The East North Central states is a region of the United States defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, containing five states: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin.[1] These states border the Great Lakes, West North Central, the Southeastern, and Northeastern states; the Eastern North Central states also share a land border with Canada through Michigan's Upper Peninsula, southeastern, and mid-Michigan regions. As one of two subregional divisions used to categorize the Midwest, East North Central closely matches the area of the Northwest Territory, excluding a portion of Minnesota.
East North Central
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| Composition |
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| Metropolitan areas |
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| Area | |
| • Total | 299,170 sq mi (774,800 km2) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 47,368,533 |
| • Density | 158/sq mi (61/km2) |
The East North Central states also form a large part of the Great Lakes region,[2] although the latter also includes Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania and the Canadian provinceofOntario. It has a low rate of population growth and the estimated population as of 2019 was 46,902,431,[3] though the 2020 census numbered 47,368,533 residents. The Great Lakes bordering the area provide access to the Atlantic Ocean via the Great Lakes Waterway and St. Lawrence Seaway, or by the Erie Canal and the Hudson River, or via the Gulf of Mexico from the Mississippi River and the Illinois Waterway. Chicago and Detroit—two of East North Central's largest cities—are among the major ports of the United States.
Culturally, this region of the U.S. has been historically influenced by the British and French; Anglo-American culture permeated states covering the region following the expansion of the United States. Religiously, the East North Central states have been and remain predominantly affiliated with Christianity. Altogether, the five states are majority Catholic, non- and inter-denominational, Methodist, Lutheran, and Baptist. The largest non-Christian religion has been Islam.[4]
During European colonization of the Americas, the modern-day East North Central states was occupied by numerous American Indian tribes; with the introduction of European Americans into the region, it was divided between the British colonial empire in America and New France. The western portion of this region formed part of French Louisiana,[5][6] and following U.S. independence, the eastern half was ceded to the United States from Great Britain.[7] Since American settlement, the modern-day East North Central states has remained the most populous division of the Midwest despite the overall region's low population growth rates.
Geographically located within the North, East North Central is considered part of the Midwest and Great Lakes regions, sharing maritime and land borders with Canada.[2] As half of the Midwest, the majority of it shares a humid continental climate, and many of its coastal settlements encounter lake effect snow during the winter.
| State | 2019 estimate | Land area |
|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 12,671,821 | 57,915 |
| Indiana | 6,732,219 | 36,418 |
| Michigan | 9,986,857 | 96,716 |
| Ohio | 11,689,100 | 44,825 |
| Wisconsin | 5,822,434 | 65,497 |
In 2010, the East North Central states had a population of 46,421,564; this grew to an estimated 46,902,431 by 2019.[8] By the 2020 United States census, the region's population increased to 47,368,533. Of its population, Illinois is the region's most populous with a 2020 population of 12,812,508.[9] Its least populous is Wisconsin, with 5,893,718 residents.[10] Chicago is the region's most populous city and largest metropolitan area. According to the 2010 American Community Survey, 49.1% of the residents were male and 50.9% were female. Approximately 24.0% of the population were under 18 years of age, and 13.4% were over 65 years of age, and the median age for the region was 39.2.
In terms of race and ethnicity as of 2012, White Americans made up 79.5% of the population, of which 75.7% were whites of non-Hispanic origin. Black Americans composed 12.1% of the region's population, of which 11.9% were blacks of non-Hispanic origin. American Indians and Alaskan Natives were 0.4% of the population and Asians were 2.7%. People who were of two or more races formed 2.1% of the population; and Hispanics and Latinos of any race made up 7.6%.[11]
Linguistically, English is, by far, the most common language spoken at home. Approximately 89.3% of all residents (38.3 million people) over the age of five spoke only English at home. Roughly 2,516,000 people (5.9% of the population) spoke Spanish at home and roughly 2,016,000 people (5.8% of the population) spoke another languages at home. Around 270,000 (0.6%) spoke German at home, although this figure ranges from 2% to 37% in Northeast Ohio, which is home to a large Amish community.[12][13]
| City | 2019 pop. | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicago, Illinois | 2,693,976 |
| 2 | Columbus, Ohio | 898,553 |
| 3 | Indianapolis, Indiana | 876,384 |
| 4 | Detroit, Michigan | 670,031 |
| 5 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | 590,157 |
| 6 | Cleveland, Ohio | 381,009 |
| 7 | Cincinnati, Ohio | 303,940 |
| 8 | Toledo, Ohio | 272,779 |
| 9 | Fort Wayne, Indiana | 270,402 |
| 10 | Madison, Wisconsin | 259,680 |
| MSA | 2019 pop. | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI MSA | 9,458,539 |
| 2 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI MSA | 4,319,629 |
| 3 | Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN MSA | 2,221,208 |
| 4 | Columbus, OH MSA | 2,122,271 |
| 5 | Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN MSA | 2,074,537 |
| 6 | Cleveland-Elyria, OH MSA | 2,048,449 |
| 7 | Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI MSA | 1,575,179 |
| 8 | Grand Rapids-Kentwood, MI MSA | 1,077,370 |
| 9 | Dayton-Kettering, OH MSA | 807,611 |
| 10 | Akron, OH MSA | 703,479 |
| Parties | ||||
| Democratic-Republican | Democratic | Whig | Republican | Progressive |
| 2020 United States Presidential Election Results in
East North Central | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Total voters | Percentage | |||
| Joe Biden (D) | 11,828,288 | 49.8% | |||
| Donald Trump (R) | 11,591,494 | 48.8% | |||
| Jo Jorgensen (L) | 291,885 | 1.2% | |||
| Total | 23,711,667 | 100% | |||
There are also two deregistered parties that have active executive committees.
| The Greens | |
| Libertarian |
