West North Central states

The West North Central states form one of the nine geographic subdivisions within the United States that are officially recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau.

This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (April 2020)

Quick Facts Composition, Metropolitan areas ...

West North Central
Top, left to right: Minneapolis, St. Paul, St. Louis, and Kansas City
Composition	Iowa Kansas Minnesota Missouri Nebraska North Dakota South Dakota
Metropolitan areas	Twin Cities, MN St. Louis, MO Kansas City, MO Omaha, NE Wichita, KS Des Moines, IA Sioux Falls, SD Fargo, ND
Largest city	Kansas City, MO
Area
• Total	507,913 sq mi (1,315,490 km2)
Population  (2020)
• Total	21,616,921
• Density	43/sq mi (16/km2)

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Seven states compose the division: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota and it makes up the western half of the United States Census Bureau's larger region of the Midwest, the eastern half of which consists of the East North Central states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin.^[1] The Mississippi River marks the bulk of the boundary between these two divisions.

The West North Central states are regarded as constituting the core of the nation's "Farm Belt." Another name popularly applied to the division is the "Agricultural Heartland," or simply the "Heartland."

Since the early 1990s, the West North Central division has consistently had the lowest unemployment rate in the United States (especially in its many college towns), and has also been noted for its plentiful supply of affordable housing.

As of 2020, the West North Central states had a combined population of 21,616,921. This number is a 5.4% increase from 20,505,437 in 2010. The West North Central region covers 507,913 square miles (1,315,489 km²) of land, and has an average population density of 42.56 people per square mile.

Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota have consistently voted for Republican presidential candidates since 1968. Minnesota has consistently voted for Democratic presidential candidates since 1976. Missouri has consistently voted for Republican presidential candidates since 2000. Iowa voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020, but previously voted for Democratic presidential candidates from 2012 to 1988, except in 2004 when it voted for George W. Bush.

• Bold denotes election winner.

• Great Plains

^† McCain and Trump won the overall state, but Barack Obama won Nebraska's 2nd congressional district in the 2008 election, while Joe Biden won it in the 2020 election and Kamala Harris won it in the 2024 election.