The Southeastern United States, also known as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical region of the United States located in the eastern portion of the Southern United States and the southern portion of the Eastern United States. The region includes a core of states that reaches north to Maryland and West Virginia, bordering the Ohio River and Mason–Dixon line, and stretches west to Arkansas and Louisiana.
There is no official U.S. government definition for the region, and it is defined variably among agencies and organizations.
History
The history of the present-day Southeastern United States dates to the dawn of civilization in approximately 11,000 BC or 13,000 BC. The earliest artifacts from the region were from the Clovis culture. Prior to the arrival of European colonialists, Native Americans occupied the region for several hundred years during the Woodland period.
The first Europeans to arrive in the region were conquistadors associated with the Spanish Empire. In 1541, Hernando de Soto journeyed through the southeast and crossed the Mississippi River. The region hosted the first permanent European settlement in the United States, with the Kingdom of Spain establishing St. Augustine, Florida in 1565. Four southeast states, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia, were among the Thirteen Colonies who sent delegates to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia, which declared independence from the British Crown, which was established with the colonies' victory over the British in the American Revolutionary War.
During the American Civil War, the Confederate States of America consisted of the southeastern states of Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Louisiana, and Arkansas. Texas was a Confederate State that isn't defined as part of the southeast region. Missouri and Kentucky had dual competing Unionist and Confederate state governments in the Confederate government of Missouri and Confederate government of Kentucky, while Maryland and Delaware were neutral southern border states that remained with the Union. West Virginia split from Virginia during 1863, and also served as a border state that remained with the Union while being contested by the Confederacy and Confederate government of West Virginia. Following the Reconstruction era in the 1870s, many Southeast state legislatures passed Jim Crow laws. The American segregation era spanned from the late 19th century to the mid-1960s.
In the mid-to-late 20th century, the Southeast saw many shifting changes take place population wise and economically. The Southeast started to see a spur of new economic growth in the 1930s, which stemmed from New Deal policies such as the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Fair Labor Standards Act instituting a minimum wage for the entire nation. World War II further helped growth within the Southeast, as military bases and military production drew workers from farming or low-wage industries into a new economy. With farming mechanization picking up to speed in the 1940s, promotion of different industries, and federal spending on defense and space programs, the Southeast saw further economic transformation in the ensuing years and decades of the 20th century.McDonald, F. John. (2013). Urban Areas in the Transformation of the South: A Review of Modern History – Hindawi. Urban Studies Research. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
The Southeast benefitted from its business and warm climate in its population growth during the late 20th century, as it helped in attracting job seekers and retirees from other U.S. regions. Florida in particular went from being the 27th most populated U.S. state in 1940 with 1.9 million residents, to being the 4th most populated U.S. state and having nearly 13 million residents in 2000. Southeast states such as North Carolina and Georgia saw large population growth increases as well during the late 20th century.Historical Population Change Data (1910–2020). census.gov. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
Geography The United States Geological Survey defines Southeastern United States as including the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
There is no official United States Census Bureau definition of the Southeastern United States. They instead divide a larger region which includes Texas, Oklahoma, Maryland, Delaware, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia, designated as "the South", into three separate subregions, none of which are conventionally considered to define the Southeast.
The nonprofit American Association of Geographers defines the Southeastern United States as including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.Southeastern Division of the Association of American Geographers The OSBO (Organization Supporting Business Owners) uses the same states, but includes Arkansas and Louisiana. The states of Delaware and Missouri, along with the U.S. capital of Washington, D.C., are also sometimes added in definitions of the term.
Demographics Most populous states The most populous states in the region as of the 2025 United States census estimates are: Florida (23,462,518), followed by Georgia (11,732,595), and North Carolina (11,197,968).
