Skip to main content

Resource Map Monday | From Cradle to President: The States With Presidential Birthplaces

George Washington's home
Updated February 17, 2025
Related Topic: News to Use

Presidents Day was made a holiday in 1879 to honor George Washington on his birthday; it has since come to mean a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents. Less the half of the states have been the birthplaces of presidents, even though there have been 47 presidencies. Virginia, also nicknamed the “mother of presidents,” can claim the most presidents at eight, and Ohio comes in next with seven—accounting for one-third of all presidents between them. Most presidents have been born on the East Coast with just eight from west of the Mississippi, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, including Richard Nixon (California) and Barack Obama (Hawaii). 

Sources:  

Loading

  • Contact NCSL

  • Use this form to reach NCSL staff.

Related Resources

Map Monday: State Nicknames

State nicknames often arise from natural and geographic features or key aspects of a state’s history, usually subject to legislative approval.
News to Use
Map

Map Monday: Margarine's Colorful Past

Margarine arrived in America in the 1870s as an affordable alternative to butter that also provided Chicago's meatpacking industry with a profitable use for surplus animal fat.
News to Use
Map

Map Monday: Poverty Rates Across the States

Nationally, 12.5 percent of Americans live in poverty, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That number is considerably higher in some states, even as rates improved since the pandemic sent the number in poverty soaring.
News to Use
Map
Loading

  • Contact NCSL

  • For more information on this topic, use this form to reach NCSL staff.