List of geographic centers of the United States

This is a list of geographic centers of each U.S. state and each inhabited territory. Note that the geographic center of the 50 states is northeast of Belle Fourche in Butte County, South Dakota 44°58′N 103°46′W,[1] while that of the contiguous 48 states is near Lebanon in Smith County, Kansas 39°50′N 98°35′W.[1] The geographic center of North America lies near Rugby, North Dakota 48°10′N 100°10′W, though this designation has no official status.[1] In 2017, a new calculation of the geographic center of North America put it near the town of Center, North Dakota.[2]

Geographic centers of the states and the District of Columbia

The list given below has been only slightly modified since it was first produced by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in the early 1920s.[3] At that time, the center for a state was found by suspending a cardboard cutout of the state by a string, and then drawing a vertical line from the suspension point. After rotating the cutout 90 degrees and drawing another vertical line from the new suspension point, the intersection of the two vertical lines was used as the geographic center.[4] The result is dependent upon the type of projection used.

Geographic centers of the states of the United States and the District of Columbia
State or
federal district
County Location Coordinates
 AlabamaChilton CountyClanton32°50′5″N 86°38′0″W
 AlaskaYukon–Koyukuk Census AreaTanana64°43′54″N 152°28′12″W
 ArizonaYavapai CountyCamp Verde34°34′00″N 111°51′22″W
 ArkansasPulaski CountyLittle Rock
 CaliforniaMadera CountyNorth Fork37°9′58″N 119°26′58″W
 ColoradoPark County40 mi (64 km) west of Colorado Springs, southwest of Castle Rock39°00′00″N 105°32′42.6″W
 ConnecticutHartford CountyBerlin
 DelawareKent County11 mi (18 km) southwest of Dover38°58′48″N 75°30′42″W
 District of ColumbiaDistrict of Columbia[note 1]Near 4th and L Streets, Northwest38°54′15″N 77°00′58″W
 FloridaHernando County12 mi (19 km) north-northwest of Brooksville28°40′53″N 82°27′36″W
GeorgiaTwiggs County18 mi (29 km) southeast of Macon32°39′43.6″N 83°26′17.9″W
 HawaiiMaui Countyoff-shore southwest of Molokai and west of Lanai
 IdahoCuster Countyon the Yankee Fork River, southwest of Challis44°16′11″N 114°44′04″W
 IllinoisSangamon County1.5 mi (2.4 km) southeast of Rochester39°44′21.5″N 89°30′13.1″W
 IndianaHendricks County2 mi (3.2 km) west of Avon39°45′57.7″N 86°26′28.6″W
 IowaStory County5 mi (8.0 km) northeast of Ames
 KansasBarton County15 mi (24 km) northeast of Great Bend
 KentuckyBoyle County3 mi (4.8 km) north-northwest of Danville
 LouisianaAvoyelles Parish3 mi (4.8 km) southeast of Marksville
 MainePiscataquis County18 mi (29 km) north of Dover-Foxcroft45°15′11.9982″N 69°13′59.9988″W
 MarylandPrince George's County4.5 mi (7.2 km) northwest of Davidsonville
 MassachusettsWorcester County12 mi (19 km) northwest of Worcester, in Rutland42°22′37.62″N 71°55′30.93″W
 MichiganWexford County5 mi (8.0 km) north-northwest of Cadillac
 MinnesotaCrow Wing County10 mi (16 km) southwest of Brainerd
 MississippiLeake County9 mi (14 km) west-northwest of Carthage
 MissouriMiller County20 mi (32 km) southwest of Jefferson City
 MontanaFergus County11 mi (18 km) west of Lewistown47°03′52″N 109°40′01″W
 NebraskaCuster County10 mi (16 km) northwest of Broken Bow41°31′30″N 99°51′42″W
 NevadaLander County26 mi (42 km) southeast of Austin
 New HampshireBelknap County3 mi (4.8 km) east of Ashland
 New JerseyBurlington County5 mi (8.0 km) southeast of Trenton40°4′12″N 74°33′30″W
 New MexicoTorrance County12 mi (19 km) south-southwest of Willard34°26′17″N 106°06′44″W
New YorkMadison County26 mi (42 km) southwest of Utica, near Syracuse
 North CarolinaChatham County10 mi (16 km) northwest of Sanford
 North DakotaSheridan County5 mi (8.0 km) southwest of McClusky
 OhioKnox Countynorth-northeast of Columbus
 OklahomaOklahoma County8 mi (13 km) north of Oklahoma City
 OregonCrook County25 mi (40 km) south-southeast of Prineville
 PennsylvaniaCentre County2.5 mi (4.0 km) southwest of Bellefonte, in State College
 Rhode IslandKent County1-mile (1.6 km) south-southwest of Crompton41°40′18″N 71°34′36″W
 South CarolinaRichland County13 mi (21 km) southeast of Columbia33°50′13″N 80°55′30″W
 South DakotaHughes County8 mi (13 km) northeast of Pierre
 TennesseeRutherford County5 mi (8.0 km) northeast of Murfreesboro
 TexasMcCulloch County15 mi (24 km) northeast of Brady31°23′29.52″N 99°10′14.34″W
 UtahSanpete County3 mi (4.8 km) north of Manti39°18′29″N 111°38′20″W
 VermontWashington County3 mi (4.8 km) east of Roxbury
 VirginiaBuckingham County5 mi (8.0 km) southwest of Buckingham
WashingtonChelan County10 mi (16 km) west-southwest of Wenatchee
 West VirginiaBraxton County4 mi (6.4 km) east of Sutton
 WisconsinWood County9 mi (14 km) southeast of Marshfield44°26′16.00″N 90°07′48.67″W
 WyomingFremont County58 mi (93 km) east-northeast of Lander[5]

