List of regions of the United States

This is a list of regions of the United States.

Interstate regions 1
- Official regions of the United States 1.1
  - Census Bureau-designated regions and divisions 1.1.1
  - Standard federal regions 1.1.2
  - Federal Reserve banks 1.1.3
  - Time zones 1.1.4
  - Courts of Appeals circuits 1.1.5
  - Bureau of Economic Analysis regions 1.1.6
  - Energy Information Administration 1.1.7
- Unofficial U.S. multi-state regions 1.2
  - The Belts 1.2.1
  - Interstate metropolitan areas 1.2.2
  - Interstate megalopolises 1.2.3
Intrastate regions 2
- Alabama 2.1
- Alaska 2.2
- Arizona 2.3
- Arkansas 2.4
- California 2.5
- Colorado 2.6
- Connecticut 2.7
- Delaware 2.8
- Florida 2.9
- Georgia 2.10
  - Physiographic regions 2.10.1
- Hawaii 2.11
- Idaho 2.12
- Illinois 2.13
- Indiana 2.14
- Iowa 2.15
- Kansas 2.16
- Kentucky 2.17
- Louisiana 2.18
- Maine 2.19
- Maryland 2.20
- Massachusetts 2.21
- Michigan 2.22
- Minnesota 2.23
- Mississippi 2.24
- Missouri 2.25
- Montana 2.26
- Nebraska 2.27
- Nevada 2.28
- New Hampshire 2.29
- New Jersey 2.30
- New Mexico 2.31
- New York 2.32
- North Carolina 2.33
- North Dakota 2.34
- Ohio 2.35
- Oklahoma 2.36
- Oregon 2.37
- Pennsylvania 2.38
- Rhode Island 2.39
- South Carolina 2.40
- South Dakota 2.41
- Tennessee 2.42
- Texas 2.43
- Utah 2.44
- Vermont 2.45
- Virginia 2.46
- Washington 2.47
- West Virginia 2.48
- Wisconsin 2.49
- Wyoming 2.50
Other regional listings 3
See also 4
References 5
External links 6

Interstate regions

Official regions of the United States

Many regions in the United States are defined in law or regulations by the federal government.

Census Bureau-designated regions and divisions

U.S. Census Bureau Regions and Divisions

The United States Census Bureau defines four statistical regions, with nine divisions.^[1] The Census Bureau regions are “widely used … for data collection and analysis.”^[2] The Census Bureau definition is pervasive.^[3]^[4]^[5]

Regional divisions used by the United States Census Bureau:^[6]

Region 1: Northeast
- Division 1: New England (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont)
- Division 2: Mid-Atlantic (New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania)
Region 2: Midwest (Prior to June 1984, the Midwest Region was designated as the North Central Region.)^[6]
- 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: 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)

Standard federal regions

The ten standard federal regions were established by OMB (Office of Management and Budget) Circular A-105, "Standard Federal Regions," in April, 1974, and required for all executive agencies. In recent years, some agencies have tailored their field structures to meet program needs and facilitate interaction with local, state and regional counterparts. However, the OMB must still approve any departures.

Region I: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont
Region II: New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands
Region III: Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia
Region IV: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee
Region V: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin
Region VI: Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas
Region VII: Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska
Region VIII: Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming
Region IX: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada (American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands)
Region X: Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington

Federal Reserve banks

Federal Reserve districts

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.

Time zones

U.S. time zones

Courts of Appeals circuits

U.S. Courts of Appeals circuits

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

Bureau of Economic Analysis regions

The Bureau of Economic Analysis defines regions for comparison of economic data.^[7]

New England: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont
Mideast: Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania
Great Lakes: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin
Plains: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota
Southeast: 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

Energy Information Administration

The Energy Information Administration currently uses the PADD system established by Petroleum Administration for War in World War II.^[8] It is used for data collection on refining petroleum and its products. Each PADD is subdivided into refining districts.

