiaNew MexicoNew HampshireOklahomaUtahWyomingHawaiiLouisianaMassachusettsConnecticutNew JerseyDelawareDistrict of Columbia

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

West population and land

The West region has 13 states with 80,015,776 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimates, 23.5% of the US total, on 1,752,321 square miles of land. It ranks 2nd of 4 regions by population and 1st by land area. It averages 45.7 people per square mile, 2.1 times sparser than the national figure of 96.3, and ranks 4th of 4 by density.

California is the most populous member with 39,431,263 residents, 49% of the region, while Alaska is the largest by land at 571,242 square miles. Wyoming is the least populous, with 587,618.

States in the West region

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

StateResidentsShareLand sq miPer sq miCounties
California39,431,26349.3%155,859253.058
Washington7,958,1809.9%66,455119.839
Arizona7,582,3849.5%113,65566.715
Colorado5,957,4937.4%103,63757.564
Oregon4,272,3715.3%95,99744.536
Utah3,503,6134.4%82,59642.429
Nevada3,267,4674.1%109,86029.717
New Mexico2,130,2562.7%121,31317.633
Idaho2,001,6192.5%82,64524.244
Hawaii1,446,1461.8%6,423225.25
Montana1,137,2331.4%145,5507.856
Alaska740,1330.9%571,2421.330
Wyoming587,6180.7%97,0896.123
Sorted by population.

Counties in the West region

Its 449 county-equivalents have a median of 22,774 residents, close to the national median county of 26,122. The most populous is Los Angeles County, CA, with 9,757,179; the largest by land is Yukon-Koyukuk, AK, at 145,769 square miles.

The median county household income here is $68,411 in SAIPE 2023, 9% above the national median county, $62,851. It ranges from $37,108 in Mineral County, CO to $154,573 in Santa Clara County, CA.

  1. 01Los Angeles County, CA9,757,179
  2. 02Maricopa County, AZ4,673,096
  3. 03San Diego County, CA3,298,799
  4. 04Orange County, CA3,170,435
  5. 05Riverside County, CA2,529,933
  6. 06Clark County, NV2,398,871
  7. 07King County, WA2,340,211
  8. 08San Bernardino County, CA2,214,281
  9. 09Santa Clara County, CA1,926,325
  10. 10Alameda County, CA1,649,060
Ten most populous county-equivalents, Vintage 2024.

Distances and center

The two member capitals farthest apart are Honolulu and Cheyenne, 3,360 miles in a straight line. Weighting every county's internal point by population puts the region's center of population near 37.96° N, 117.69° W. The method is explained in the center of population guide.

Bordering states compared

22 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 West region?

Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, per the Census Bureau's regions and divisions.

What is the population of the West region?

80,015,776 in the Census Vintage 2024 estimates, 23.5% of the US.

What is the largest state in the West region?

Alaska by land (571,242 square miles) and California by population (39,431,263).

What is the most populous county in the West region?

Los Angeles County, CA, with 9,757,179 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.