The seven States of the West North Central Census Division Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and North and South Dakota are located in the Midwestern United States and are bordered on the East by the Mississippi River.
Agriculture is a predominant economic activity.
The severe winters of this western part of the Midwest mean that space-heating requirements are higher, on average, than in the United States as a whole. The 7.2 million households in the West North Central Division consumed 0.89 quadrillion Btu of energy in 1997. The 101.5 million households in the United States as a whole consumed 10.25 quadrillion Btu, meaning that per-household consumption is, on average, about 23 percent higher in the Division than in the country as a whole. The lower share of energy consumption devoted to appliances and air-conditioning in the West North Central Division, when compared with the United States as a whole, is attributable to the colder climate in the Division, where relatively more household energy resources are devoted to space and water heating. Almost all household appliances are more common in Division households than in households nationwide, and air-conditioners were no exception.