The East South Central states is a region constituting one of the nine U.S. Census Bureau divisions. It is located within the American South. Four states make up the division: Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama. The division is one of three that together make up the larger region known as the Southern United States (the other two are the more populous South Atlantic states and the West South Central states).
Historically, the area has been colonized and influenced by the French, Spanish, British, early American, and Confederate governments. Distinct among these states, Alabama's French culture has been preserved through the Alabama Creoles, and Kentucky's French culture can be observed throughout Louisville. The East South Central states form the core of Old Dixie, one of the nine moral regions identified by James Patterson and Peter Kim in their acclaimed 1991 geopolitical best-seller, The Day America Told The Truth. Politically and culturally, the East South Central is more conservative than the other regions making up the American South; Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky, and Tennessee's governments have been described during 2012 to 2023 as some of the most conservative. Religiously, conservative Evangelical Protestantism dominates the East South Central as a central part of the Bible Belt.
Demographics As of 2020, the East South Central states had a combined population of 19,430,030. The East South Central region covers 183,401 square miles of land. Within the region, Tennessee is the largest state by population, though Alabama is the largest by land area; Tennessee was also the East South Central's fastest growing state between 2010 and 2020, with Alabama second. Kentucky was the third-fastest growing state, and Mississippi experienced population decline; despite population decline, Mississippi did increase in diversity.
+States in the East South Central region State 2020 estimate Land area Kentucky 4,509,342 40,409 Tennessee 6,916,897 42,143 Mississippi 2,963,914 48,430 Alabama 5,039,877 52,419
+Ten largest cities by population City 2020 pop. 1 Nashville, Tennessee 689,447 2 Memphis, Tennessee 633,104 3 Louisville, Kentucky 633,045 4 Lexington, Kentucky 322,707 5 Huntsville, Alabama 215,006 6 Birmingham, Alabama 200,733 7 Montgomery, Alabama 200,663 8 Knoxville, Tennessee 190,740 9 Mobile, Alabama 187,041 10 Chattanooga, Tennessee 181,009
Politics Parties Nonpartisan Democratic-Republican Democratic National Republican Whig Constitutional Union Republican Dixiecrat American Independent
Bold denotes election winner. Presidential electoral votes in the East South Central States since 1792Year Alabama Kentucky Mississippi Tennessee 1792 No election Washington No election No election 1796 No election Jefferson No election Jefferson 1800 No election Jefferson No election Jefferson 1804 No election Jefferson No election Jefferson 1808 No election Madison No election Madison 1812 No election Madison No election Madison 1816 No election Monroe No election Monroe 1820 Monroe Monroe Monroe Monroe 1824 Jackson Clay Jackson Jackson 1828 Jackson Jackson Jackson Jackson 1832 Jackson Clay Jackson Jackson 1836 Van Buren Harrison Van Buren White 1840 Van Buren Harrison Harrison Harrison 1844 Polk Clay Polk Clay 1848 Cass Taylor Cass Taylor 1852 Pierce Scott Pierce Scott 1856 Buchanan Buchanan Buchanan Buchanan 1860 Breckinridge Bell Breckinridge Bell 1864 No election McClellan No election Lincoln (rejected) 1868 Grant Seymour No election Grant 1872 Grant Hendricks Grant Hendricks 1876 Tilden Tilden Tilden Tilden 1880 Hancock Hancock Hancock Hancock 1884 Cleveland Cleveland Cleveland Cleveland 1888 Cleveland Cleveland Cleveland Cleveland 1892 Cleveland Cleveland Cleveland Cleveland 1896 Bryan McKinley Bryan Bryan 1900 Bryan Bryan Bryan Bryan 1904 Parker Parker Parker Parker 1908 Bryan Bryan Bryan Bryan 1912 Wilson Wilson Wilson Wilson 1916 Wilson Wilson Wilson Wilson 1920 Cox Cox Cox Harding 1924 Davis Coolidge Davis Davis 1928 Smith Hoover Smith Hoover 1932 Roosevelt Roosevelt Roosevelt Roosevelt 1936 Roosevelt Roosevelt Roosevelt Roosevelt 1940 Roosevelt Roosevelt Roosevelt Roosevelt 1944 Roosevelt Roosevelt Roosevelt Roosevelt 1948 Thurmond Truman Thurmond Truman 1952 Stevenson Stevenson Stevenson Eisenhower 1956 Stevenson Eisenhower Stevenson Eisenhower 1960 Byrd Nixon Byrd Nixon 1964 Goldwater Johnson Goldwater Johnson 1968 Wallace Nixon Wallace Nixon 1972 Nixon Nixon Nixon Nixon 1976 Carter Carter Carter Carter 1980 Reagan Reagan Reagan Reagan 1984 Reagan Reagan Reagan Reagan 1988 Bush Bush Bush Bush 1992 Bush Clinton Bush Clinton 1996 Dole Clinton Dole Clinton 2000 Bush Bush Bush Bush 2004 Bush Bush Bush Bush 2008 McCain McCain McCain McCain 2012 Romney Romney Romney Romney 2016 Trump Trump Trump Trump 2020 Trump Trump Trump Trump 2024 Trump Trump Trump TrumpYear Alabama Kentucky Mississippi Tennessee
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