PADD I: East Coast
- East Coast: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida; along with counties in New York east of, north of and including Cayuga, Tompkins, and Chemung; and counties in Pennsylvania east of and including Bradford, Sullivan, Columbia, Montour, Northumberland, Dauphin and York.
- Appalachian No. 1: West Virginia along with counties of Pennsylvania and New York State not mentioned above.
PADD II: Midwest
- Indiana-Illinois-Kentucky: Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Michigan, Ohio
- Minnesota-Wisconsin-North and South Dakota: Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota
- Oklahoma-Kansas-Missouri: Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa
PADD III: Gulf Coast
- Texas Gulf Coast: The Texan counties of Newton, Orange, Jefferson, Jasper, Tyler, Hardin, Liberty, Chambers, Polk, San Jacinto, Montgomery, Harris, Galveston, Waller, Fort Bend, Brazoria, Wharton, Matagorda, Jackson, Victoria, Calhoun, Refugio, Aransas, San Patricio, Nueces, Kleberg, Kenedy, Willacy and Cameron
- Texas Inland: Texan counties not mentioned above.
- Louisiana Gulf Coast: Parishes of Louisiana south of, and including Vernon, Rapides, Avoyelles, Pointe Coupee, West Feliciana, East Feliciana, Saint Helena, Tangipahoa and Washington; along with Pearl River, Stone, George, Hancock, Harrison, and Jackson County of Mississippi; and Alabama's Mobile and Baldwin County.
- North Louisiana-Arkansas: Arkansas and parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama not mentioned above.
- New Mexico: New Mexico
PADD IV: Rocky Mountain: Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado
PADD V: West Coast: Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, Alaska, Hawaii^[9]

PADD I can also be subdivided into 3 Subdistricts:

Sub-PAD 1A: New England (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont)
Sub-PAD 1B: Central Atlantic (Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, District of Columbia)
Sub-PAD 1C: [10]

PADD system was established in World War II and therefore don't accurately reflect current trends. The EIA has updated the PADD system with a complimentary set of regions to reflect this and will change it to suite current needs. (Note: Region 9 includes countries not part of the USA but is included for the sake of completion since it contains Puerto Rico)

Region 1: PADD I
Region 2: PADD II "Inland" (States of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Iowa, Tennessee and Kentucky)
Region 3: PADD II "Lakes" (States of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio)
Region 4: PADD III "Gulf" (Refining districts of Texas Gulf Coast and Louisiana Gulf Coast)
Region 5: PADD III "Inland" (Refining districts of Texas Inland, New Mexico and North Louisiana-Arkansas)
Region 6: PADD IV
Region 7: PADD V "California" (State of California)
Region 8: PADD V "Other" (States of Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon and Washington)
Region 9: "International"
- Maritime Canada (Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick)
- Caribbean (Puerto Rico, Trinidad & Tobago)^[11]

Unofficial U.S. multi-state regions

The Belts

Interstate metropolitan areas

Interstate megalopolises

Intrastate regions

Alabama

Map of Alabama regions

Alaska

The Alaska Panhandle

Arizona

The Arizona Strip

Arkansas

California

Colorado

An enlargeable map of the Front Range Urban Corridor of Colorado and Wyoming

Central Colorado (part of Southern Rocky Mountains)
Colorado Eastern Plains (part of High Plains and Great Plains)
Colorado Front Range (part of Front Range Urban Corridor)
Colorado Mineral Belt (part of Southern Rocky Mountains)
Colorado Piedmont (contains parts of the Front Range Urban Corridor and High Plains)
Colorado Western Slope (part of Southern Rocky Mountains and Colorado Plateau)
Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Area (part of Front Range Urban Corridor)
High Rockies (part of Southern Rocky Mountains)
Northwestern Colorado (part of Southern Rocky Mountains)
San Luis Valley
South-Central Colorado (part of Front Range Urban Corridor)
Southwestern Colorado (part of Southern Rocky Mountains and Colorado Plateau)

Connecticut

Greater Bridgeport Region in location to other officially recognized Connecticut regions with regional governments.

Connecticut Panhandle and "The Oblong"

In Connecticut, there are 15 official regions, each with a regional government that serves for the absence of county government in Connecticut. There are also a fair number of unofficial regions in Connecticut with no regional government.

