Micropolitan and Metropolitan Areas of the U.S.A

About.Com: Geography Micropolitan and Metropolitan Areas of the U.S.A.

New Definitions and New Listings Jul 13 2003 In June 2003, the White House Office of Management and Budget released their listing of all-new Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Micropolitan Statistical Areas, and Combined Statistical Areas, according to definitions developed in 2000.

A Metropolitan Statistical Area must have at least one urbanized area of 50,000 or more inhabitants.

It consists of no less than one county. There are 370 Metro Areas.

If specified criteria are met, a Metropolitan Statistical Area containing a single core with a population of 2.5 million or more may be subdivided to form smaller groupings of counties referred to as "Metropolitan Divisions." Eleven Metropolitan Statistical Areas (Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington D.C.) have a total of 29 Metropolitan Divisions.

A Micropolitan Statistical Area must have at least one urban cluster of at least 10,000 but less than 50,000 population. It typically consists of one county. There are 565 Micro Areas - 71 of which include two counties or one county and a Virginia city, 18 of which include three counties, and two of which include four counties (the Paducah, KY-IL Micropolitan Statistical Area includes Massac County, IL; Ballard County, KY; Livingston County, KY; and McCracken County, KY while the Traverse City, MI Micropolitan Statistical Area includes Benzie County, Grand Traverse County, Kalkaska County, and Leelanau County).

Furthermore, there are 116 brand-new Combined Statistical Areas (CSA) which consist of adjacent metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas. A CSA may comprise two or more Metro Areas, a Metro Area and a Micro Area, two or more Micro Areas, or multiple Metro and Micro Areas. They are not all huge population centers, by any stretch of the imagination. For example, the Paducah-Mayfield, KY-IL Combined Statistical Area simply consists of the Paducah Micro Area and Mayfield Micro Area.

The terms Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area and Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area are purely historic; they no longer exist.

The name of the CSA lists the most populous component area first. Thus, in a dramatic upset, the historic San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA CMSA (Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area) has become the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA Combined Statistical Area. Ouch!

Let's take an example of how Metro areas and Micro areas come together. The Sacramento--Arden-Arcade--Roseville, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area consists of four California counties in the Sacramento area - El Dorado County (largest city South Lake Tahoe), Placer County (where the urban core of Roseville is located), Sacramento County (where the urban cores of Sacramento and Arden-Arcade are located), and Yolo County (largest city Davis). However, the Sacramento--Arden-Arcade--Truckee, CA-NV Combined Statistical Area includes a new place name (Truckee) in the CSA name. The CSA includes three components two Micropolitan Areas to the east of Sacramento proper - the Gardnerville Ranchos, NV Micropolitan Statistical Area and the Truckee-Grass Valley, CA Micropolitan Statistical Area along with the Sacramento--Arden-Arcade--Roseville, CA Metro Area.

The Gardnerville Ranchos, NV Micropolitan Statistical Area is simply Douglas County, Nevada and the Truckee-Grass Valley, CA Micropolitan Statistical Area is simply Nevada County, CA. This brings up some interesting questions - 1) Why is Douglas County, Nevada (near the Nevada state capital of Carson City) part of the Sacramento CSA while closer Alpine or Amador Counties (neither are in a Micro or Metro area at all) are not? 2) Why then isn't Reno or Carson City (closer to Sacramento than Douglas County) part of the CSA? Reno and Carson City (two separate Metro Areas) aren't in a CSA at all. Strange indeed but this is what the OMB has given us to work with and enjoy.

For your enjoyment, all 116 CSA names are listed for you on page two of this article.

