BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
Metropolitan Areas
You may not know it, but and you Budget (OMB) to reflect effective June 30, 1993. These probably live in a metropolitanchanging population totals andrevised definitions are based on area (MA). About 4 in every commuting 5 flows. This Brief detailed data from the 1990 cenĆ Americans do! takes a look at how America'ssus, and population figures metro areas changed as a resultshown here are 1990 counts, MA's consist of a densely settledof OMB's latest redefinition, unless otherwise noted. population core area of 50,000 or more containing a central city or cities, together with surroundĆMetro Area Leaders ing areas if a substantial perĆ(Metro areas are as of OMB's June 30, 1993 redefinition.) centage of their workers comĆPopulation Race and Hispanic Origin mute to the core area to work.Most populous MA's MA's with the highest percentage MA's must have a total populaĆ(millions): 1992 (estimate) of Blacks: 1990 tion of 100,000 or more (75,000New YorkĆNorthern New JerseyĆ Albany, GA 45.8% Long Island, NYĆNJĆCTĆPA 19.7Sumter, SC 43.2% in New England) or a central Los city AngelesĆRiversideĆ Pine Bluff, AR 43.1% of 50,000 or more. Orange County, CA 15.0Jackson, MS 42.5% ChicagoĆGaryĆKenosha, ILĆINĆWI 8.4 Rocky Mount, NC 41.9% Three types of MA's are metroĆWashingtonĆBaltimore, Memphis, TNĆARĆMS 40.7% DCĆMDĆVAĆWV 6.9 politan statistical areas (MSA's), MA's with the highest percentage of San FranciscoĆOaklandĆ Hispanics: 1990 consolidated metropolitan statisĆ San Jose, CA 6.4 PhiladelphiaĆWilmingtonĆ Laredo, TX 93.9% tical areas (CMSA's), and primaĆAtlantic City, PAĆNJĆDEĆMD McAllenĆEdinburgĆ 5.9 ry metropolitan statistical areasBostonĆWorcesterĆLawrence, Mission, TX 85.2% (PMSA's). (See the box on theMAĆNHĆMEĆCT 5.4BrownsvilleĆHarlingenĆ DetroitĆAnn ArborĆFlint, MI San Benito, TX 5.2 81.9% back for definitions.) The totalDallasĆFt. Worth, TX El Paso, TX 4.2 69.6% number of metro areas consistsHoustonĆGalvestonĆBrazoria, TX 4.0Las Cruces, NM 56.4% Corpus Christi, TX 52.0% of the combined number of Population Growth San Antonio, TX 47.4% CMSA's and MSA's. MA's with the greatest percent increase in population: 1990Ć1992 (estimate) Income MA's with the highest median MSA's, CMSA's, and PMSA's Las Vegas, NV 13.9% household income: 1989 Laredo, TX 11.4% are defined in terms of countiesYuma, AZ 10.0%Anchorage, AK $43,946 except in New England, whereMcAllenĆEdinburgĆ WashingtonĆBaltimore, cities and towns are the buildingMission, TX 9.8%DCĆMDĆVAĆWV $41,922 Anchorage, AK San FranciscoĆOaklandĆ 8.6% blocks. San Jose, CA $41,459 MA's with the greatest percent increase Hartford, CT $41,194 in population: 1980Ć1990 Honolulu, HI $40,581 Periodically, the number and Punta Gorda, FL BostonĆWorcesterĆLawrence, 89.8% boundaries of MA's are updatedNaples, FL MAĆNHĆMEĆCT 76.9% $38,921 by the Office of ManagementFt. PierceĆPort St. Lucie, FL 66.1%New YorkĆNorthern Ft. MyersĆCape Coral, FL 63.3%New JerseyĆLong Island, Las Vegas, NV NYĆNJĆCTĆPA 61.5% $38,567 Age Home Value MA's with the highest median age: MA's 1990 with the highest median Punta Gorda, FL home value: 53.7 1990 SarasotaĆBradenton, FL 46.3 Honolulu, HI $281,500 Ft. MyersĆCape Coral, FL 42.2San FranciscoĆOaklandĆ Naples, FL San Jose, 40.8 CA $255,500 Ft. PierceĆPort St. Lucie, FL 40.5Santa BarbaraĆSanta SB/94Ć9 BarnstableĆYarmouth, MA 40.4 MariaĆLompoc, CA $249,200 Issued April 1994 Ocala, FL San Luis 40.2ObispoĆAtascaderoĆ Daytona Beach, FL Paso 40.0 Robles, CA $213,200 U.S. Department of Commerce West Palm BeachĆ Los AngelesĆRiversideĆ Boca Raton, FL Orange 40.0 County, CA $209,800 Economics and Statistics Administration BUREAU OF THE CENSUS BUREAU OF THE CENSUS STATISTICAL BRIEF April 1994