Central Naugatuck Valley
Coastal Connecticut
Connecticut panhandle
Greater Bridgeport
Greater New Haven
Greater Hartford
Housatonic Valley(shared with Massachusetts)
Litchfield Hills
Lower Connecticut River Valley
Naugatuck River Valley
New York Metropolitan Area/Gold Coast
Quiet Corner
Southeastern Connecticut
Southwestern Connecticut

Delaware

"Upstate" or "Up North"

Delaware Valley also known as "Above the Canal" (referring to the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal)

"Slower Lower"

Florida

The First Coast

Florida Panhandle

Directional regions

Local vernacular regions

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

Atlanta metropolitan area
Central Savannah River Area
Colonial Coast
The Golden Isles of Georgia
Historic South
Inland Empire
North Georgia mountains
Southern Rivers

Physiographic regions

Hawaii

Hawaii / Big Island
- Hamakua Coast
- Puna District
Kahoolawe
Kauai
Lānai
Maui
Molokai
Niihau
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
Oahu

Idaho

Idaho Panhandle

Illinois

Southern Illinois is also known as "Little Egypt".

Indiana

Regions of Indiana

Iowa

Regions of Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Kentucky's regions (click on image for color-coding information.)

Louisiana

Map of Louisiana regions

Acadiana

Central Louisiana (Cen-La)
Florida Parishes
French Louisiana (Acadiana + Greater New Orleans)
Greater New Orleans
North Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Geographic regions of Maryland

Massachusetts

Berkshire region of Massachusetts

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

Michigan

Regions in Lower and Upper Michigan

Minnesota

Regions of Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Missouri Bootheel

Montana

Nebraska

Nebraska Panhandle

Nevada

New Hampshire

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

North Jersey
- Skylands
  - Amwell Valley
  - Black Dirt Region (shared with New York)
  - Great Valley
    - Sussex County Snow Belt
  - 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
Central Jersey
South Jersey
- Shore Region
  - Northern Headlands
    - Irish Riviera
  - Pine Barrens
- Delaware Valley
  - Pine Barrens
  - The Sourlands
- Southern Shore
  - Cape May
  - The Glades
  - Tri Cities (Bridgeton, Millville, Vineland)
  - Tri-County Farm Belt
- Greater Atlantic City
  - Pine Barrens
  - Central Corridor Piedmont Region

New Mexico

New York

Regions of New York as defined by the New York State Department of Economic Development

North Carolina

Regions of North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

The area roughly covered by the Great Black Swamp

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)
The Lake Erie Islands
Miami Valley
Northeast Ohio (often used interchangeably with Greater Cleveland, but also includes the counties of Ashtabula, Portage, Summit, and Trumbull.)
Northwest Ohio

Oklahoma

Oklahoma Panhandle

Oregon

Oregon topography

Oregon's High Desert

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

Travel/Tourism locations

Other geographical distinctions

South Dakota

Tennessee

Other geographical distinctions:

Texas

Texas Panhandle

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
- Mission Country
- 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
- Edwards Plateau
- Llano Estacado (a portion of northwest Texas)
- Permian Basin
- South Plains (includes 24 counties south of the Texas Panhandle)
- Texas Panhandle (pictured)
- Trans-Pecos
- Great Plains

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Map of the Shenandoah Valley

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Door Peninsula

Wyoming

Other regional listings

Boy Scouts of America regions in 1992

Regions of the Boy Scouts of America

References

^ United States Census Bureau, Geography Division. "Census Regions and Divisions of the United States". Retrieved 2013-01-10.
^ "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 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
^ ^a ^b "Census Bureau Regions and Divisions with State FIPS Codes". US Census Bureau. Retrieved 20 June 2010.
^ "BEA Regions". Bureau of Economic Analysis. February 18, 2004. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
^ "Records of Petroleum Administration for War". Retrieved January 3, 2012.
^ "Appedix A: District Description and Maps". Energy Information Administration. October 2012. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
^ "PADD Definitions". Energy Information Administration. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
^ "Annual Energy Outlook 2012". Energy Information Administration. June 25, 2012. Retrieved January 3, 2012.

