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Heading west to seek gold, obtain religious freedoms, or settle their own piece of land are old and commonly told American stories. These stories, guided by the dreams of generations before us are the basis for the reality now playing out in the western US with its complex history and remarkable capacity for change. This chapter provides a description and analysis of the demography of all 13 western states. The demographic compositions of the western region as a whole and the US will also be observed, and compared to the other regions the Census Bureau has defined. These latter categories provide both a regional and a national baseline, respectively, on which to make useful comparisons. The focus of this chapter is therefore on Alaska,