43°00′00″N 107°32′42.6″W

Updated list of geographic centers

Although there have been different definitions offered for the geographic center, an intuitive one, and one used by the USGS, is "the State of gravity of the surface, or that point on which the surface of the area would balance if it were a plane of uniform thickness."[6] An updated list of geographic centers using this definition (which is equivalent to the state's centroid) is given below. It was derived by minimizing the sum of squared great circle distances from all points of land in a state (including islands, but not coastal waters, following the earlier practice of the USGS). It represents a slight improvement over the list originally published [7]

The geographic center of the contiguous United States, determined in this way, is at 39°50′N 98°35′W; this is 2.7 miles from Agra, Kansas, 4.7 miles from Kensington, Kansas, and 27.9 great circle miles west of the longstanding designated town of Lebanon, Kansas.

Updated geographic centers of the states of the United States and the District of Columbia
State or
federal district
Location Coordinates
 Alabama12.1 mi (19.5 km) southwest of Clanton32.7794°N 86.8287°W / 32.7794; -86.8287 (Geometric center of the State of Alabama)
 Alaska77.9 mi (125.4 km) northwest of Denali64.0685°N 152.2782°W / 64.0685; -152.2782 (Geometric center of the State of Alaska)
 Arizona49.7 mi (80.0 km) east-southeast of Prescott34.2744°N 111.6602°W / 34.2744; -111.6602 (Geometric center of the State of Arizona)
 Arkansas14.2 mi (22.9 km) northwest of Little Rock34.8938°N 92.4426°W / 34.8938; -92.4426 (Geometric center of the State of Arkansas)
 California36 mi (58 km) northeast of Madera37.1841°N 119.4696°W / 37.1841; -119.4696 (Geometric center of the State of California)
 Colorado29.2 mi (47.0 km) northwest of Pikes Peak38.9972°N 105.5478°W / 38.9972; -105.5478 (Geometric center of the State of Colorado)
 Connecticut1.1 mi (1.8 km) east of East Berlin41.6219°N 72.7273°W / 41.6219; -72.7273 (Geometric center of the State of Connecticut)
 Delaware11.7 mi (18.8 km) south of Dover38.9896°N 75.5050°W / 38.9896; -75.5050 (Geometric center of the State of Delaware)
 District of ColumbiaNear 3rd and P Streets, Northwest38.9101°N 77.0147°W / 38.9101; -77.0147 (Geometric center of the District of Columbia)
 Florida5.8 mi (9.3 km) northwest of Brooksville28.6305°N 82.4497°W / 28.6305; -82.4497 (Geometric center of the State of Florida)
Georgia17.7 mi (28.5 km) southeast of Macon32.6415°N 83.4426°W / 32.6415; -83.4426 (Geometric center of the State of Georgia)[8]
 Hawaii27.7 mi (44.6 km) off-shore south of Wailea-Makena20.2927°N 156.3737°W / 20.2927; -156.3737 (Geometric center of the State of Hawaiʻi)
 Idaho21.4 mi (34.4 km) west-southwest of Challis44.3509°N 114.6130°W / 44.3509; -114.6130 (Geometric center of the State of Idaho)
 Illinois28.8 mi (46.3 km) northeast of Springfield40.0417°N 89.1965°W / 40.0417; -89.1965 (Geometric center of the State of Illinois)
 Indiana10.8 mi (17.4 km) northwest of Indianapolis39.8942°N 86.2816°W / 39.8942; -86.2816 (Geometric center of the State of Indiana)
 Iowa7 mi (11 km) northeast of Ames42.0751°N 93.4960°W / 42.0751; -93.4960 (Geometric center of the State of Iowa)
 Kansas2.1 mi (3.4 km) southeast of Bushton Bend38.4937°N 98.3804°W / 38.4937; -98.3804 (Geometric center of the State of Kansas)
 Kentucky3.4 mi (5.5 km) southwest of Lebanon37.5347°N 85.3021°W / 37.5347; -85.3021 (Geometric center of the Commonwealth of Kentucky)
 Louisiana5.8 mi (9.3 km) southeast of Marksville31.0689°N 91.9968°W / 31.0689; -91.9968 (Geometric center of the State of Louisiana)
 Maine12.6 mi (20.3 km) north of Dover-Foxcroft45.3695°N 69.2428°W / 45.3695; -69.2428 (Geometric center of the State of Maine)
 Maryland3.3 mi (5.3 km) north of Bowie39.0550°N 76.7909°W / 39.0550; -76.7909 (Geometric center of the State of Maryland)
 MassachusettsIrving St. and Wellington St., Worcester42.2596°N 71.8083°W / 42.2596; -71.8083 (Geometric center of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts)
