West North Central States

The West North Central States form one of the nine geographic divisions within the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 that are officially recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau

United States Census Bureau

The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about...

.

Seven states comprise the division: Iowa

Iowa

Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland." It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of...

, Kansas

Kansas

Kansas is a state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa tribe, who inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south wind," although this was...

, Minnesota

Minnesota

Minnesota is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. The twelfth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.2 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the...

, Missouri

Missouri

Missouri is a state in the Midwest region of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. Missouri is the 18th most populous state with a 2008 estimated population of 5,911,605. It comprises 114 counties and one independent city....

, Nebraska

Nebraska

Nebraska is a state located on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha....

, North Dakota

North Dakota

North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America; on the Canadian border halfway between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. North Dakota is the 19th largest state by area in the U.S.; it is the 3^rd least populous, with just over 641,481 residents as...

 and South Dakota

South Dakota

South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. South Dakota was carved out of the southern half of the Dakota Territory and admitted to the Union on November 2, 1889...

, and it makes up the western half of the United States Census Bureau

United States Census Bureau

The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about...

's larger region

Region

Region is most commonly a geographical term that is used in various ways among the different branches of geography. In general, a region is a medium-scale area of land or water, smaller than the whole areas of interest , and larger than a specific site...

 of the Midwest, the eastern half of which consists of the East North Central States

East North Central States

The East North Central States form one of the nine geographic divisions within the United States which are officially recognized by the United States Census Bureau....

 of Illinois

Illinois

Illinois , the 21st state admitted to the United States of America, is the most populous and demographically diverse Midwestern state and the fifth most populous state in the nation...

, Indiana

Indiana

Indiana is a U.S. state, the 19^th admitted to the Union. It is located in the Great Lakes region, and with approximately 6.3 million residents, is ranked 16^th in population and 17^th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38^th in land area, and is the...

, Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Ojibwe term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

, Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state of the United States. The thirty-fourth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the seventh-most populous with nearly 11.5 million residents...

 and Wisconsin

Wisconsin

Wisconsin is one of the fifty U.S. states. Located in the north-central United States, Wisconsin is considered part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the...

. The Mississippi River

Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the second longest river in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico....

 marks the bulk of the boundary between these two divisions.

Where the East North Central States are seen as being synonymous (though not absolutely coterminous) with the Rust Belt

Rust Belt

The Rust Belt, also known as the Manufacturing Belt, is an area in parts of the Northeastern United States, Mid-Atlantic States, and portions of the Upper Midwest. The region can be broadly defined as the region beginning west of the BosWash corridor and running west to Minnesota, particularly the...

 by the vast majority of Americans, the West North Central States are regarded as constituting the core of the nation's "Farm Belt." Almost all of the territory contained within the West North Central division falls into what Joel Garreau

Joel Garreau

Joel Garreau is an American journalist and author. Currently he works as the editor in charge of "cultural revolution" reporting at The Washington Post, as senior fellow at the School of Public Policy at George Mason University, and principal of The Garreau Group, which is "dedicated to the...

 called The Breadbasket in his 1981 book The Nine Nations of North America, and what James Patterson

James Patterson

James B. Patterson is an American author of thriller novels, largely known for his series about African-American psychologist Alex Cross.-Biography:James Pattersonis a former chairman of the advertising company J. Walter Thompson...

 and Peter Kim labelled the Granary in their similarly-themed work The Day America Told The Truth (the only exception being southern Missouri, placed in Dixie

Dixie

Dixie is a nickname for the Southern United States.- Origin of Dixie :According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the origins of this nickname remain obscure. According to A Dictionary of Americanisms on Historical Principles , by Mitford M...

 by Garreau and Old Dixie by Patterson and Kim).

The West North Central States form one of the nine geographic divisions within the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 that are officially recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau

United States Census Bureau

The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about...

.

Seven states comprise the division: Iowa

Iowa

Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland." It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of...

, Kansas

Kansas

Kansas is a state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa tribe, who inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south wind," although this was...

