East North Central states

East North Central
Top, left to right: Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Detroit
Composition	Illinois Indiana Michigan Ohio Wisconsin
Metropolitan areas	Chicago, IL Cincinnati, OH Cleveland, OH Columbus, OH Detroit, MI Toledo, OH Grand Rapids, MI Indianapolis, IN Milwaukee, WI
Area
• Total	299,170 sq mi (774,800 km2)
Population  (2020)
• Total	47,368,533
• Density	158/sq mi (61/km2)

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.

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 province of Ontario. 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]