The Omaha metropolitan area, officially known as the Omaha, NE–IA, Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), is an urbanized, bi-state metro region in

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

and

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

in the

American Midwest The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four List of regions of the United States, census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern c ...

, centered on the city of

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

. The region consists of eight counties (five in Nebraska and three in Iowa), and extends over a large area on both sides of the

Missouri River The Missouri River is a river in the Central United States, Central and Mountain states, Mountain West regions of the United States. The nation's longest, it rises in the eastern Centennial Mountains of the Bitterroot Range of the Rocky Moun ...

. Covering and with a population of 967,604 (2020), the Omaha metropolitan area is the most populous in both Nebraska and Iowa (although the Des Moines–West Des Moines MSA is the largest MSA centered entirely in Iowa), and is the 58th most populous MSA in the United States. The 2003 revision to metropolitan area definitions was accompanied by the creation of micropolitan areas and combined statistical areas. Fremont, in

Dodge County, Nebraska Dodge County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 37,167. Its county seat is Fremont, Nebraska, Fremont. The county was formed in 1855 and named after Iowa Uni ...

, was designated a micropolitan area. The Omaha–Fremont Combined Statistical Area has a population of 1,058,125 (2020 estimate). "May 2007 OES Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Definitions."

Bureau of Labor Statistics The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is a unit of the United States Department of Labor. It is the principal fact-finding agency for the government of the United States, U.S. government in the broad field of labor economics, labor economics and ...

. Retrieved September 5, 2008. Approximately 1.5 million people reside within the Greater Omaha area, within a radius of Downtown Omaha. The region is locally referred to as "Big O", "the Metro Area", "the Metro", or simply "Omaha". The core counties of Douglas and Sarpy in Nebraska and Pottawattamie in Iowa contain large urbanized areas; the other five counties consist primarily of rural communities. The larger Omaha–Fremont, NE–IA, Combined Statistical Area (CSA) encompasses the Omaha MSA as well as the separate Fremont, NE, Micropolitan Statistical Area, which consists of the entirety of

Historical definitions and populations

Standard definitions for United States metropolitan areas were created in 1949; the first census which had metropolitan area data was the 1950 census. At that time, the Omaha–Council Bluffs metropolitan area comprised three counties: Douglas and Sarpy in Nebraska, and Pottawattamie in Iowa. No additional counties were added to the metropolitan area until 1983, when Washington County of Nebraska was added. Cass County, Nebraska, was added in 1993; Saunders County in Nebraska and Harrison and Mills counties in Iowa became part of the Omaha–Council Bluffs metropolitan area in 2003.

Components of the Omaha–Council Bluffs metropolitan area

Counties

Cities

Primary city

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

– 486,051 inhabitants (2020)

Cities of 10,000 people or more (2020)

* Bellevue, Nebraska – 64,176 inhabitants (2020) * Council Bluffs, Iowa - 62,799 inhabitants (2020) * Papillion, Nebraska – 24,159 inhabitants (2020) *

La Vista, Nebraska La Vista is a city in Sarpy County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 16,746 at the 2020 census, making it the 12th most populous city in Nebraska. The city was incorporated on February 23, 1960. Description La Vista is a suburb of ...

– 16,746 inhabitants (2020)

Cities of 5,000 to 10,000 people (2020)

* Blair, Nebraska – 7,790 inhabitants * Glenwood, Iowa – 5,073 inhabitants * Gretna, Nebraska – 5,083 inhabitants * Plattsmouth, Nebraska – 6,544 inhabitants * Ralston, Nebraska – 6,494 inhabitants

Cities of 1,000 to 5,000 people (2019 estimates)

Cities and villages with fewer than 1,000 people (2019 estimates)

Census-designated places (2020)

* Chalco, Nebraska – 11,064 inhabitants * Offutt Air Force Base – 5,363 inhabitants

Annexations of formerly incorporated places by the City of Omaha

Notes

External links

Population for Iowa metropolitan areas and components, 1950 – 2000omaha.towncommons.com
– wiki website for the Omaha–Council Bluffs metro area {{DEFAULTSORT:Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area Geography of Omaha, Nebraska Metropolitan areas of Nebraska Metropolitan areas of Iowa Regions of Iowa Regions of Nebraska