, Minnesota

Minnesota

Minnesota is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. The twelfth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.2 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the...

, Missouri

Missouri

Missouri is a state in the Midwest region of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. Missouri is the 18th most populous state with a 2008 estimated population of 5,911,605. It comprises 114 counties and one independent city....

, Nebraska

Nebraska

Nebraska is a state located on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha....

, North Dakota

North Dakota

North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America; on the Canadian border halfway between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. North Dakota is the 19th largest state by area in the U.S.; it is the 3^rd least populous, with just over 641,481 residents as...

 and South Dakota

South Dakota

South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. South Dakota was carved out of the southern half of the Dakota Territory and admitted to the Union on November 2, 1889...

, and it makes up the western half of the United States Census Bureau

United States Census Bureau

The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about...

's larger region

Region

Region is most commonly a geographical term that is used in various ways among the different branches of geography. In general, a region is a medium-scale area of land or water, smaller than the whole areas of interest , and larger than a specific site...

 of the Midwest, the eastern half of which consists of the East North Central States

East North Central States

The East North Central States form one of the nine geographic divisions within the United States which are officially recognized by the United States Census Bureau....

 of Illinois

Illinois

Illinois , the 21st state admitted to the United States of America, is the most populous and demographically diverse Midwestern state and the fifth most populous state in the nation...

, Indiana

Indiana

Indiana is a U.S. state, the 19^th admitted to the Union. It is located in the Great Lakes region, and with approximately 6.3 million residents, is ranked 16^th in population and 17^th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38^th in land area, and is the...

, Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Ojibwe term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

, Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state of the United States. The thirty-fourth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the seventh-most populous with nearly 11.5 million residents...

 and Wisconsin

Wisconsin

Wisconsin is one of the fifty U.S. states. Located in the north-central United States, Wisconsin is considered part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the...

. The Mississippi River

Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the second longest river in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico....

 marks the bulk of the boundary between these two divisions.

Where the East North Central States are seen as being synonymous (though not absolutely coterminous) with the Rust Belt

Rust Belt

The Rust Belt, also known as the Manufacturing Belt, is an area in parts of the Northeastern United States, Mid-Atlantic States, and portions of the Upper Midwest. The region can be broadly defined as the region beginning west of the BosWash corridor and running west to Minnesota, particularly the...

 by the vast majority of Americans, the West North Central States are regarded as constituting the core of the nation's "Farm Belt." Almost all of the territory contained within the West North Central division falls into what Joel Garreau

Joel Garreau

Joel Garreau is an American journalist and author. Currently he works as the editor in charge of "cultural revolution" reporting at The Washington Post, as senior fellow at the School of Public Policy at George Mason University, and principal of The Garreau Group, which is "dedicated to the...

 called The Breadbasket in his 1981 book The Nine Nations of North America, and what James Patterson

James Patterson

James B. Patterson is an American author of thriller novels, largely known for his series about African-American psychologist Alex Cross.-Biography:James Pattersonis a former chairman of the advertising company J. Walter Thompson...

 and Peter Kim labelled the Granary in their similarly-themed work The Day America Told The Truth (the only exception being southern Missouri, placed in Dixie

Dixie

Dixie is a nickname for the Southern United States.- Origin of Dixie :According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the origins of this nickname remain obscure. According to A Dictionary of Americanisms on Historical Principles , by Mitford M...

 by Garreau and Old Dixie by Patterson and Kim). Another name popularly applied to the division is the "Agricultural Heartland," or simply the "Heartland."

In the early 1990s, the West North Central division has consistently had the lowest unemployment

Unemployment

Unemployment occurs when a person is available to work and seeking work but currently without work. The prevalence of unemployment is usually measured using the unemployment rate, which is defined as the percentage of those in the labor force who are unemployed...

 rate in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 (especially in its many college towns), and has also been noted for its plentiful supply of affordable housing.

