Guide Rankings Geography Updated June 3, 2026

Northeast States

Manhattan skyline viewed from the Hudson River, showing the dense tower cluster of Midtown and Lower Manhattan

Northeast States

Ranking - Geography

New York City, with approximately 8.3 million residents, is the largest city in the United States and the dominant economic center of the Census Northeast region. New York state has the largest population of any Northeast state at approximately 20.2 million.

Quick Answer

Northeast States

  1. 1

    Nine states make up the Census Northeast: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. New York, with approximately 20.2 million residents, is the most populous state in the region.

  2. 2

    The Northeast divides into two Census sub-regions: New England (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont) and the Middle Atlantic (New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania). New York (54,555 sq mi) is the largest Northeast state by area; Rhode Island (1,545 sq mi) is the smallest.

  3. 3

    Pennsylvania (approximately 13 million residents) is the second-most populous Northeast state and the only one that borders no ocean. New Jersey (8,723 sq mi) is the second-smallest Northeast state and the most densely populated state in the United States.

Map

Northeast States Map

Area (sq mi)
No data
New York (54,555 sq mi) is the largest Northeast state by area; Rhode Island (1,545 sq mi) is the smallest. The 6 New England states form the northern half of the region; New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania form the Middle Atlantic division to the south and west.
Northeast States Map
Rank State Area (sq mi)
1 New York 54,555
2 Pennsylvania 46,054
3 Maine 35,380
4 Massachusetts 10,554
5 Vermont 9,616
6 New Hampshire 9,349
7 New Jersey 8,723
8 Connecticut 5,543
9 Rhode Island 1,545

New York (54,555 sq mi) is the largest Northeast state by area; Rhode Island (1,545 sq mi) is the smallest. The 6 New England states form the northern half of the region; New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania form the Middle Atlantic division to the south and west.

Northeast States Table

Division

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Clean, print-ready version of Northeast States.

What States Are in the Northeast?

Manhattan skyline as seen from the Hudson River, showing the dense towers of Midtown and Lower Manhattan
New York City is the largest city in the United States and the economic hub of the Northeast. New York state has approximately 20.2 million residents, the highest population of any Northeast state.

Nine states make up the Census Northeast: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The Census divides these into the New England division (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont) and the Middle Atlantic division (New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania). The nine-state boundary is fixed — no source includes additional states or excludes any of the nine.

New York is the largest Northeast state by both population (approximately 20.2 million) and area (54,555 sq mi). Rhode Island, at 1,545 square miles, is the smallest state in the entire country. Vermont is the least populous Northeast state at approximately 643,000. Pennsylvania (approximately 13 million) is the second most populous, followed by New Jersey (approximately 9.3 million).

Northeast vs New England: What Is the Difference?

The gold-domed Massachusetts State House on Beacon Hill in Boston, surrounded by fall trees
Boston is the largest New England city and the regional hub for all six New England states. Massachusetts became the 6th state on February 6, 1788, and has approximately 7 million residents.

New England is a subset of the Northeast. The 6 New England states — Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont — are both part of New England and part of the larger Census Northeast region. New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania are in the Northeast but are not New England states. The term Northeast encompasses all 9 states; New England refers only to the 6 northeastern states that were among the original English colonial settlements.

New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the United States at approximately 1,263 residents per square mile, despite being only the 7th-smallest Northeast state by area at 8,723 square miles. Pennsylvania (46,054 sq mi) is the second-largest Northeast state by area and the only one that borders no ocean.

Which Northeast States Were Original Colonies?

Seven of the nine Northeast states were among the original 13 colonies: Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. All seven ratified the Constitution between 1787 and 1790. Maine was part of Massachusetts until 1820, when it became the 23rd state under the Missouri Compromise. Vermont was an independent republic from 1777 to 1791 before becoming the 14th state.

Quick Answers

What states are in the Northeast?
Nine states make up the Census Northeast: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The region divides into two Census divisions: New England (6 states) and Middle Atlantic (New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania).
How many states are in the Northeast?
There are 9 states in the Census Northeast. The six New England states (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont) plus New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania make up the full region. The boundary is fixed — no other states are included.
What is the largest Northeast state?
New York is the largest Northeast state by both population and area. It has approximately 20.2 million residents and covers 54,555 square miles. New York City, with approximately 8.3 million residents, is the largest city in the United States.
What is the smallest Northeast state?
Rhode Island is the smallest Northeast state at 1,545 square miles — and also the smallest state in the entire United States. Vermont is the least populous Northeast state at approximately 643,000 residents.
Is New York in New England?
No. New York is part of the Census Northeast but is not a New England state. New England consists of 6 states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. New York is in the Middle Atlantic Census division, along with New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
What is the most densely populated Northeast state?
New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the entire United States, with approximately 1,263 residents per square mile. Its population of approximately 9.3 million is packed into just 8,723 square miles, placing it between New York City to the north and Philadelphia to the southwest.

Methodology

The Northeast is one of four U.S. Census Bureau geographic regions. Its nine-state composition is fixed and uncontested. The Census further divides the Northeast into the New England division (6 states) and the Middle Atlantic division (3 states). No state is sometimes-included or disputed.

Sources

Information is cross-referenced with official state archives.
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