 Michigan6.6 mi (10.6 km) west of Cadillac44.3467°N 85.4102°W / 44.3467; -85.4102 (Geometric center of the State of Michigan)
 Minnesota10 mi (16 km) southwest of Brainerd46.2807°N 94.3053°W / 46.2807; -94.3053 (Geometric center of the State of Minnesota)
 Mississippi7.7 mi (12.4 km) west-northwest of Carthage32.7364°N 89.6678°W / 32.7364; -89.6678 (Geometric center of the State of Mississippi)
 Missouri21 mi (34 km) southwest of Jefferson City38.3566°N 92.4580°W / 38.3566; -92.4580 (Geometric center of the State of Missouri)
 Montana10.1 mi (16.3 km) west of Lewistown47.0527°N 109.6333°W / 47.0527; -109.6333 (Geometric center of the State of Montana)
 Nebraska12.3 mi (19.8 km) northwest of Broken Bow41.5378°N 99.7951°W / 41.5378; -99.7951 (Geometric center of the State of Nebraska)
 Nevada26 mi (42 km) southeast of Austin39.3289°N 116.6312°W / 39.3289; -116.6312 (Geometric center of the State of Nevada)
 New Hampshire2.6 mi (4.2 km) east of Ashland43.6805°N 71.5811°W / 43.6805; -71.5811 (Geometric center of the State of New Hampshire)
 New Jersey4.3 mi (6.9 km) southeast of Trenton40.1907°N 74.6728°W / 40.1907; -74.6728 (Geometric center of the State of New Jersey)
 New Mexico13.8 mi (22.2 km) south-southwest of Willard34.4071°N 106.1126°W / 34.4071; -106.1126 (Geometric center of the State of New Mexico)
New York11.5 mi (18.5 km) south-southeast of Oneida42.9538°N 75.5268°W / 42.9538; -75.5268 (Geometric center of the State of New York)
 North Carolina12.7 mi (20.4 km) northwest of Sanford35.5557°N 79.3877°W / 35.5557; -79.3877 (Geometric center of the State of North Carolina)
 North Dakota2.7 mi (4.3 km) southwest of McClusky47.4501°N 100.4659°W / 47.4501; -100.4659 (Geometric center of the State of North Dakota)
 Ohio24.9 mi (40.1 km) north-northeast of Columbus40.2862°N 82.7937°W / 40.2862; -82.7937 (Geometric center of the State of Ohio)
 Oklahoma4.4 mi (7.1 km) south of Edmond35.5889°N 97.4943°W / 35.5889; -97.4943 (Geometric center of the State of Oklahoma)
 Oregon29.1 mi (46.8 km) southeast of Prineville43.9336°N 120.5583°W / 43.9336; -120.5583 (Geometric center of the State of Oregon)
 Pennsylvania2.7 mi (4.3 km) southwest of Bellefonte, in State College40.8781°N 77.7996°W / 40.8781; -77.7996 (Geometric center of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania)
 Rhode Island2.4-mile (3.9 km) west of Crompton, in West Warwick41.6762°N 71.5562°W / 41.6762; -71.5562 (Geometric center of the State of Rhode Island)
 South Carolina9.7 mi (15.6 km) southeast of Columbia33.9169°N 80.8964°W / 33.9169; -80.8964 (Geometric center of the State of South Carolina)
 South Dakota7.9 mi (12.7 km) northeast of Pierre44.4443°N 100.2263°W / 44.4443; -100.2263 (Geometric center of the State of South Dakota)
 Tennessee2.5 mi (4.0 km) northeast of Murfreesboro35.8580°N 86.3505°W / 35.8580; -86.3505 (Geometric center of the State of Tennessee)
 Texas23.6 mi (38.0 km) north of Brady31.4757°N 99.3312°W / 31.4757; -99.3312 (Geometric center of the State of Texas)
 Utah3.1 mi (5.0 km) northwest of Manti39.3055°N 111.6703°W / 39.3055; -111.6703 (Geometric center of the State of Utah)
 Vermont3.7 mi (6.0 km) southeast of Roxbury44.0687°N 72.6658°W / 44.0687; -72.6658 (Geometric center of the State of Vermont)
 Virginia16.6 mi (26.7 km) west of Buckingham37.5215°N 78.8537°W / 37.5215; -78.8537 (Geometric center of the Commonwealth of Virginia)
Washington7 mi (11 km) west-southwest of Wenatchee47.3826°N 120.4472°W / 47.3826; -120.4472 (Geometric center of the State of Washington)
 West Virginia4.9 mi (7.9 km) east-southeast of Sutton38.6409°N 80.6227°W / 38.6409; -80.6227 (Geometric center of the State of West Virginia)
 Wisconsin9.3 mi (15.0 km) east-southeast of Marshfield44.6243°N 89.9941°W / 44.6243; -89.9941 (Geometric center of the State of Wisconsin)
 Wyoming60.6 mi (97.5 km) east-northeast of Lander42.9957°N 107.5512°W / 42.9957; -107.5512 (Geometric center of the State of Wyoming)