As of 2000, the West North Central States had a combined population of 19,237,739. This number was estimated to increase 3.0% to 19,815,497 by 2005. The West North Central region covers of land, and has an average population density of 37.88 people per square mile.

States in the West North Central Region

State	2007 est.	Land area	Density
Iowa	2,988,046 (3rd)	56,272 (7th)	53.5 (3rd)
Kansas	2,775,997 (4th)	82,277 (2nd)	32.9 (4th)
Minnesota	5,197,621 (2nd)	87,014 (1st)	65.3 (2nd)
Missouri	5,911,605 (1st)	68,886 (6th)	81.22 (1st)
Nebraska	1,774,571 (5th)	76,872 (3rd)	23.08 (5th)
North Dakota	639,715 (7th)	68,976 (5th)	9.27 (7th)
South Dakota	796,214 (6th)	75,886 (4th)	10.49 (6th)

Largest Cities in the West North Central Region

	City	2000 Pop.
1	Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties. It is one of two county seats of Jackson County, the other being Independence, just to the city's east...	447,306
2	Omaha, Nebraska Omaha, Nebraska Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...	390,007
3	Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Hennepin County. The city lies on both banks of the Mississippi River, just north of the river's confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Saint Paul, the state's capital. Known as the Twin Cities,...	382,618
4	St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. With an estimated population of 354,361 in 2008, it is the principal municipality of Greater St. Louis, population 2,866,517, the largest urban area in Missouri and sixteenth largest in the United States...	354,361
5	Wichita, Kansas Wichita, Kansas Wichita is a city in and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2000 census its population was 344,284. The 2006 estimated population of 361,420 made it the 51st largest city in the country and the most populous city in Kansas...	344,284
6	St. Paul, Minnesota	287,151
7	Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln, Nebraska The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second most populous city of the U.S. state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska...	225,581
8	Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...	198,682
9	Springfield, Missouri Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is the county seat of Greene County. On July 1, 2008, the estimated population was 156,206. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 426,144, is ranked 114th in the U.S., includes the counties of Christian, Dallas,...	151,580
10	Overland Park, Kansas Overland Park, Kansas Overland Park is the second most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas. Located in Johnson County, it has traditionally been considered a satellite city of Kansas City, Missouri, and is located adjacent to Olathe, Lenexa, Prairie Village and Leawood. The population was 149,080 at the 2000...	149,080
11	Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is a satellite city of Kansas City, Missouri and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city is part of the "Unified Government" which also includes the...	146,866
12	Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Dakota. Sioux Falls is the county seat of Minnehaha County, and also extends into Lincoln County to the south. It anchors the fastest growing metro area in the Midwest, with a total increase of 22% since 2000.As of the 2000 census, Sioux...	123,975
13	Topeka, Kansas Topeka, Kansas Topeka is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. The population was 122,377 at the 2000 census, and it was estimated...	122,377
14	Cedar Rapids, Iowa Cedar Rapids, Iowa Cedar Rapids is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Iowa and is the county seat of Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River, north of Iowa City and east of Des Moines, the largest city and state's capital. City Hall and the County Courthouse are located on Mays...	120,758
15	Independence, Missouri Independence, Missouri Independence is the fourth largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri, and is contained within the counties of Jackson and Clay. It is part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city had a total population of 110,440 in 2008, and is the 224th largest city in the United States...	113,288
16	Davenport, Iowa Davenport, Iowa Davenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. As of the 2000 census, the city had a population of 98,359 and is Iowa's third-largest city. Davenport is one of the Quad Cities, along...	98,359
17	Olathe, Kansas Olathe, Kansas Olathe is a city in and the county seat of Johnson County, Kansas, United States. Located in northeastern Kansas, it is also the fifth most populous city in the state, with an estimated population of 118,034 in 2007. As a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, Olathe is the fourth-largest city in the...	92,962
