One of the four census regions of the United States
"American West" redirects here. For the similarly named airline, see America West Airlines.
"Western territories" redirects here. For the part of Poland, see Recovered Territories. For the western territories of other countries and continents, see West (disambiguation).
"West of the Rockies" redirects here. For the 1929 American western silent film, see West of the Rockies (film).
Region in the United States
Western United States
American West, Far West, the West
Region
Left-right from top: Los Angeles skyline, the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone National Park, Boise skyline, Angel's Landing, Mt. Rainier, Seattle skyline
This map reflects the Western United States as defined by the Census Bureau. This region is divided into Mountain and Pacific areas.[1]
as defined by the Census Bureau.[1] Regional definitions may vary slightly from source to source.
Area
[2]
• Total
1,873,251.63 sq mi (4,851,699.4 km2)
• Land
1,751,053.31 sq mi (4,535,207.3 km2)
Population
(2020)[3]
• Total
78,588,572
• Density
42/sq mi (16/km2)
Demonym
Westerner
GDP (nominal)
[4]
• Total
$5.619 trillion (2019)
• per capita
$71,719 (2019)
The Western United States, also called the American West, the Western States, the Far West, and the West, is the region comprising the westernmost U.S. states. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term the West changed. Before around 1800, the crest of the Appalachian Mountains was seen as the western frontier. The frontier moved westward and eventually the lands west of the Mississippi River were considered the West.[5]
The U.S. Census Bureau's definition of the 13 westernmost states includes the Rocky Mountains and the Great Basin to the Pacific Coast, and the mid-Pacific islands state, Hawaii. To the east of the Western United States is the Midwestern United States and the Southern United States, with Canada to the north, and Mexico to the south.
The West contains several major biomes, including arid and semi-arid plateaus and plains, particularly in the American Southwest; forested mountains, including three major ranges, the Sierra Nevada, the Cascades, and Rocky Mountains; the long coastal shoreline of the American Pacific Coast; and the rainforests of the Pacific Northwest.
^ abCite error: The named reference CensusRegionsMap was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"United States Summary: 2010, Population and Housing Unit Counts, 2010 Census of Population and Housing" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. September 2012. pp. V–2, 1 & 41 (Tables 1 & 18). Retrieved February 7, 2014.
^"Change in Resident Population of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico: 1910 to 2020" (PDF). Census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
^"BEA Glossary". Bureau of Economic Analysis. U.S. Department of Commerce. Archived from the original on September 28, 2017. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
^Jody Halsted (July 31, 2014). "On the road along the Mississippi River". Foxnews. Archived from the original on August 2, 2014. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
and 28 Related for: Western United States information
Northeastern United States and the WesternUnitedStates, with Canada to the north and the Southern UnitedStates to the south. The U.S. Census Bureau's...
Coast of the UnitedStates – also known as the Pacific Coast, and the Western Seaboard – is the coastline along which the WesternUnitedStates meets the...
The term "UnitedStates," when used in the geographical sense, refers to the contiguous UnitedStates (sometimes referred to as the Lower 48, including...
Southwestern UnitedStates, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural region of the UnitedStates that includes...
The WesternUnitedStates has its cuisine, distinct in various ways from that of the rest of the country. States west of Texas, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska...
The UnitedStates of America (USA or U.S.A.), commonly known as the UnitedStates (US or U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America...
The UnitedStates Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the UnitedStates Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States...
The fauna of the UnitedStates of America is all the animals living in the Continental UnitedStates and its surrounding seas and islands, the Hawaiian...
The WesternUnitedStates experienced a series of major wildfires in 2020. Severe August thunderstorms ignited numerous wildfires across California, Oregon...
This is a list of wars and rebellions involving the UnitedStates of America. Currently, there are 108 wars on this list, 4 of which are ongoing. USA...
The Northwestern UnitedStates is a subportion of the WesternUnitedStates (which is, itself, even more ambiguous). In contrast, states included in the...
The UnitedStates of America was formed after thirteen British colonies in North America declared independence from the British Empire on July 4, 1776...
roughly correspond to the most populous cities in the UnitedStates. Counties in the WesternUnitedStates are typically larger by area, so they often have...
the UnitedStates. As of 2018[update], the UnitedStates had 1,279 daily newspapers. The following is a list of the top 10 newspapers in the United States...
Bibliography of the WesternUnitedStates is a small selection of the most useful books and articles on the WesternUnitedStates. See also Bibliography...
The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the WesternUnitedStates, particularly the Southwestern...
The climate of the UnitedStates varies due to changes in latitude, and a range of geographic features, including mountains and deserts. Generally, on...
strong wood. In the WesternUnitedStates, yellow pine refers to Jeffrey pine or ponderosa pine.: 4 In the Southeastern UnitedStates, yellow pine refers...
UnitedStates International University (USIU) was a nonprofit university based in San Diego, California that was accredited by the Western Association...
The president of the UnitedStates (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the UnitedStates of America. The president directs the executive...
The UnitedStates has a racially and ethnically diverse population. At the federal level, race and ethnicity have been categorized separately. The most...
The 2010 UnitedStates House of Representatives elections were held on November 2, 2010, as part of the 2010 midterm elections during President Barack...
WesternUnited Football Club is an Australian professional Football club. The club is based in the western Melbourne suburb of Tarneit, the club aims to...
county equivalents of the UnitedStates. The 50 states of the UnitedStates are divided into 3,007 political subdivisions of states called counties. Two hundred...
Global Information
![This map reflects the Western United States as defined by the Census Bureau. This region is divided into Mountain and Pacific areas.[1]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3c/Map_of_the_U.S.%2C_highlighting_the_West.svg/250px-Map_of_the_U.S.%2C_highlighting_the_West.svg.png)