A Listing of All 116 Brand-New CSAs Jul 13 2003

1. Albany-Corvallis-Lebanon, OR CSA 2. Albany-Schenectady-Amsterdam, NY CSA 3. Ames-Boone, IA CSA 4. Appleton-Oshkosh-Neenah, WI CSA 5. Asheville-Brevard, NC CSA 6. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville, GA CSA 7. Baton Rouge-Pierre Part, LA CSA 8. Beckley-Oak Hill, WV CSA 9. Bend-Prineville, OR CSA 10. Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman, AL CSA 11. Boston-Worcester-Manchester, MA-NH CSA 12. Brownsville-Harlingen-Raymondville, TX CSA 13. Cape Girardeau-Sikeston-Jackson, MO-IL CSA 14. Charlotte-Gastonia-Salisbury, NC-SC CSA 15. Chattanooga-Cleveland-Athens, TN-GA CSA 16. Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City, IL-IN-WI CSA 17. Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington, OH-KY-IN CSA 18. Cleveland-Akron-Elyria, OH CSA 19. Clovis-Portales, NM CSA 20. Columbia-Newberry, SC CSA 21. Columbus-Auburn-Opelika, GA-AL CSA 22. Columbus-Marion-Chillicothe, OH CSA 23. Corbin-London, KY CSA 24. Corpus Christi-Kingsville, TX CSA 25. Dallas-Fort Worth, TX CSA 26. Dayton-Springfield-Greenville, OH CSA 27. Deltona-Daytona Beach-Palm Coast, FL CSA 28. Denver-Aurora-Boulder, CO CSA 29. Des Moines-Newton, IA CSA 30. Detroit-Warren-Flint, MI CSA 31. Dothan-Enterprise-Ozark, AL CSA 32. Eau Claire-Menomonie, WI CSA 33. Fairmont-Clarksburg, WV CSA 34. Fargo-Wahpeton, ND-MN CSA 35. Findlay-Tiffin-Fostoria, OH CSA 36. Fond du Lac-Beaver Dam, WI CSA 37. Fort Polk South-De Ridder, LA CSA 38. Fort Wayne-Huntington-Auburn, IN CSA 39. Fresno-Madera, CA CSA 40. Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland, MI CSA 41. Greensboro--Winston-Salem--High Point, NC CSA 42. Greenville-Anderson-Seneca, SC CSA 43. Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, MS CSA 44. Harrisburg-Carlisle-Lebanon, PA CSA 45. Hartford-West Hartford-Willimantic, CT CSA 46. Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX CSA 47. Huntsville-Decatur, AL CSA 48. Idaho Falls-Blackfoot, ID CSA 49. Indianapolis-Anderson-Columbus, IN CSA 50. Ithaca-Cortland, NY CSA 51. Jackson-Yazoo City, MS CSA 52. Johnson City-Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA CSA 53. Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City, MO-KS CSA 54. Knoxville-Sevierville-La Follette, TN CSA 55. Kokomo-Peru, IN CSA 56. Lafayette-Acadiana, LA CSA 57. Lafayette-Frankfort, IN CSA 58. Lake Charles-Jennings, LA CSA 59. Lansing-East Lansing-Owosso, MI CSA 60. Las Vegas-Paradise-Pahrump, NV CSA 61. Lexington-Fayette--Frankfort--Richmond, KY CSA 62. Little Rock-North Little Rock-Pine Bluff, AR CSA 63. Longview-Marshall, TX CSA 64. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, CA CSA 65. Louisville-Elizabethtown-Scottsburg, KY-IN CSA 66. Lubbock-Levelland, TX CSA 67. Lumberton-Laurinburg, NC CSA 68. Macon-Warner Robins-Fort Valley, GA CSA 69. Madison-Baraboo, WI CSA 70. Mansfield-Bucyrus, OH CSA 71. Mayagüez-San Germán-Cabo Rojo CSA 72. Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI CSA 73. Minneapolis-St. 74. Paul-St. Cloud, MN-WI CSA 75. Mobile-Daphne-Fairhope, AL CSA 76. Monroe-Bastrop, LA CSA 77. Morristown-Newport, TN CSA 78. Myrtle Beach-Conway-Georgetown, SC CSA 79. Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Columbia, TN CSA 80. New Orleans-Metairie-Bogalusa, LA CSA 81. New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA CSA 82. Oklahoma City-Shawnee, OK CSA 83. Omaha-Council Bluffs-Fremont, NE-IA CSA 84. Orlando-The Villages, FL CSA 85. Paducah-Mayfield, KY-IL CSA 86. Peoria-Canton, IL CSA 87. Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland, PA-NJ-DE-MD CSA 88. Pittsburgh-New Castle, PA CSA 89. Ponce-Yauco-Coamo, PR CSA 90. Portland-Lewiston-South Portland, ME CSA 91. Raleigh-Durham-Cary, NC CSA 92. Rochester-Batavia-Seneca Falls, NY CSA 93. Rockford-Freeport-Rochelle, IL CSA 94. Sacramento--Arden-Arcade--Truckee, CA-NV CSA 95. Saginaw-Bay City-Saginaw Township North, MI CSA 96. St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, MO-IL CSA 97. Salisbury-Ocean Pines, MD CSA 98. Salt Lake City-Ogden-Clearfield, UT CSA 99. San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA CSA 100. San Juan-Caguas-Fajardo, PR CSA 101. Santa Fe-Espanola, NM CSA 102. Savannah-Hinesville-Fort Stewart, GA CSA 103. Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia, WA CSA 104. Shreveport-Bossier City-Minden, LA CSA 105. Sioux City-Vermillion, IA-NE-SD CSA 106. Spartanburg-Gaffney-Union, SC CSA 107. Sunbury-Lewisburg-Selinsgrove, PA CSA 108. Syracuse-Auburn, NY CSA 109. Toledo-Fremont, OH CSA 110. Tulsa-Bartlesville, OK CSA 111. Tyler-Jacksonville, TX CSA 112. Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV CSA 113. Wausau-Merrill, WI CSA 114. Wichita-Winfield, KS CSA 115. Williamsport-Lock Haven, PA CSA 116. York-Hanover-Gettysburg, PA CSA 117. Youngstown-Warren-East Liverpool, OH-PA CSA

~ Matt Rosenberg