A map of the Midwest, as estimated by 100 other maps

We've already given you pretty much everything you want to know about the Midwest in map and/or chart form. And it bears repeating: the question of exactly which states constitute the Midwest remains a contentious issue.

At Radical Cartography, Yale history professor and cartographer Bill Rankin has put together a map of how others have defined the Midwest. And this isn't just a survey of random Americans; he looked at how 100 other maps from businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies define the Midwest, overlaid them, and checked out where they overlap. As it turns out, there's a lot of agreement, surrounded by an even bigger mass of disputed territory that extends over much of Canada (click through to see an enlargeable map):

Source: Radical Cartography

Clearly, everyone seems to agree on the basic, unavoidably, essentially Midwestern states: Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin. And the Dakotas and Ohio seem to have earned a consensus. But search for a few of these organizations' Midwest maps, and you see exactly who is misguided disagrees and in what way. Verizon thinks Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia are in the Midwest, for example. And even the Midwest Dairy Association breaks with tradition, including Arkansas and part of Oklahoma.

Will you support Vox’s explanatory journalism?

Most news outlets make their money through advertising or subscriptions. But when it comes to what we’re trying to do at Vox, there are a couple reasons that we can't rely only on ads and subscriptions to keep the lights on.

First, advertising dollars go up and down with the economy. We often only know a few months out what our advertising revenue will be, which makes it hard to plan ahead.

Second, we’re not in the subscriptions business. Vox is here to help everyone understand the complex issues shaping the world — not just the people who can afford to pay for a subscription. We believe that’s an important part of building a more equal society. We can’t do that if we have a paywall.

That’s why we also turn to you, our readers, to help us keep Vox free. If you also believe that everyone deserves access to trusted high-quality information, will you make a gift to Vox today?

One-Time Monthly Annual

$5/month

$10/month

$25/month

$50/month

Other

$

Yes, I'll give $5/month

Yes, I'll give $5/month

We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You can also contribute via