External links

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

Regions of the United States

Administrative
(political)

Units	U.S. state District of Columbia Insular area Minor Outlying Island Maritime territory

Time zones	Hawaii–Aleutian Alaska Pacific Mountain Central Eastern

Census	West Pacific Mountain Midwest E N Central W N Central Northeast New England Middle Atlantic South S Atlantic E S Central W S Central

Courts of appeals	1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th

Physical

Physiographic	Pacific Mountain Intermontane Plateaus Rocky Mountain Superior Upland Interior Plains Interior Highlands Appalachian Atlantic Plain

Coastal	Arctic West Great Lakes Gulf East

Historical

Cessions and accessions	13 Colonies Louisiana Purchase Gadsden Purchase Texas Annexation Oregon Treaty Mexican Cession Alaska Purchase Newlands Resolution

Civil War	Union Border states Confederacy Old South Dixie Slave states Theaters Pacific Western Trans-Mississippi Lower Seaboard Eastern

Divided

Other

List
Category

United States political regions

States	Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

Federal district	Washington, D.C.

Insular areas	American Samoa Guam Northern Mariana Islands Puerto Rico U.S. Virgin Islands

United States Census geography

Regional

Native areas

Legal	Alaska Native Regional Corporation American Indian reservation list American Indian tribal subdivision Hawaiian home land Off-reservation trust land

Statistical	Alaska Native village statistical area Oklahoma tribal statistical area Joint-use area State designated tribal statistical areas Tribal designated statistical area

Metropolitan

State-level

County-level

Local

United States topics

History

Timeline	Pre-Columbian era Colonial era Thirteen Colonies Military history Continental Congress American Revolution War American frontier Federalist Era War of 1812 Territorial acquisitions Territorial evolution Mexican–American War Civil War Reconstruction Era Indian Wars Gilded Age Progressive Era African-American Civil Rights Movement (1896–1954) Spanish–American War Imperialism World War I Roaring Twenties Great Depression World War II Home front Cold War Korean War Space Race African-American Civil Rights Movement (1954–68) Feminist Movement Vietnam War Post-Cold War (1991–present) War on Terror War in Afghanistan Iraq War Timeline of modern American conservatism

By topic	Demographic Discoveries Economic Debt ceiling Inventions before 1890 1890–1945 1946–91 after 1991 Military Postal Technological and industrial

Geography

Cities, towns, and villages
Counties
Extreme points
Islands
Mountains
- Peaks
- Appalachian
- Rocky
National Park System
Regions
- West Coast
- East Coast
- Great Plains
- Mid-Atlantic
- Midwestern
- New England
- Northwestern
- Northeastern
- Southwestern
- Southeastern
- Western
- Eastern
- Northern
- Southern
- Pacific
Rivers
- Colorado
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States
Territory
Water supply and sanitation

Politics

Federal

Executive	President Executive Office Cabinet / Executive departments Civil service Independent agencies Law enforcement Public policy

Legislature	Congress Senate Vice President President pro tem House of Representatives Speaker

Judiciary	Supreme Court Federal judiciary Courts of appeals District courts

Law	Constitution Federalism Preemption Separation of powers Bill of Rights Civil liberties Code of Federal Regulations Federal Reporter United States Code United States Reports

Intelligence	Central Intelligence Agency Defense Intelligence Agency National Security Agency Federal Bureau of Investigation National Reconnaissance Office National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Office of the Director of National Intelligence

Uniformed	Armed Forces Air Force Army Marine Corps Navy National Guard Coast Guard NOAA Corps Public Health Service Corps

Economy

Society

Culture	Architecture Art Cinema Crime Cuisine Dance Demographics Education Family structure Fashion Flag Folklore Health care Health insurance Incarceration Languages American English Spanish French German Italian Literature Media Music Names People Philosophy Public holidays Radio Religion Sports Television Theater

Social class	Affluence American Dream Educational attainment Homelessness Homeownership Household income Income inequality Middle class Personal income Poverty Professional and working class conflict Standard of living Smoking Wealth

Issues	Abortion Affirmative action Anti-Americanism Capital punishment Criticism Discrimination Drug policy Energy policy Environmental movement Exceptionalism Gun politics Health care reform Human rights Immigration Illegal Immigration International rankings LGBT rights Same-sex marriage Nationalism Obesity Racism Separation of church and state Terrorism

List of regions of North America

Sovereign states	Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Belize Canada Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago United States

Dependencies and other territories	Anguilla Aruba Bermuda Bonaire British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Curaçao Greenland Guadeloupe Martinique Montserrat Puerto Rico Saint Barthélemy Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saba Sint Eustatius Sint Maarten Turks and Caicos Islands United States Virgin Islands

List of regions of the United States