List of the Largest Metro Areas in the United States
Big cities are one thing – I have a list of the largest cities in the US here. But big Metro areas area a completely different breed of animal.
There is a lot of disagreement over exactly how the measure “Metropolitan Area” should be defined. Some cities include only their immediate neighbors, while others include cities that are up to 60 miles away. (!)
I’m no expert, but as a long-time Washington, DC resident, I can tell you that it’s very misleading to include 40 mile away Baltimore City in the Washington Metro area. And it’s utterly RIDICULOUS to include ANY part of West Virginia — come on people, look at a map. West Virginia is NOT part of Washington, DC.
But that doesn’t stop the powers-that-be from including far-flung areas in their definition of “metro area.”
This list is interesting, but take it with a grain of salt.
25 Largest Metro Areas in the U.S.
| Rank | Metropolitan Area | State(s) | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York.Northern New Jersey.Long Island | NY.NJ.PA | 18,709,802 |
| 2 | Los Angeles.Long Beach.Santa Ana | CA | 12,925,330 |
| 3 | Chicago.Naperville.Joliet | IL.IN.WI | 9,391,515 |
| 4 | Philadelphia.Camden.Wilmington | PA.NJ.DE.MD | 5,800,614 |
| 5 | Dallas.Fort Worth.Arlington | TX | 5,700,256 |
| 6 | Miami.Fort Lauderdale.Miami Beach | FL | 5,361,723 |
| 8 | Washington.Arlington.Alexandria | DC.VA.MD.WV | 5,139,549 |
| 9 | Atlanta.Sandy Springs.Marietta | GA | 4,708,297 |
| 10 | Detroit.Warren.Livonia | MI | 4,493,165 |
| 11 | Boston.Cambridge.Quincy | MA.NH | 4,424,649 |
| 12 | San Francisco.Oakland.Fremont | CA | 4,153,870 |
| 13 | Riverside.San Bernardino.Ontario | CA | 3,793,081 |
| 14 | Phoenix.Mesa.Scottsdale | AZ | 3,715,360 |
| 15 | Seattle.Tacoma.Bellevue | WA | 3,166,828 |
| 16 | Minneapolis.St. Paul.Bloomington | MN | 3,116,206 |
| 17 | San Diego.Carlsbad.San Marcos | CA | 2,931,714 |
| 18 | St. Louis | MO.IL | 2,764,054 |
| 19 | Baltimore.Towson | MD | 2,639,213 |
| 20 | Tampa.St. Petersburg.Clearwater | FL | 2,587,967 |
| 21 | Pittsburgh | PA.WV | 2,401,575 |
| 22 | Denver.Aurora | CO | 2,330,146 |
| 23 | Cleveland.Elyria.Mentor | OH | 2,137,073 |
| 24 | Portland.Vancouver.Beaverton | OR.WA | 2,064,336 |
| 25 | Cincinnati.Middletown | OH | 2,058,221 |

