Data study · 2025–26 season
East Coast vs. West Coast: how far college players go
Where a player grows up changes how far from home college basketball goes. At Division III, 92.6% of Northeast players stay in the Northeast and 46.9% of West players stay in the West. Computed from 13,406 2025–26 roster spots with a US home on record.
Computed from 13,406 player-seasons · 2025–26 · updated Sep 30, 2026
In D3, Northeast players stay in their region most, West players least.
92.6% of Northeast D3 players play at a college in the Northeast; 46.9% of West D3 players play in the West, and the Midwest takes the most of the rest (28.7% of them).
In D1, South players stay in their region most, Midwest players least.
71.2% of South D1 players play at a college in the South; 53.0% of Midwest D1 players play in the Midwest, and the South takes the most of the rest (28.6% of them).
Division III programs are not spread evenly.
Of the 403 D3 programs on these rosters, 199 are in the Northeast and 21 in the West. Northeast 199, Midwest 110, South 73, West 21.
Share of players who play in their home region
D1
n = 657 · 990 · 1,867 · 705
D2
n = 540 · 925 · 1,537 · 588
D3
n = 2,020 · 1,553 · 1,529 · 495
Regions are the US Census Bureau's four. Every share, and where the rest go, is in the table.
Where players from each region play · 2025–26 rosters
The full data| From | Players | Home state | Home region | Northeast | Midwest | South | West |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northeast | 657 | 21.9% | 57.2% | 57.2% | 8.8% | 29.2% | 4.7% |
| Midwest | 990 | 27.0% | 53.0% | 9.7% | 53.0% | 28.6% | 8.7% |
| South | 1,867 | 26.5% | 71.2% | 12.1% | 10.0% | 71.2% | 6.7% |
| West | 705 | 32.9% | 61.1% | 9.6% | 9.2% | 20.0% | 61.1% |
| From | Players | Home state | Home region | Northeast | Midwest | South | West |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northeast | 540 | 52.0% | 75.6% | 75.6% | 3.0% | 20.0% | 1.5% |
| Midwest | 925 | 43.4% | 72.4% | 3.4% | 72.4% | 20.5% | 3.7% |
| South | 1,537 | 44.6% | 82.6% | 6.5% | 6.8% | 82.6% | 4.2% |
| West | 588 | 53.9% | 79.6% | 1.5% | 8.0% | 10.9% | 79.6% |
| From | Players | Home state | Home region | Northeast | Midwest | South | West |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northeast | 2,020 | 65.1% | 92.6% | 92.6% | 3.2% | 3.5% | 0.6% |
| Midwest | 1,553 | 65.4% | 90.5% | 5.8% | 90.5% | 3.2% | 0.5% |
| South | 1,529 | 37.1% | 57.7% | 30.5% | 10.5% | 57.7% | 1.3% |
| West | 495 | 25.7% | 46.9% | 18.6% | 28.7% | 5.9% | 46.9% |
Programs on the rosters, by the region the college is in
| Division | Northeast | Midwest | South | West |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D1 | 68 | 70 | 164 | 62 |
| D2 | 43 | 64 | 127 | 44 |
| D3 | 199 | 110 | 73 | 21 |
What this means if you're being recruited
Find your region and your likely level. The home-region share says how often players like yours stay close; the four region columns say where the rest go.
Read it next to the program counts. A region with fewer programs at a level sends more of its players elsewhere, so a family in that region building a list at that level should expect to look farther from home.
Distance here is a state and region relationship, not miles. Our high-school records carry no map coordinates, so we publish what the rosters support rather than an invented mileage figure. The division-level view is on the how-far-from-home page.
See which programs are realistic for you
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Methodology
Source · sample · scope13,406 player-seasons · 1,060 programs · 2025–26
Definitions and scope
- Source
- Official 2025–26 rosters published by the athletics sites of 1,060 NCAA D1, D2 and D3 men's programs, collected by Depth Chart, joined to each player's listed hometown state and each college's state.
- Regions
- The US Census Bureau's four regions. Northeast: CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT, NJ, NY, PA. Midwest: IL, IN, MI, OH, WI, IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD. South: DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV, AL, KY, MS, TN, AR, LA, OK, TX. West: AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY, AK, CA, HI, OR, WA.
- Cells
- A region and division with fewer than 30 players is not shown.
- Programs
- Distinct programs with at least one player on a collected roster this season, by the state the college is in.
- Sample
- 13,406 player-seasons with a US hometown on 2025–26 rosters; 1 excluded because the college's state is unknown. Players with no listed hometown, or a hometown outside the US, are outside this page.
- Computed
- Sep 29, 2026 · methodology 2026-08-28.1
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