Whitest States

Understanding the demographic landscape of the United States is a complex endeavor, primarily due to the country's historical diversity and ongoing shifts in population. Among the various racial and ethnic groupings, White Americans or those identifying as White, which encompasses origins in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, form the majority. According to U.S. Census Bureau estimates dated July 1, 2022, around 75.8% of the U.S. population identified as White alone, while those classifying as Non-Hispanic whites made up 59.3% of the populace.

When considering the distribution of this demographic, some regions stand out for their higher concentration of White residents, pointing to particular historical, migratory, or residential preferences for various reasons. Our dataset, which lists the percentage of the White population across U.S. states, paints a telling picture of these regional differences.

From our research, we have derived the following key insights:

• West Virginia leads the pack as the state with the largest percentage of White residents, at 97.12%.
• The Northeastern and Midwestern states of Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, and Iowa also feature in top spots, demonstrating above 90% white demography.
• The ethnic identity in states shows a high concentration of White population, consistent with historical European immigration trends to these regions.
• There is regional clustering visible in the data, with most states featuring highly on this list situated in the Northeast and Midwest. The Western states of Oregon, Wyoming, and Colorado, as well as southern states like Kentucky, emerge as notable exceptions.
• Presenting a contrast at the end of the spectrum is Hawaii, with the smallest percentage of residents identifying as White at just 42.19% - significantly divergent from the national average.