The energy and agricultural sectors are important economic drivers for states in the center of the country. Extending from the oil patch of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, northward through the plains states and eastward to the Corn Belt, the states in the nation’s midsection are not only rich in land and other natural resources but also tend to rely heavily on these resources as drivers of economic activity. Booming commodity prices during the middle years of this decade have helped buoy the economies of these states, even while the rest of the country was moving toward recession. However, recent declines in many of these same commodity prices raise concerns about wider economic repercussions for these regions as the U.S. recession continues. This article describes how commodity industries drive the economies of the nation’s midsection and evaluates their outlook after the commodity price boom.
Last Updated: November 20, 2025