18	Fargo, North Dakota Fargo, North Dakota Fargo is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Cass County. In 2008, its population was estimated at nearly 100,000 and it had an estimated metropolitan population of 195,685...	90,599
19	Duluth, Minnesota Duluth, Minnesota Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,918 in the 2000 census and 84,397 according to July 1, 2007 census estimates. The Duluth MSA had a population of 275,486 in 2000...	86,918
20	Rochester, Minnesota Rochester, Minnesota Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on both banks of the Zumbro River, it is perhaps best known as the home of Mayo Clinic and is also home to the largest IBM facility under one roof in the world...	85,806
21	Bloomington, Minnesota Bloomington, Minnesota Bloomington is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota in Hennepin County, and the third core city of the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI MSA. Located on the north bank of the Minnesota River above its confluence with the Mississippi River, Bloomington lies at the heart of the...	85,172
22	Sioux City, Iowa Sioux City, Iowa Sioux City is a city in Plymouth and Woodbury counties in the western part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,013 at the 2000 census; census estimates showed a slight decline to 82,807 by 2008...	85,013
23	Columbia, Missouri Columbia, Missouri Columbia is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the largest city in Mid-Missouri. With an estimated population of 100,733 in 2008, it is the principal municipality of the Columbia Metropolitan Area, a region of 164,283 residents. The city serves as the county seat of Boone...	84,351
24	Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence is the 6th largest city in the U.S. State of Kansas and the county seat of Douglas County. Located in northeastern Kansas, Lawrence is the anchor city of the Lawrence, Kansas Metropolitan Area which encompasses all of Douglas County...	80,098
25	St. Joseph, Missouri	73,990
26	Lee's Summit, Missouri Lee's Summit, Missouri Lee's Summit is a city in Cass and Jackson Counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. The U.S. Census extimated the city's population at 84,208 in 2008. However, the city's development report estimated its population at 92,927 in 2009, making it the sixth-largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan...	70,700
27	Waterloo, Iowa Waterloo, Iowa Waterloo is in the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 68,747, with an estimated population of 66,662 in 2008. It belongs to the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is the larger of the two cities, by...	68,747
28	Brooklyn Park, Minnesota Brooklyn Park, Minnesota Brooklyn Park is the sixth most populous city in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies on the west bank of the Mississippi River upstream from downtown Minneapolis in northern Hennepin County. Brooklyn Park is the second largest suburb of Minneapolis-Saint Paul, the sixteenth largest...	67,388
29	Plymouth, Minnesota Plymouth, Minnesota Plymouth is the seventh largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota. Located northwest of downtown Minneapolis in Hennepin County, the city is the third largest suburb of Minneapolis-Saint Paul, which is the sixteenth largest metropolitan area in the United States, with about 3.2 million...	65,894
30	Eagan, Minnesota Eagan, Minnesota Eagan is a city south of Saint Paul in Dakota County in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies on the south bank of the Minnesota River, upstream from the confluence with the Mississippi River. Eagan and nearby suburbs form the southern portion of Minneapolis-St. Paul, the sixteenth largest...	63,557

{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|-
{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|-
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+Largest Metropolitan Areas   (2007)
|-
| 1
| Twin Cities, MN (Minneapolis)
| 3,208,212
|-
| 2
| St. Louis, MO-IL
| 2,871,421
|-
| 3
| Kansas City, MO-KS
| 1,985,429
|-
| 4
| Omaha, NE-IA
| 829,890
|-
| 5
| Wichita, KS
| 596,452
|-
| 6
| Des Moines, IA
| 546,599
|-
| 7
| Quad Cities

Quad Cities

The Quad Cities is a geographic region of the Mid-Mississippi Valley of the United States that includes several communities in the states of Iowa and Illinois. As of 2008, the population is 377,625...

 IA-IL (Davenport

Davenport, Iowa

Davenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. As of the 2000 census, the city had a population of 98,359 and is Iowa's third-largest city. Davenport is one of the Quad Cities, along...

)
| 376,160
|-
| 8
| Lincoln, NE
| 292,219
|-
| 9
| Duluth, MN-WI
| 274,308
|-
| 10
| Cedar Rapids, IA
| 252,784
|}