List of geographic centers of the United States facts for kids
Have you ever wondered where the exact middle of a state or country is? That's what a geographic center is! It's like finding the balance point of a shape. For the entire United States, the geographic center is near Belle Fourche, South Dakota (44°58′N 103°46′W / 44.967°N 103.767°W). If you only look at the 48 states that touch each other (the contiguous United States), the center is close to Lebanon, Kansas (39°50′N 98°35′W / 39.833°N 98.583°W). The middle of North America is thought to be near Rugby, North Dakota (48°10′N 100°10′W / 48.167°N 100.167°W), though a newer calculation in 2017 put it closer to Center, North Dakota.
Contents
Finding the Middle: Old Ways and New Ways
For a long time, people have tried to figure out the exact center of different places. It's a fun challenge!
How Geographic Centers Were First Found
Back in the 1920s, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) had a clever, hands-on way to find the center of each state. Imagine you have a map of a state cut out of cardboard. They would hang this cardboard cutout from a string. The point where it balanced was a key spot. They would draw a straight line down from that point. Then, they'd turn the cardboard 90 degrees and hang it again, drawing another line. Where these two lines crossed, that was their geographic center! This method was simple but depended on how the map was drawn.
| State or federal district |
County | Location | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|
 Alabama |
Chilton County | Clanton | 32°50′5″N 86°38′0″W / 32.83472°N 86.63333°W |
 Alaska |
Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area | Tanana | 64°43′54″N 152°28′12″W / 64.73167°N 152.47000°W |
 Arizona |
Yavapai County | Camp Verde | 34°34′00″N 111°51′22″W / 34.56667°N 111.85611°W |
 Arkansas |
Saline County | Bryant | 34°38′09″N 92°28′42″W / 34.6358°N 92.4783°W |
 California |
Madera County | North Fork | 37°9′58″N 119°26′58″W / 37.16611°N 119.44944°W |
 Colorado |
Park County | 40 miles west of Colorado Springs, southwest of Castle Rock | 39°00′00″N 105°32′42.6″W / 39.00000°N 105.545167°W |
 Connecticut |
Hartford County | Berlin | |
 Delaware |
Kent County | 11 miles southwest of Dover | 38°58′48″N 75°30′42″W / 38.98000°N 75.51167°W |
 District of Columbia |
District of Columbia | Near 4th and L Streets, Northwest | 38°54′15″N 77°00′58″W / 38.90417°N 77.01611°W |
 Florida |
Hernando County | 12 miles north-northwest of Brooksville | 28°40′53″N 82°27′36″W / 28.68139°N 82.46000°W |
 Georgia |
Twiggs County | 18 miles southeast of Macon | 32°39′43.6″N 83°26′17.9″W / 32.662111°N 83.438306°W |
 Hawaii |
Maui County | off-shore southwest of Molokai and west of Lanai | |
 Idaho |
Custer County | on the Yankee Fork River, southwest of Challis | 44°16′11″N 114°44′04″W / 44.26972°N 114.73444°W |
 Illinois |
Sangamon County | 1.5 miles southeast of Rochester | 39°44′21.5″N 89°30′13.1″W / 39.739306°N 89.503639°W |
 Indiana |
Hendricks County | 2 miles west of Avon | 39°45′57.7″N 86°26′28.6″W / 39.766028°N 86.441278°W |
 Iowa |
Story County | 5 miles northeast of Ames | |
 Kansas |
Barton County | 15 miles northeast of Great Bend | |
 Kentucky |
Marion County | 3 miles north-northwest of Lebanon | |
 Louisiana |
Avoyelles Parish | 3 miles southeast of Marksville | |
 Maine |
Piscataquis County | 18 miles north of Dover-Foxcroft | 45°15′11.9982″N 69°13′59.9988″W / 45.253332833°N 69.233333000°W |
