The Midwest is a diverse part of the country with large cities, fertile farmland, smaller communities and a varied political landscape.
The United States Census Bureau defines 12 states as the Midwest: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Together, they accounted for 20.6% of the U.S. population in 2023, a slight decrease from 20.8% in 2020.
There are 19 metropolitan areas with 500,000 or more inhabitants, the largest of which is Chicago with around 9.3 million inhabitants (as of July 2023), followed by Detroit with 4.3 million, Minneapolis/St. Paul with 3.7 million and St. Louis with 2.8 million. Cincinnati, Kansas City, Columbus and Cleveland each have around 2.2 million inhabitants.
Most of the largest cities are shrinking. The population decline is greatest in Chicago, where it has fallen by around 2 percent since April 2020. In Cleveland, the population has fallen by 1.2 percent and in Detroit by 1.1 percent.
But the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul grew by about 0.6 percent, Cincinnati’s population grew by about 1 percent, Kansas City’s by 1.3 percent and Columbus’s by almost 2 percent.
Des Moines, Iowa, is the fastest growing city with an increase of 3.9%.
All major cities have a dynamic restaurant scene. Chicago has long been a premier foodie destination and leads the country in experimental cuisine—most notably at Alinea, chef Grant Achatz’s flagship restaurant, although many chefs who started in his kitchen have since gone on to venture out on their own.
But over the past 15 years, many chefs who were born in the Midwest but sought their fortunes in the coastal regions have returned home, taking advantage of generally lower rents, an increasingly discerning clientele, and support for local chefs who have achieved success.
Many of the region’s largest and most dynamic restaurant chains are based in Chicago, but operators also operate successful and growing multi-concept restaurants in Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Omaha, St. Louis, the Twin Cities and elsewhere in the Midwest.
Contact Bret Thorn at (email protected)
