What Is the List of East Coast States?

East Coast states include Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida as well as Washington D.C. East Coast States are generally defined as bordering the Atlantic Ocean, although Vermont, in New England, does not and only a very small part of Pennsylvania does.

It is also worth noting that the size and shape of some of the east coast states render a large portion of their populations far from the ocean. The nearest ocean beach to Pittsburgh, PA., for instance, is a 6-hour drive. The same is true for upstate New York. More than 1/3 of the population of the United States lives in one of the East Coast states. The East Coast is also the wealthiest region in the United States. Seven of the ten wealthiest states are located on the East Coast, including the wealthiest state, Maryland. Other East Coast states among the wealthiest are Virginia, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Washington D.C. The primary reason for the East Coast’s affluence is that the annual household incomes of many East Coast residents actually grew from the year 2000 when most household incomes throughout the rest of the United States began to fall.