 Maryland |
Prince George's County | 4.5 miles northwest of Davidsonville | |
 Massachusetts |
Worcester County | 12 miles northwest of Worcester, in Rutland | 42°22′37.62″N 71°55′30.93″W / 42.3771167°N 71.9252583°W |
 Michigan |
Wexford County | 5 miles north-northwest of Cadillac | |
 Minnesota |
Crow Wing County | 10 miles southwest of Brainerd | |
 Mississippi |
Leake County | 9 miles west-northwest of Carthage | |
 Missouri |
Miller County | 20 miles southwest of Jefferson City | 38°29′7″N 91°22′51″W / 38.48528°N 91.38083°W |
 Montana |
Fergus County | 11 miles west of Lewistown | 47°03′52″N 109°40′01″W / 47.06444°N 109.66694°W |
 Nebraska |
Custer County | 10 miles northwest of Broken Bow | 41°31′30″N 99°51′42″W / 41.52500°N 99.86167°W |
 Nevada |
Lander County | 26 miles southeast of Austin | |
 New Hampshire |
Belknap County | 3 miles east of Ashland | 43°41′6″N 71°34′38″W / 43.68500°N 71.57722°W |
 New Jersey |
Burlington County | 5 miles southeast of Trenton | 40°4′12″N 74°33′30″W / 40.07000°N 74.55833°W |
 New Mexico |
Torrance County | 12 miles south-southwest of Willard | 34°26′17″N 106°06′44″W / 34.43806°N 106.11222°W |
 New York |
Madison County | 26 miles southwest of Utica, near Syracuse | |
 North Carolina |
Chatham County | 10 miles northwest of Sanford | |
 North Dakota |
Sheridan County | 5 miles southwest of McClusky | |
 Ohio |
Knox County | north-northeast of Columbus, 5.6 miles southwest of Centerburg | |
 Oklahoma |
Oklahoma County | 8 miles north of Oklahoma City | |
 Oregon |
Crook County | 25 miles south-southeast of Prineville | |
 Pennsylvania |
Centre County | 2.5 miles southwest of Bellefonte, in State College | |
 Rhode Island |
Kent County | 1 mile south-southwest of Crompton | 41°40′18″N 71°34′36″W / 41.67167°N 71.57667°W |
 South Carolina |
Richland County | 13 miles southeast of Columbia | 33°50′13″N 80°55′30″W / 33.83694°N 80.92500°W |
 South Dakota |
Hughes County | 8 miles northeast of Pierre | |
 Tennessee |
Rutherford County | 5 miles northeast of Murfreesboro | |
 Texas |
McCulloch County | 15 miles northeast of Brady | 31°23′29.52″N 99°10′14.34″W / 31.3915333°N 99.1706500°W |
 Utah |
Sanpete County | 3 miles north of Manti | 39°18′29″N 111°38′20″W / 39.30806°N 111.63889°W |
 Vermont |
Washington County | 3 miles east of Roxbury | |
 Virginia |
Buckingham County | 5 miles southwest of Buckingham | |
 Washington |
Chelan County | 10 miles west-southwest of Wenatchee | |
 West Virginia |
Braxton County | 4 miles east of Sutton | |
 Wisconsin |
Wood County | 9 miles southeast of Marshfield | 44°26′16.00″N 90°07′48.67″W / 44.4377778°N 90.1301861°W |
 Wyoming |
Fremont County | 58 miles east-northeast of Lander |
43°00′00″N 107°32′42.6″W / 43.00000°N 107.545167°W |
Modern Ways to Find Geographic Centers
Today, with computers and better mapping tools, we can find geographic centers more accurately. A modern way to define the center is like finding the "center of gravity" of a state. Imagine the state as a flat, evenly thick piece of land. The center of gravity is the point where it would perfectly balance. This method includes all the land, even islands, but not the ocean waters near the coast.
Using this updated method, the geographic center of the contiguous 48 states is now found near Agra, Kansas. This is about 5.4 miles from Agra and 5.7 miles from Kensington, Kansas. It's a bit different from the older spot near Lebanon, Kansas.