Geographic centers of the U.S. territories

Very little information exists about the geographic centers of the U.S. territories. In a geological survey of all geographic centers in the U.S., the U.S. Department of the Interior did not measure the geographic centers of the U.S. territories.[9] Similarly, the USGS does not include the territories in its list of geographic centers.[1] In terms of each territory’s land area, only one territory (Puerto Rico) has a confirmed geographic center.[10] There are also official geographic centers of territorial exclusive economic zones, though those geographic centers are based on a territory’s territorial waters (not land area).

Geographic centers of the U.S. territories
Territory County-
equivalent
Location Coordinates
 American SamoaNorth of
Manu’a District (EEZ)
Eastern District
(Tutuila center)
The geographic center of American Samoa’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is located in the Pacific Ocean, about 35.08 miles (56.45 km) northeast of the island of Ta‘ū.[11]
The geographic center of Tutuila (the main island) is about 1.03 miles (1.65 km) southwest of Fagatogo.[12]
13.8517°S 169.0576°W / -13.8517; -169.0576 (Geographic center of the Exclusive Economic Zone of American Samoa)
(EEZ center)
14.2901°S 170.7028°W / -14.2901; -170.7028 (Geographic center of Tutuila island, American Samoa)
(Tutuila center)
 GuamGuam[note 2]The geographic center of Guam’s exclusive economic zone is in the Pacific Ocean, about 73.65 miles (118.53 km) west-southwest of Cocos Island and 76.08 miles (122.45 km) west-southwest of the main island of Guam.[13]
The exact geographic center of the main island of Guam is unknown[14] — it is probably somewhere within the village of Chalan Pago-Ordot, because that is the default center starting point of Guam on Google Maps.[15]
12.9770°N 143.5814°E / 12.9770; 143.5814 (Geographic center of the Exclusive Economic Zone of Guam)
(Center of EEZ)
13.4440°N 144.7671°E / 13.4440; 144.7671 (Chalan Pago-Ordot village, Guam))
(Chalan Pago-Ordot)
 Northern Mariana IslandsNorthern Islands MunicipalityThe geographic center of the Northern Mariana Islands’ exclusive economic zone is in the Pacific Ocean, about 18.33 miles (29.50 km) northeast of the island of Pagan.[16]18.3183°N 146.0284°E / 18.3183; 146.0284 (Geographic center of the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Northern Mariana Islands)
(EEZ center)
 Puerto RicoOrocovis MunicipalityThe geographic center of Puerto Rico is in the Orocovis Municipality, about 2.58 miles (4.15 km) west of the main town of Orocovis.[10]18.2223°N 66.4303°W / 18.2223; -66.4303 (Geometric center of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico)
 U.S. Virgin IslandsBetween Saint Thomas
and Saint Croix
The exact geographic center of the U.S. Virgin Islands is unknown — the default center starting point for the U.S. Virgin Islands on Google Maps is located in the Caribbean Sea,[15] 18.21 miles (29.30 km) south-southeast of Saint Thomas and 18.31 miles (29.47 km) north of Saint Croix — note that this point is the approximate center of the 3 main islands, not the center of the exclusive economic zone18.34°N 64.90°W / 18.34; -64.90 (Geometric center of the Virgin Islands of the United States)
U.S. Minor Outlying Islands[note 3]There is no information about the geographic centers of the islands in the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands (or the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands as a whole).

