Which State Is The Most ‘Midwestern': Wisconsin, Minnesota, Or Iowa?

I feel like a pretty sizable number of people who call Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa home proudly own their "Midwestern" title. That said, which state considers themselves the most "Midwestern" of the bunch?

In a recent study conducted by Boston's Emerson College and the University of South Dakota, we get an answer to this burning question.

The "Middle West Review" surveyed 11,000 residents of 22 different states - most of which are in what is considered "The Midwest", but also including a lot of fringe states that span as far as Montana, Pennsylvania, and Arkansas.

Among the questions asked as part of this survey, they inquired about if respondents identified as Midwesterners. I'll admit, I found the results kind of interesting!

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While the survey data pointed to most of the American Heartland identifying strongly with being "Midwestern". there was a decent percentage of people in places like West Virginia, Arkansas, and even Idaho that identified as Midwestern.

What states are the most "Midwestern"?

As a Minnesotan, I proudly own my Midwestern badge. But, what does that mean? Clearly, different things to different people.

Some people think of corn fields and small towns. Others just consider the physical geographic location or other factors to define what being part of the Midwest is.

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When looking at the data, it turns out that Minnesota is among the top states that consider themself "Midwestern". Among the questions asked, they inquired if people felt they lived in the Midwest and if they identified as a Midwesterner.

When it comes what states people geographically think are Midwestern states, here's how residents identified their home:

Do you consider yourself to live in the Midwest?

1. Iowa: 96.7%
2. Minnesota: 96.5%
3. Missouri: 95.3%
4. North Dakota: 93.8% (Tie for 4th)
5. Illinois: 93.8% (Tie for 4th)
6. Michigan: 93.6% (Tie for 6th)
7. Wisconsin: 93.6% (Tie for 6th)
8. Nebraska: 92.8%
9. South Dakota: 92.2%
10. Indiana: 91.6%

What's interesting is that some people living in these states don't consider themselves Midwesterners. They don't specify why people who live in a Midwestern state don't identify as Midwesterners, but it could be because they are from elsewhere, don't identify with the stereotype of what a "Midwesterner" is, or some other reason.

Do you believe yourself to be a Midwesterner?

1. Iowa: 90.4%
2. Illinois: 88.1%
3. Missouri: 86.9%
4. Minnesota: 86.3%
5. Wisconsin: 86.0%
6. Nebraska: 84.8%
7. South Dakota: 81.1%
8. Indiana: 80.8%
9. Kansas: 79.6%
10. North Dakota: 78.7%

So in the battle of which state is most Midwestern between Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa, it looks like Iowa wins in both geographic definition and people living there identifying with the idea of being "a Midwesterner". Minnesota comes in second, followed by Wisconsin.