5 core states + DC · up to 7 · 49,660,115 people (core) · Eastern time
Mid-Atlantic states map
The Mid-Atlantic is the coast between New England and the South: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and Washington, DC, with Virginia and West Virginia added in some definitions.
How the region is defined
Mid-Atlantic is an informal region, not a Census one, and its edges move depending on who is using it. Nearly everyone includes New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and the District of Columbia. Virginia is added by the National Park Service and many federal agencies; West Virginia sometimes goes along with it. The Census Bureau's Middle Atlantic division is a narrower official term covering only New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, with Delaware and Maryland placed in the South Atlantic.
The five core states had 49,660,115 people in 2020 on 124,227 square miles; adding Virginia and West Virginia gives 60,085,224 people on 191,232 square miles. Washington, DC adds 689,545. This is the most urbanised region in the country: New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington all lie on the 225-mile Northeast Corridor rail line.
States, capitals and largest cities
| State | Capital | Largest city | Population (2020) | Area (sq mi) | Included |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York (NY) | Albany | New York City | 20,201,249 | 54,555 | Always |
| New Jersey (NJ) | Trenton | Newark | 9,288,994 | 8,723 | Always |
| Pennsylvania (PA) | Harrisburg | Philadelphia | 13,002,700 | 46,054 | Always |
| Delaware (DE) | Dover | Wilmington | 989,948 | 2,489 | Always |
| Maryland (MD) | Annapolis | Baltimore | 6,177,224 | 12,406 | Always |
| Virginia (VA) | Richmond | Virginia Beach | 8,631,393 | 42,775 | Sometimes |
| West Virginia (WV) | Charleston | Charleston | 1,793,716 | 24,230 | Sometimes |
| Total, all listed (7 states) | 60,085,224 | 191,232 |
Geography
The region is where the Appalachian system comes closest to the sea. The Blue Ridge and the Allegheny Front cross Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia, and the Ridge-and-Valley belt between them is at its most regular here — the parallel ridges south-west of Harrisburg are visible from orbit. The highest point is Spruce Knob in West Virginia (4,863 ft) if that state is counted; otherwise Mount Marcy in New York (5,344 ft), which is in the Adirondacks, a separate uplift.
The coast is estuarine. Chesapeake Bay, 200 miles long, splits Maryland and takes the Susquehanna, Potomac, Patuxent, Rappahannock, York and James rivers; Delaware Bay takes the Delaware; New York Harbor takes the Hudson. The Delmarva Peninsula between the Chesapeake and the Atlantic is shared by Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, hence its name. The Jersey shore and the Delmarva ocean side are barrier-island coast.
The Mason–Dixon line — the Pennsylvania–Maryland border at 39°43′N and the north–south Delaware–Maryland border — runs through the middle of the region, which is why definitions differ: it was the line between free and slave states, and the Census still uses it to separate Northeast from South. The whole region is on Eastern time.
Related maps
- Official versions: Middle Atlantic division, South Atlantic division, and the Northeast and South regions.
- Neighbouring informal regions: New England, Southeast.
- Cities: New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, DC; capitals Albany, Trenton, Harrisburg, Dover, Annapolis, Richmond.
- Geography: Mason–Dixon line, Hudson River, Appalachians.
- All regions: regions overview.