See also

Notes

  1. The U.S. Census Bureau treats the District of Columbia as a state-equivalent and a county-equivalent for statistical purposes.
  2. All of Guam is counted as one county-equivalent by the U.S. Census Bureau.
  3. Each of the 9 island groups in the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands is counted as a county-equivalent by the U.S. Census Bureau.

References

  1. https://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/Elevations-Distances/elvadist.html ‘’Elevations and Distances in the United States.’’ USGS. Retrieved June 2019.
  2. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-calculations-reposition-geographical-center-north-america-1-180961932/ Smithsonian.com. New Calculations Reposition the Geographical Center of North America. Jason Daley. January 30, 2017. Retrieved June 2019.
  3. Douglas, E.M. 1923. Boundaries, Areas, Geographic Centers, and Altitudes of the United States and Several States. Bulletin 689. U.S. Geological Survey, Washington, DC.
  4. Adams, Oscar, S. 1932. Geographical Centers. The Military Engineer 24, 138: 586-587.
  5. "The Geography of Wyoming".
  6. Van Zandt, Franklin. 1966. Boundaries of the United States and the Several States. Bulletin 1212. U.S. Geological Survey, Washington, DC.
  7. Rogerson, P. 2015. A New Method for Finding Geographic Centers, with Application to the U.S. States. The Professional Geographer. Published online Aug 15, 2015; DOI:10.1080/00330124.2015.1062707 http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00330124.2015.1062707#.Vd30QflVhBc Retrieved 2015-08-26
  8. A marker, dated 1981, at a nearby road intersection states: "The Geologic Survey Branch of the Department of Natural Resources determined the central point to be at latitude 32° 38' 46" N., longitude 83° 25' 54" W."
  9. https://pubs.usgs.gov/unnumbered/70039437/report.pdf ‘’Geographic centers of the United States.’’ U.S. Department of the Interior. Retrieved June 2019.
  10. http://disfrutaorocovis.com/en/historic-sites-2/geographic-center-of-puerto-rico Disfruta Orocovis. Geographic Center of Puerto Rico. Retrieved June 2019.
  11. http://www.marineregions.org/gazetteer.php?p=details&id=8444 Marineregions.org. Marine Gazetteer Placedetails — American Samoa Exclusive Economic Zone. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  12. https://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/oceania/as.htm Worldatlas.com. American Samoa. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  13. http://www.marineregions.org/gazetteer.php?p=details&id=48957 Marineregions.org. Marine Gazetteer Placedetails. Guam Exclusive Economic Zone. Retrieved June 2019.
  14. https://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/oceania/gu.htm Worldatlas.com. Guam. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  15. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Guam
    https://www.google.com/maps/place/USVI
    Google Mpas — Guam / U.S. Virgin Islands. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  16. http://www.marineregions.org/gazetteer.php?p=details&id=48980 Marineregions.org. Marine Gazetteer Placedetails — Northern Mariana Islands Exclusive Economic Zone. Retrieved June 2019.

General

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