What became of the old The million club grows. metro areas? MSA's, CMSA's, and After redefinition, the Memphis PMSA's Ċ What's the Thanks to the redefinition, the and Greensboro-WinstonĆ Difference? number of MA's in the U.S. Salem-High Point MSA's were dropped from 284 to 268, as Metro areas with a million oradded to the list of MA's with at many existing areas merged more people may be least 1 million people. Offset by with adjacent areas. Yet more ofsubdivided into PMSA's if population and commuting the loss of a separate Baltimore us live in MA's Ċ 197.7 million in MSA, this brings the total in the 1990, some 5 million more thancriteria are met and there is local support for PMSA's. one million club" to 40 areas. In prior to the redefinition. This is When an area is divided into1990, 131 million persons lived due to the creation of new MA'sPMSA's, the entire area in these 40 MA's Ċ 53 percent and the addition of nonmetroĆ becomes a CMSA. Metro of the Nation's population. politan territory to existing MA's. areas that are not subdivided Here's what happened to the are designated MSA's. old lineup of 284 MA's: Of these 40 areas, 18 are CMSA's comprising 73 PMSA's. H 25 areas are no longer indeĆ The remaining 22 areas are A number of MA's gain territory. pendent MSA's, merging into othĆ MSA's. The largest area not to er areas (17 of them becameThe most spectacular change be subdivided into PMSA's is PMSA's within CMSA's). Eight resulted from the merger of Atlanta, the ranking 13th in 1990. MSA's and 8 CMSA's expandedWashington, DC metro area as a result of these mergers. (formerly the Nation's 8th mostMore information: populous area with 3.9 million H Another 58 areas added territoĆpeople) with Baltimore, MD (theH Metropolitan Areas 1993 (OMB ry, 10 areas lost territory, and 18th 6 largest MA with 2.4 million)Bulletin No. 93Ć17) is a complete both added and lost. and Hagerstown, MD. The newMA listing showing the compoĆ H WashingtonĆBaltimore CMSA is nents of each MA as of June 30, 169 areas have the same now America's 4th largest metro1993, and the changes since boundaries as before. area, with 6.7 million persons 1990. in A paper copy is available 1990. for $19.50 from the National TechĆ In addition, nical Information Service H 4 CMSA's (Buffalo, Hartford, Three other metro areas added(703Ć487Ć4650). Use order no. Pittsburgh, and Providence) PB93Ć192Ć664. changed to MSA status, and at their least half a million people in the 1993 redefinition: 11 PMSA's were abolished. H Another 7 PMSA's were absorbed The 1990 census SupplemenĆ by adjacent PMSA's. H The New York CMSA addedtary Report CPHĆSĆ1Ć1, MetropoliĆ nearly 1.5 million, absorbing thetan Areas as Defined by the Office H 1 MSA converted to CMSA former New Haven and WaterĆof Management and Budget, June status (Sacramento) and 1 otherbury, CT and Poughkeepsie, NY30, 1993, contains a wide variety CMSA was formed from formerMSA's as PMSA's, and addingof population and housing data MSA's (WashingtonĆBaltimore). the Trenton, NJ PMSA from thefor the new MA's. Call Customer Philadelphia