13 states · 2 divisions · 78,588,572 people · 1,873,253 sq mi
Western states map
The Census West is thirteen states from the Rockies to the Pacific, plus Alaska and Hawaii. It covers 49% of the country's area, more than the other three regions combined.
How the region is defined
The Census West has two divisions. The Mountain division is Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico. The Pacific division is Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska and Hawaii. The region's eastern boundary is the straight line of state borders at roughly 104°W (Montana–North Dakota, Wyoming–South Dakota and Nebraska, Colorado–Nebraska and Kansas, New Mexico–Oklahoma and Texas), so the Great Plains states are left to the Midwest and South even where their western parts are Mountain time.
The thirteen states had 78,588,572 people in 2020 (24% of the country) on 1,873,253 square miles (49%). California alone holds 39,538,223, half the region; Alaska alone holds 665,384 square miles, more than a third of it. Wyoming (576,851) is the least populous state in the country.
States, capitals and largest cities
| State | Capital | Largest city | Population (2020) | Area (sq mi) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska (AK) | Juneau | Anchorage | 733,391 | 665,384 |
| Arizona (AZ) | Phoenix | Phoenix | 7,151,502 | 113,990 |
| California (CA) | Sacramento | Los Angeles | 39,538,223 | 163,695 |
| Colorado (CO) | Denver | Denver | 5,773,714 | 104,094 |
| Hawaii (HI) | Honolulu | Honolulu | 1,455,271 | 10,932 |
| Idaho (ID) | Boise | Boise | 1,839,106 | 83,569 |
| Montana (MT) | Helena | Billings | 1,084,225 | 147,040 |
| Nevada (NV) | Carson City | Las Vegas | 3,104,614 | 110,572 |
| New Mexico (NM) | Santa Fe | Albuquerque | 2,117,522 | 121,590 |
| Oregon (OR) | Salem | Portland | 4,237,256 | 98,379 |
| Utah (UT) | Salt Lake City | Salt Lake City | 3,271,616 | 84,897 |
| Washington (WA) | Olympia | Seattle | 7,705,281 | 71,298 |
| Wyoming (WY) | Cheyenne | Cheyenne | 576,851 | 97,813 |
| Total (13 states) | 78,588,572 | 1,873,253 |
Geography
The West is the mountainous third of the country. The Rocky Mountains run from Montana through Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and Utah into New Mexico; Colorado has 53 peaks over 14,000 ft, with Mount Elbert (14,440 ft) the highest. The Continental Divide follows the crest, sending water east to the Gulf of Mexico or west to the Pacific. West of the Rockies is the basin-and-range country of Nevada and Utah, including the Great Salt Lake and the Great Basin, which has no outlet to the sea, and the Colorado Plateau of the Four Corners, cut by the Grand Canyon.
Along the coast the Cascades (Washington, Oregon, northern California) and the Sierra Nevada (California) form a second wall. Mount Whitney (14,505 ft) in the Sierra is the highest point in the contiguous states, and Death Valley, 85 miles away, is the lowest at −282 ft. Denali in Alaska (20,310 ft) is the highest in North America.
The four North American deserts — Great Basin, Mojave, Sonoran and Chihuahuan — are all in the West. The principal rivers are the Colorado, Columbia, Snake, Sacramento and Rio Grande. Hawaii, 2,400 miles off the coast, is volcanic; Mauna Kea rises 13,803 ft above sea level.
Related maps
- Divisions: Mountain, Pacific.
- Overlapping informal regions: Pacific Northwest, Rocky Mountain states, Southwest.
- Test yourself: Western states quiz (13 questions).
- Time: Pacific for the coast, Mountain for the interior, and separate Alaska and Hawaii-Aleutian zones.
- Geography: Rocky Mountains, Four Corners, Yellowstone, National parks (most are in the West).
- Other regions: Northeast, Midwest, South, or the regions overview.