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 WashingtonD.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 DouglasCounty) 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. FortPolk 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-BayCity-SaginawTownship 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