State2025 estimate2020 censusChangeLand areaDensityAlabama Arkansas Florida Georgia Kentucky Louisiana Maryland Mississippi North Carolina South Carolina Tennessee Virginia West Virginia Total
U.S. territories
Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are located southeast of Florida, and are considered to be in the South / Southeastern U.S. by the FAA, Agricultural Research Service, and the U.S. National Park Service.https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/arc/southern_region/ Federal Aviation Administration. Southern Region. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
Territory2020 censusThe World Factbook CIA World Factbook. U.S. Virgin Islands. Retrieved July 5, 2020.2010 censusChangeLand areaThe World Factbook CIA World Factbook. Puerto Rico. Retrieved July 5, 2020.DensityPuerto RicoU.S. Virgin Islands
Largest cities
These are the largest cities in the Southeastern region of the United States by population, according to the United States Census Bureau in 2025:
Rank (2025) City Stateor territory Population (2025)Population (2020) 1 Jacksonville Florida 1,017,689949,607 2 Charlotte North Carolina 874,708 3 Nashville Tennessee 689,449 4 Washington District of Columbia 689,544 5 Louisville Kentucky 631,901 6 Memphis Tennessee 628,510 7 Baltimore Maryland 585,729 8 Atlanta Georgia 498,805 9 Raleigh North Carolina506,306468,102 10 Miami Florida 442,236 11 Virginia Beach Virginia 459,417 12 Tampa Florida 385,336 13 New Orleans Louisiana 384,129 14 Orlando Florida 333,888308,101 15 Lexington Kentucky 322,563 16 San Juan Puerto Rico 342,263 17 Greensboro North Carolina 308,667299,197 18 Durham North Carolina 305,561283,881 19 Port St. Lucie Florida 268,062204,826 20 St. Petersburg Florida 264,033258,358 21 Winston-Salem North Carolina 257,271249,549 22 Chesapeake Virginia 255,332249,251 23 Richmond Virginia 237,257226,522 24 Cape Coral Florida 236,264194,004 25 Huntsville Alabama 233,627214,989 26 Norfolk Virginia 231,013238,090 27 Hialeah Florida 230,968223,143 28 Baton Rouge Louisiana 222,795226,69729FayettevilleNorth Carolina209,120208,427 30 Little Rock Arkansas 206,427202,543
These are the metropolitan areas of the Southeastern region which exceed one million in population according to the United States Census Bureau's 2025 estimates as estimated by the United States Census Bureau
Rank Metropolitan area Anchor city Population (2025 estimate) State(s) or territory 1 Atlanta–Sandy Springs-Roswell Atlanta 6,482,182 Georgia 2 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria Washington 6,465,724 District of Columbia / Virginia / Maryland / West Virginia 3 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach Miami 6,391,072 Florida 4 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater Tampa 3,418,895 Florida 5 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford Orlando 2,957,672 Florida 6 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia Charlotte 2,938,830 North Carolina / South Carolina 7 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson Baltimore 2,857,781 Maryland 8 Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin Nashville 2,197,416 Tennessee 9 Virginia Beach–Chesapeake–Norfolk Virginia Beach 1,797,213 Virginia / North Carolina 10 Jacksonville Jacksonville 1,785,500 Florida 11 Raleigh–Cary Raleigh 1,595,720 North Carolina 12 Louisville–Jefferson County Louisville 1,402,509 Kentucky / Indiana 13 Richmond-Petersburg Richmond 1,389,338 Virginia 14 Memphis Memphis 1,341,412 Tennessee / Mississippi / Arkansas 15 Birmingham-Hoover Birmingham 1,197,766 Alabama
Combined statistical areas Beyond Megalopolis by Virginia Tech's Metropolitan Institute, an attempt to update Jean Gottmann's work with current trends, defines two "megapolitan areas" contained within the Southeast, out of a total of ten such areas in the United States: "Piedmont" extending from North Carolina to Alabama "Peninsula" covering South Florida and Central Florida Two others tie some areas on the margins of the Southeast to urban centers in other regions: "Gulf Coast" extending as far east as the western tip of Florida "Northeast" including much of Maryland, Central Virginia, and Eastern Virginia.
These are the combined statistical areas of the Southeastern region which exceed 1 million in population according to the United States Census Bureau's 2016 estimates. Note that the metropolitan areas of Tampa and Richmond are not included in any CSAs, so they are included in the table without constituent areas.