| State or federal district |
Location | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama |
12.1 miles southwest of Clanton | 32°46′46″N 86°49′43″W / 32.7794°N 86.8287°W |
| Alaska |
77.9 miles northwest of Denali | 64°04′07″N 152°16′42″W / 64.0685°N 152.2782°W |
| Arizona |
49.7 miles east-southeast of Prescott | 34°16′28″N 111°39′37″W / 34.2744°N 111.6602°W |
| Arkansas |
14.2 miles northwest of Little Rock | 34°53′38″N 92°26′33″W / 34.8938°N 92.4426°W |
| California |
36 miles northeast of Madera | 37°11′03″N 119°28′11″W / 37.1841°N 119.4696°W |
| Colorado |
29.2 miles northwest of Pikes Peak | 38°59′50″N 105°32′52″W / 38.9972°N 105.5478°W |
| Connecticut |
1.1 miles east of East Berlin | 41°37′19″N 72°43′38″W / 41.6219°N 72.7273°W |
| Delaware |
11.7 miles south of Dover | 38°59′23″N 75°30′18″W / 38.9896°N 75.5050°W |
| District of Columbia |
Near 3rd and P Streets, Northwest | 38°54′36″N 77°00′53″W / 38.9101°N 77.0147°W |
| Florida |
5.8 miles northwest of Brooksville | 28°37′50″N 82°26′59″W / 28.6305°N 82.4497°W |
| Georgia |
17.7 miles southeast of Macon | 32°38′29″N 83°26′33″W / 32.6415°N 83.4426°W |
| Hawaii |
27.7 miles off-shore south of Wailea-Makena | 20°17′34″N 156°22′25″W / 20.2927°N 156.3737°W |
| Idaho |
21.4 miles west-southwest of Challis | 44°21′03″N 114°36′47″W / 44.3509°N 114.6130°W |
| Illinois |
28.8 miles northeast of Springfield | 40°02′30″N 89°11′47″W / 40.0417°N 89.1965°W |
| Indiana |
10.8 miles northwest of Indianapolis | 39°53′39″N 86°16′54″W / 39.8942°N 86.2816°W |
| Iowa |
7 miles northeast of Ames | 42°04′30″N 93°29′46″W / 42.0751°N 93.4960°W |
| Kansas |
2.1 miles southeast of Bushton Bend | 38°29′37″N 98°22′49″W / 38.4937°N 98.3804°W |
| Kentucky |
3.4 miles southwest of Lebanon | 37°32′05″N 85°18′08″W / 37.5347°N 85.3021°W |
| Louisiana |
5.8 miles southeast of Marksville | 31°04′08″N 91°59′48″W / 31.0689°N 91.9968°W |
| Maine |
12.6 miles north of Dover-Foxcroft | 45°22′10″N 69°14′34″W / 45.3695°N 69.2428°W |
| Maryland |
3.3 miles north of Bowie | 39°03′18″N 76°47′27″W / 39.0550°N 76.7909°W |
| Massachusetts |
Irving St. and Wellington St., Worcester | 42°15′35″N 71°48′30″W / 42.2596°N 71.8083°W |
| Michigan |
6.6 miles west of Cadillac | 44°20′48″N 85°24′37″W / 44.3467°N 85.4102°W |
| Minnesota |
10 miles southwest of Brainerd | 46°16′51″N 94°18′19″W / 46.2807°N 94.3053°W |
| Mississippi |
7.7 miles west-northwest of Carthage | 32°44′11″N 89°40′04″W / 32.7364°N 89.6678°W |
| Missouri |
21 miles southwest of Jefferson City | 38°21′24″N 92°27′29″W / 38.3566°N 92.4580°W |
| Montana |
10.1 miles west of Lewistown | 47°03′10″N 109°38′00″W / 47.0527°N 109.6333°W |
| Nebraska |
12.3 miles northwest of Broken Bow | 41°32′16″N 99°47′42″W / 41.5378°N 99.7951°W |
| Nevada |
26 miles southeast of Austin | 39°19′44″N 116°37′52″W / 39.3289°N 116.6312°W |
| New Hampshire |
2.6 miles east of Ashland | 43°40′50″N 71°34′52″W / 43.6805°N 71.5811°W |
| New Jersey |
4.3 miles southeast of Trenton | 40°11′27″N 74°40′22″W / 40.1907°N 74.6728°W |
| New Mexico |
13.8 miles south-southwest of Willard | 34°24′26″N 106°06′45″W / 34.4071°N 106.1126°W |
| New York |
11.5 miles south-southeast of Oneida | 42°57′14″N 75°31′36″W / 42.9538°N 75.5268°W |
| North Carolina |
12.7 miles northwest of Sanford | 35°33′21″N 79°23′16″W / 35.5557°N 79.3877°W |
| North Dakota |
2.7 miles southwest of McClusky | 47°27′00″N 100°27′57″W / 47.4501°N 100.4659°W |
| Ohio |
24.9 miles north-northeast of Columbus | 40°17′10″N 82°47′37″W / 40.2862°N 82.7937°W |
| Oklahoma |
4.4 miles south of Edmond | 35°35′20″N 97°29′39″W / 35.5889°N 97.4943°W |
| Oregon |
29.1 miles southeast of Prineville | 43°56′01″N 120°33′30″W / 43.9336°N 120.5583°W |
| Pennsylvania |
2.7 miles southwest of Bellefonte, in State College | 40°52′41″N 77°47′59″W / 40.8781°N 77.7996°W |
