The East North Central States form one of the nine geographic divisions within the United States which are officially recognized by the United States Census Bureau.

The division contains five states: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin. It is one of two divisions used to categorize the region of the U.S. generally called the "Midwest" or "Great Lakes region"; the other such division is the West North Central States (The Great Plains States). The region closely matches the area of the Northwest Territory, excepting a portion of Minnesota.

The East North Central division is a large part of the Great Lakes region, although the latter also includes Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, and the Canadian province of Ontario. The region is part of the Great Lakes Megalopolis with an estimated 54 million people.

The Great Lakes provide access to the Atlantic Ocean via the Great Lakes Waterway and St. Lawrence Seaway, or by the New York State Barge Canal and the Hudson River or via the Gulf of Mexico from the Mississippi River and the Illinois Waterway. Chicago and Detroit, the divisions largest cities, are among the major ports of the United States.