Abigail Tierney
Research expert covering U.S. politics and economics
Metropolitan areas in the U.S. - statistics & facts
Choose a region:
A metropolitan area is typically a densely populated urban area and its industrial surroundings. Cities, neighborhoods, towns, and suburbs can all be found inside of a metro area, as well as local businesses and industries, commercial sites, infrastructure, and housing. They can sit inside of a single state, such as the Denver metro area, or cross multiple state lines, such as the Washington D.C. metro area, which includes Washington D.C., and parts of Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia. Various government-associated organizations, such as the Census Bureau or Bureau of Labor Statistics, use metropolitan statistical areas to measure various economic and demographic characteristics of given areas.
Additionally, metropolitan areas tend to experience high crime rates. Densely populated areas often facilitate opportunities for low-level crimes such as petty theft and robbery. The Anchorage metro area in Alaska and the San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley metro area in California had particularly high robbery rates in 2020. However, many of the crimes that impact metro areas can be more violent in nature, with the Memphis metro area having the highest rate of violent crime in the country in 2020.
Many workers who remained employed throughout the pandemic were able to switch to a remote work set-up. By May 2020, around 48.7 million employees were working from home, and those living in metro areas had significantly more access to new ways of working than those in nonmetropolitan areas. The necessity of remote work during the pandemic has seen many organizations change to a hybrid model of working which has allowed individuals and families to arrange their lives in new ways. Some metro areas have even seen a decline in their populations for the first time in years as people seek out living arrangements outside of more heavily populated areas.
Living in a metro area
Areas with highly concentrated populations that are constantly growing also tend to attract a lot of business investment and employment opportunities. Nearly 83 percent of the U.S. population lived in an urban area in 2020, and that number is expected to reach nearly 90 percent by 2050. This is not surprising given that those living in metro areas have more opportunities for employment, and higher average salaries compared to the country as a whole. However, while many metro areas boast unemployment rates between one and three percent, the Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise metro area in Nevada consistently reports unemployment rates exceeding five percent. Economists have attributed this to its heavy reliance on tourism, as well as the leisure and hospitality industry which also saw high levels of unemployment in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic.Additionally, metropolitan areas tend to experience high crime rates. Densely populated areas often facilitate opportunities for low-level crimes such as petty theft and robbery. The Anchorage metro area in Alaska and the San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley metro area in California had particularly high robbery rates in 2020. However, many of the crimes that impact metro areas can be more violent in nature, with the Memphis metro area having the highest rate of violent crime in the country in 2020.
COVID-19 and metro areas
Unfortunately, metropolitan areas took the brunt of early COVID-19 cases. Highly concentrated populations meant that the virus spread quickly. With much of the population sick, working from home, or laid-off, economic activity in metro areas took a significant hit in 2020. The GDP of the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metro area for example, saw its GDP drop by around seven billion dollars. Furthermore, with people being laid-off from their jobs, metropolitan statistical areas saw sharp increases in mortgage delinquencies throughout the pandemic, reaching values around two billion dollars in some metro areas, with the New York metro area reaching levels 3.5 times that.Many workers who remained employed throughout the pandemic were able to switch to a remote work set-up. By May 2020, around 48.7 million employees were working from home, and those living in metro areas had significantly more access to new ways of working than those in nonmetropolitan areas. The necessity of remote work during the pandemic has seen many organizations change to a hybrid model of working which has allowed individuals and families to arrange their lives in new ways. Some metro areas have even seen a decline in their populations for the first time in years as people seek out living arrangements outside of more heavily populated areas.
Abigail Tierney
,
Jul 3, 2024
Abigail Tierney
Research expert covering U.S. politics and economics
