Mniotilta varia breeds throughout the eastern United States and much of Canada. Boreal areas through central and eastern Canada, from northeastern British Columbia east to Newfoundland and Labrador, make up its northern range. In the United States, Mniotilta varia breeds along the east coast from Maine, through New York, south to North Carolina and western South Carolina, and west to parts of Alabama and Mississippi. Mniotilta varia does not breed in the Mississippi River valley, but does breed as far west as eastern Texas and Oklahoma. In the midwest, M. varia breeds in northern portions of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. This warbler winters from southern Florida through the Bahamas, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean to northern South America.

Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native ); neotropical (Native )