The
United States federal government
The Federal Government of the United States of America (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the Federation#Federal governments, national government of the United States.
The U.S. federal government is composed of three distinct ...
defines and delineates the nation's
metropolitan area
A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...
s for statistical purposes, using a set of standard statistical area definitions. the U.S.
Office of Management and Budget
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). The office's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, while it also examines agency pro ...
(OMB) defined and delineated 393
metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) and 542
micropolitan statistical areas (μSAs) in the United States and Puerto Rico.
Many of these 935 MSAs and μSAs are, in turn, components of larger
combined statistical areas (CSAs) consisting of adjacent MSAs and μSAs that are linked by
commuting
Commuting is periodically recurring travel between a place of residence and place of work or study, where the traveler, referred to as a commuter, leaves the boundary of their home community. By extension, it can sometimes be any regular o ...
ties; 582 metropolitan and micropolitan areas are components of the 184 defined CSAs.
Metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas are defined as consisting of one or more adjacent
counties
A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
or
county equivalents
In the United States, a county or county equivalent is an Administrative division, administrative subdivision of a U.S. state, state or territories of the United States, territory, typically with defined geographic Border, boundaries and some ...
with at least one
urban core area meeting relevant population thresholds, plus adjacent territory that has a high degree of social and
economic integration
Economic integration is the unification of economic policies between different states, through the partial or full abolition of tariff and Non-tariff barriers to trade, non-tariff restrictions on trade.
The trade-stimulation effects intended by ...
with the core, as measured by commuting ties. A metropolitan statistical area has at least one
core with a population of at least 50,000. In a micropolitan statistical area, the largest core has a population of at least 10,000 but less than 50,000.
Maps
Types and distribution
The sortable table below shows the number of combined, metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas in each of the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
s, the
District of Columbia
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...
, and
Puerto Rico
; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...
as of 2023. For each jurisdiction, it lists:
#Total number of delineated areas wholly or partially in the named jurisdiction
#The number of CSAs wholly or partially in the jurisdiction
[
#The number of core-based statistical areas (i.e., MSAs and μSAs) wholly or partially in the jurisdiction][
#The number of MSAs wholly or partially in the jurisdiction][
#The number of μSAs wholly or partially in the jurisdiction][
]
See also
*United States of America
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...
** Outline of the United States
*Demographics of the United States
The United States is the third most populous country in the world, and the most populous in the Americas and the Western Hemisphere, with an estimated population of 340,110,988 on July 1, 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This was ...
**United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
***List of U.S. states and territories by population
The states and territories included in the United States Census Bureau's statistics for the United States population, ethnicity, and most other categories include the 50 states and Washington, D.C. Separate statistics are maintained for the ...
***List of United States cities by population
This is a list of the most populous municipal corporations of the United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal rep ...
*** List of U.S. cities by adjusted per capita personal income
***List of United States counties and county equivalents
There are 3,244 counties and county equivalents in the United States. The 50 states of the United States are divided into 3,007 political subdivisions of states called ''County (United States), counties''. Two hundred thirty-seven other local gov ...
**United States Office of Management and Budget
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). The office's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, while it also examines agency pro ...
***Statistical area (United States)
**** Combined statistical area
**** Core-based statistical area (list
A list is a Set (mathematics), set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of t ...
)
***** Metropolitan statistical area
***** Micropolitan statistical area
Notes
References
External links
United States Government
United States Census Bureau
*
2010 United States Census
*
United States Office of Management and Budget
{{DEFAULTSORT:United States Statistical Area
Statistical Area Of The United States