Determining the states most similar to the Great Plains region requires considering various social, cultural, economic, and political factors. One way to answer this complex question is by analyzing the data from the State Similarity Index. The index attempts to quantify how similar states are to each other relative to other states, using a variety of statistics from five broad categories: demographics, culture, politics, infrastructure, and geography.
According to the data, Nebraska is the most average state in the Great Plains region. The state is centrally located and has a mix of agricultural land and prairies, making it a good representation of the region’s geography. Nebraska has a continental climate with hot summers and cold winters, which is typical for the Great Plains. Like the rest of the region, the state is predominantly Republican, with a strong emphasis on traditional values and fiscal conservatism. The vast majority of people in the state are White, so it fits in with the other states in the Great Plains region.
Outside of states in the Great Plains region, Minnesota has the most in common with the region. It borders North Dakota, South Dakota, and Iowa, but it is considered to be part of the Great Lakes region. Although its capitol, Minneapolis, is bigger than any city in the Great Plains, the rural parts of Minnesota resemble the agricultural landscapes found in the Dakotas, Nebraska, and Kansas. Minnesota and the Great Plains states have many German immigrants who settled in these regions in the 19th and early 20th centuries. However, one big difference is that Minnesota’s people tend to be significantly more liberal.
Hawaii has far different demographics, culture, politics, infrastructure and geography from the Great Plains region. It has a much higher percentage of Asian people and a lower percentage of White people. In addition, the state has a much higher percentage of Democrats than states in the Great Plains. Hawaii is significantly more mountainous than the region and has a lower percentage of farmland. Its climate is much hotter than the Midwest’s since it is so far south. While all the states in the Great Plains are landlocked, Hawaii is the only state that is completely on an island.
