What is a Metro Area?
The U.S. Census Bureau designates certain major cities and their surrounding areas as Metropolitan Areas. These designations also are based on population, and some may include areas that cross state lines. For instance, the Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky Metro Area includes locations in both Ohio and Kentucky.
As defined by the federal government, a metropolitan area is a dense cluster of 50,000 or more people, together with the surrounding jurisdictions from which it draws the bulk of its workers. America’s 363 metropolitan areas encompass large cities, old and new suburbs, and even exurban and rural areas that, by virtue of their interwoven labor and housing markets, share common economic destinies.