| Rhode Island |
2.4 miles west of Crompton, in West Warwick | 41°40′34″N 71°33′22″W / 41.6762°N 71.5562°W |
| South Carolina |
9.7 miles southeast of Columbia | 33°55′01″N 80°53′47″W / 33.9169°N 80.8964°W |
| South Dakota |
7.9 miles northeast of Pierre | 44°26′39″N 100°13′35″W / 44.4443°N 100.2263°W |
| Tennessee |
2.5 miles northeast of Murfreesboro | 35°51′29″N 86°21′02″W / 35.8580°N 86.3505°W |
| Texas |
23.6 miles north of Brady | 31°28′33″N 99°19′52″W / 31.4757°N 99.3312°W |
| Utah |
3.1 miles northwest of Manti | 39°18′20″N 111°40′13″W / 39.3055°N 111.6703°W |
| Vermont |
3.7 miles southeast of Roxbury | 44°04′07″N 72°39′57″W / 44.0687°N 72.6658°W |
| Virginia |
16.6 miles west of Buckingham | 37°31′17″N 78°51′13″W / 37.5215°N 78.8537°W |
| Washington |
7 miles west-southwest of Wenatchee | 47°22′57″N 120°26′50″W / 47.3826°N 120.4472°W |
| West Virginia |
4.9 miles east-southeast of Sutton | 38°38′27″N 80°37′22″W / 38.6409°N 80.6227°W |
| Wisconsin |
9.3 miles east-southeast of Marshfield | 44°37′27″N 89°59′39″W / 44.6243°N 89.9941°W |
| Wyoming |
60.6 miles east-northeast of Lander | 42°59′45″N 107°33′04″W / 42.9957°N 107.5512°W |
Geographic Centers of U.S. Territories
It's harder to find information about the geographic centers of U.S. territories like Puerto Rico or Guam. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) mainly focuses on the states. For territories, sometimes the "center" refers to the middle of their surrounding ocean areas (called exclusive economic zones) rather than just the land.
| Territory | County- equivalent |
Location | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|
 American Samoa |
North of Manu’a District (EEZ) Eastern District (Tutuila center) |
The center of American Samoa’s ocean area (EEZ) is about 35 miles (56 km) northeast of Ta‘ū island. The center of Tutuila (the main island) is about 1 mile (1.6 km) southwest of Fagatogo. |
13°51′06″S 169°03′27″W / 13.8517°S 169.0576°W (EEZ center) 14°17′24″S 170°42′10″W / 14.2901°S 170.7028°W (Tutuila center) |
 Guam |
Guam | The center of Guam’s ocean area is about 73.65 miles (118.53 km) west-southwest of Cocos Island. The exact center of Guam's main island isn't officially known, but it's likely in the village of Chalan Pago-Ordot. |
12°58′37″N 143°34′53″E / 12.9770°N 143.5814°E (Center of EEZ) 13°26′38″N 144°46′02″E / 13.4440°N 144.7671°E (Chalan Pago-Ordot) |
 Northern Mariana Islands |
Northern Islands Municipality | The center of the Northern Mariana Islands’ ocean area is about 18.33 miles (29.50 km) northeast of Pagan island. | 18°19′06″N 146°01′42″E / 18.3183°N 146.0284°E (EEZ center) |
 Puerto Rico |
Orocovis Municipality | The geographic center of Puerto Rico is in the Orocovis Municipality, about 2.58 miles (4.15 km) west of the main town of Orocovis. | 18°13′20″N 66°25′49″W / 18.2223°N 66.4303°W |
 U.S. Virgin Islands |
Between Saint Thomas and Saint Croix |
The exact center of the U.S. Virgin Islands isn't officially known. A common approximate center is in the Caribbean Sea, about 18 miles (29 km) south-southeast of Saint Thomas and 18 miles (29 km) north of Saint Croix. This point is the approximate center of the three main islands. | 18°20′N 64°54′W / 18.34°N 64.90°W |
 U.S. Minor Outlying Islands |
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
- Geographic center of the contiguous United States
- Geographic center of the United States
- List of extreme points of the United States
- List of extreme points of U.S. states and territories
- List of U.S. states and territories by elevation
- Mean center of the United States population
- Median center of United States population
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List of geographic centers of the United States Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.