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List of regions of the United States facts for kids

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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

Census Regions and Division of the United States
U.S. Census Bureau regions and divisions

Since 1950, the United States Census Bureau defines four statistical regions, with nine divisions. The Census Bureau region definition is "widely used ... for data collection and analysis", and is the most commonly used classification system.

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

Federal Reserve Banks

Federal Reserve Districts Map
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. 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.

  1. Boston
  2. New York
  3. Philadelphia
  4. Cleveland
  5. Richmond
  6. Atlanta
  7. Chicago
  8. St. Louis
  9. Minneapolis
  10. Kansas City
  11. Dallas
  12. San Francisco

Time zones

Main article: Time in the United States
US-Timezones
U.S. time zones. (Some U.S. time zones are not on this map.)

Courts of Appeals circuits

Main article: United States courts of appeals
US Court of Appeals and District Court map
U.S. 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", 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, and the complete rescinding of the standard region system in 1995, several agencies continue to follow the system, including the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Regions and office locations

Regions of the United States EPA
Regions of the U.S. EPA
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 Virgin Islands

Region III

Office location: Philadelphia

States: Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, 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

Unofficial regions

Multi-state regions

Multi-territory regions

The Belts

For a more comprehensive list, see List of belt regions of the United States.

Interstate megalopolises

See also: Megaregions of the United States
Further information: Megalopolis
  • Arizona Sun Corridor
  • California
  • Cascadia
  • Great Lakes
  • Gulf Coast
  • Northeast
  • Piedmont Atlantic
  • Southern Rocky Mountain Front

Interstate metropolitan areas

See also: Tri-state area
  • Central Savannah River Area (part of Georgia and South Carolina)
  • Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area (District of Columbia 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 (Philadelphia metropolitan area) (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

AlaCounties
A map of Alabama regions.

Alaska

Alaska Panhandle
The Alaska Panhandle

American Samoa

Aq-map
American Samoa

Arizona

For a more comprehensive list, see List of regions of Arizona.
Az strip
The Arizona Strip

Arkansas

Arkansas Regions Colored With Names
Regions of Arkansas

California

For a more comprehensive list, see List of regions of California.

Colorado

Main article: Geography of Colorado
Front Range Urban Corridor
An enlargeable map of the Front Range Urban Corridor of Colorado and Wyoming.

Connecticut

For a more comprehensive list, see Councils of governments in Connecticut.
Planning Regions of Connecticut
Map highlighting the 9 official regions of Connecticut

Connecticut has 9 official planning regions. These regions operate as councils of governments, and are recognized as county equivalents by the U.S. Census Bureau.

  • Capitol Region
  • Greater Bridgeport
  • Lower Connecticut River Valley
  • Naugatuck Valley
  • Northeastern Connecticut
  • Northwest Hills
  • South Central Connecticut
  • Southeastern Connecticut
  • Western Connecticut

Some of Connecticut's informal regions include:

Delaware

Delawarevalleymap
The Delaware Valley

"Upstate" or "Up North"

"Slower Lower"

District of Columbia

Main article: Neighborhoods in Washington, D.C.

Florida

For a more comprehensive list, see List of regions of Florida.
The First Coast
The First Coast
Panhandle Florida
The Florida Panhandle

Directional regions

Local vernacular regions

Georgia

Physiographic regions

Guam

Hawaiianislandchain USGS
Hawaiian archipelago
Hawaii islands
Main Hawaiian Islands

Hawaii

Idaho

Map of Idaho highlighting Idaho Panhandle
The Idaho Panhandle

Illinois

Main article: Regions of Illinois
Littleegyptmap
Southern Illinois is also known as "Little Egypt".

Indiana

Main article: Geography of Indiana
IndianaRegions
Regions of Indiana

Iowa

IowaRegions2012
Regions of Iowa.

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Louisiana regions map
A map of Louisiana's regions
  • Cajun Heartland
  • River Parishes

Maine

Maryland

Regions of Maryland USA
Maryland's regions

Regions shared with other states:

Massachusetts

Berkshire ma highlight
The Berkshire region of Massachusetts

Michigan

Main article: Geography of Michigan
Michigan Regions
Michigan's regions

Lower Peninsula

Main article: Lower Peninsula of Michigan

Upper Peninsula

Main article: Upper Peninsula of Michigan

Minnesota

Main article: Geography of Minnesota
Regions of Minnesota
Regions of Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Map of Missouri highlighting Bootheel
The Missouri Bootheel

Montana

For a more comprehensive list, see List of regions of Montana.

Nebraska

Map of Nebraska highlighting Panhandle
The Nebraska Panhandle

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

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

North Carolina

NC regions
Regions of North Carolina.

North Dakota

Northern Mariana Islands

Northern Mariana Islands map
Northern Mariana Islands

Ohio

Black Swamp
     The area roughly covered by the Great Black Swamp

Oklahoma

Map of Oklahoma highlighting Panhandle
The Oklahoma Panhandle

Oregon

Main article: List of regions of Oregon
Oregon DEM relief map
Oregon's topography
Map of Oregon High Desert Country
Oregon's High Desert

Pennsylvania

Main article: Regions of Pennsylvania

Puerto Rico

Rico (1)
Puerto Rico

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

South Dakota East River West River
South Dakota
East River and West River

Tennessee

Main article: Grand Divisions of Tennessee

Texas

Main article: List of geographical regions in Texas
Texas Panhandle
The Texas Panhandle

U.S. Minor Outlying Islands

United States Minor Outlying Islands
The United States Minor Outlying Islands (Navassa Island not on map)

U.S. Virgin Islands

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Shenandoah watershed
A map of the Shenandoah Valley

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wisconsin geographic provinces
Wisconsin's five geographic regions

Wisconsin can be divided into five geographic regions.

Wyoming

See also

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