West North Central states

The West North Central states are one of nine areas in the United States that the U.S. Census Bureau uses to group states together. These states are in the western part of the Midwestern United States.

There are seven states in this area: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. The Mississippi River helps form the line that separates these states from the eastern half, which includes the East North Central states like Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin.

People often call this area the "Farm Belt" because of its strong farming. It is also known as the "Agricultural Heartland," or just the "Heartland." Since the early 1990s, this area has had low unemployment rates, especially in towns with colleges. It is also famous for having many housing options that cost less money.

Demographics

As of 2020, the West North Central states had about 21.6 million people. This was a small increase from 20.5 million people in 2010. The area covers 507,913 square miles (1,315,489 km²), with an average of about 43 people living in each square mile.

Politics

Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota often pick Republican presidents. Minnesota often picks Democratic presidents. Missouri usually picks Republican presidents. Iowa picked a Republican in 2016 and 2020 but usually picked Democrats before that, except in 2004 when it picked George W. Bush.

• Bold shows the winner of each election.