United States metropolitan area

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See also: Table of United States Metropolitan Statistical Areas and Table of United States Core Based Statistical Areas

In the United States, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has produced a formal definition of metropolitan areas. These are referred to as "Metropolitan Statistical Areas" (MSAs) and "Combined Statistical Areas." An earlier version of the MSA was the "Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area" (SMSA). MSAs are composed of counties and for some county equivalents[1]. In New England, because of the greater importance of towns over counties, similar areas are defined based on town units, known as New England City and Town Areas (NECTAs).

MSAs are delineated on the basis of a central urbanized area—a contiguous area of relatively high population density. The counties containing the core urbanized area are known as the central counties of the MSA. Additional surrounding counties (known as outlying counties) can be included in the MSA if these counties have strong social and economic ties to the central counties as measured by commuting and employment. Note that some areas within these outlying counties may actually be rural in nature.

MSAs are used for official purposes, but they are not the only estimates of metro area populations available. The appropriate figures for some metro areas are much debated, and in some cases reputable sources provide figures which differ by millions. The most contentious examples include the Greater Los Angeles Area, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Greater Cleveland.[citation needed] The official definitions used for the last U.S. Census differed from those for previous censuses, making comparisons difficult even between official figures at different dates (comparing 2000 with 1990, Baltimore was separated from Washington, D.C., but West Palm Beach was combined with Miami-Fort Lauderdale, which made a considerable difference to the rankings of both metros). Care should also be taken when comparing MSA figures with population figures for cities or metro areas outside the U.S., which may be based on substantially different boundary systems and definitions of terms. Additionally, MSA boundaries do not stretch into neighboring Canada or Mexico, so the actual metropolitan populations of border cities such as Detroit, Buffalo, El Paso and San Diego are often substantially larger than their MSA figures.

As of June 2003, there is now an additional classification, that of a “Metropolitan Division.” The term metropolitan division is used to refer to a county or group of closely-tied contiguous counties that serve as a distinct employment region within a metropolitan statistical area that has a population core of at least 2.5 million. While a metropolitan division is a subdivision of a larger metropolitan statistical area, it often functions as a distinct social, economic, and cultural area within the larger region.

Contents

[edit] Top 25

The following is a list of the 25 most populated metropolitan statistical areas and metropolitan divisions in the United States, according to the July 1, 2007 U.S. Census Bureau estimates:[2]

Rank Metropolitan Area Metropolitan Division State(s) Population
1 New York–Northern New Jersey–Long Island   NY–NJ–PA 18,815,988
  Edison NJ 2,319,704
  Nassau–Suffolk NY 2,759,762
  Newark–Union NJ-PA 2,128,679
  New York–White Plains–Wayne NY-NJ 11,607,843
2 Los Angeles–Long Beach–Santa Ana   CA 12,875,587
  Los Angeles–Long Beach–Glendale 9,878,554
  Santa Ana–Anaheim–Irvine 2,997,033
3 Chicago–Naperville–Joliet   IL–IN–WI 9,524,673
  Chicago–Naperville–Joliet IL 7,952,540
  Gary IN 698,971
  Lake County–Kenosha County IL–WI 873,162
4 Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington   TX 6,145,037
  Dallas–Plano–Irving 4,111,529
  Fort Worth–Arlington 2,033,508
5 Philadelphia–Camden–Wilmington PA–NJ–DE–MD 5,827,962
  Camden NJ 1,246,339
  Philadelphia PA 3,887,694
  Wilmington DE–MD–NJ 693,929
6 Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown   TX 5,628,101
7 Miami–Fort Lauderdale–Pompano Beach   FL 5,413,212
  Fort Lauderdale–Pompano Beach–Deerfield Beach 1,759,591
  Miami–Miami Beach–Kendall 2,387,170
  West Palm Beach–Boca Raton–Boynton Beach 1,266,451
8 Washington–Arlington–Alexandria   DC–VA–MD–WV 5,306,565
  Bethesda-Gaithersburg–Frederick MD 1,155,518
  Washington–Arlington–Alexandria DC–MD–VA–WV 4,151,047
9 Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Marietta   GA 5,278,904
10 Boston–Cambridge–Quincy   MA–NH 4,482,857
  Boston–Quincy MA 1,858,216
  Cambridge–Newton–Framingham 1,473,416
  Peabody 733,101
  Rockingham County–Strafford County NH 418,124
11 Detroit–Warren–Livonia   MI 4,467,592
  Detroit–Livonia–Dearborn 1,985,101
  Warren–Troy–Farmington Hills 2,482,491
12 San Francisco–Oakland–Fremont   CA 4,203,898
  Oakland–Fremont–Hayward 2,483,842
  San Francisco–San Mateo–Redwood City 1,720,056
13 Phoenix–Mesa–Scottsdale   AZ 4,179,427
14 Riverside–San Bernardino–Ontario   CA 4,081,371
15 Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue   WA 3,309,347
  Seattle–Bellevue–Everett 2,536,182
  Tacoma 773,165
16 Minneapolis–St. Paul–Bloomington   MN–WI 3,208,212
17 San Diego–Carlsbad–San Marcos[3]   CA 2,974,859
18 St. Louis   MO–IL 2,803,707
19 Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater   FL 2,723,949
20 Baltimore–Towson   MD 2,668,056
21 Denver–Aurora   CO 2,464,866
22 Pittsburgh   PA–WV 2,355,712
23 Portland–Vancouver–Beaverton   OR–WA 2,175,113
24 Cincinnati–Middletown   OH 2,133,678
25 Cleveland–Elyria–Mentor   OH 2,096,471
For all U.S. Metropolitan Statistical Areas, see the Table of United States Metropolitan Statistical Areas.
For a list including combined metropolitan areas, see the Table of United States primary census statistical areas.


[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Census Geographic Glossary, U.S. Census Bureau
  2. ^ http://www.census.gov/population/www/estimates/metro_general/2007/CBSA-EST2007-01.csv
  3. ^ This population is only for the United States side. The area is also included together with the city of Tijuana in Mexico in the bi-national conurbation known as the San Diego-Tijuana Metropolitan Area which together have a population of 4,945,410.

[edit] See also

U.S. Census Bureau statistical areas by state, district, or territory


AS
GU
MP
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[edit] External links