| 108th | Top regions of the United States |
 Common name: Washington Metropolitan Area |
|
| Largest city | Washington |
| Other cities | - Arlington - Alexandria |
| Population | Ranked 9th in the U.S. |
| - Total | 5,358,130 (2008 est.) |
| - Density | 962.9/sq. mi. /km² |
| Area | 5564.6 sq. mi. 14412 km² |
| State(s) | Virginia Maryland West Virginia |
| Elevation | |
| - Highest point | N/A feet (N/A m) |
| - Lowest point | 0 feet (0 m) |
The Washington Metropolitan Area, formally known as the Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, DC–VA–MD–WV MSA, is a U.S. Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as of November 2004. It is also part of the larger Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. As of the 2008 Census Bureau estimate, the population of the Washington Metropolitan Area was estimated to be 5,358,130.[1]
Some federal agencies, such as the Department of Homeland Security, refer to part of the area as the National Capital Region.[2] The Virginia portion of the area is known as Northern Virginia.
Contents |
The Washington Metropolitan Area includes the District of Columbia and parts of the states of Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. It is divided into two metropolitan divisions:
The area includes the following counties, districts, and independent cities:
The following counties are categorized as part of the Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, DC–VA–MD–WV Metropolitan Statistical Area:
Though associated with the Washington Metropolitan Area, the following counties are categorized as part of the Baltimore-Towson, MD Metropolitan Statistical Area:
Though associated with the Washington Metropolitan Area, the following county is categorized as part of the Lexington Park, MD Micropolitan Statistical Area:
Counties
Founded in 1957, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) is a regional organization of 21 Washington-area local governments, as well as area members of the Maryland and Virginia state legislatures, the U.S. Senate, and the U.S. House of Representatives. MWCOG provides a forum for discussion and the development of regional responses to issues regarding the environment, transportation, public safety, homeland security, affordable housing, community planning, and economic development.[3]
The National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board, a component of MWCOG, is the federally-designated metropolitan planning organization for the metropolitan Washington area.[4]
The metropolitan area includes the following principal cities (most of which are not incorporated as cities; one, Arlington, is actually a county):
| Year | DEM | GOP | Others |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 68.0% 1,603,902 | 31.0% 728,916 | 1.0% 25,288 |
| 2004 | 61.0% 1,258,743 | 38.0% 785,144 | 1.4% 19,735 |
| 2000 | 58.5% 1,023,089 | 37.9% 663,590 | 3.6% 62,437 |
| 1996 | 57.0% 861,881 | 37.0% 558,830 | 6.0% 89,259 |
| 1992 | 53.0% 859,889 | 34.1% 553.369 | 12.9% 209,651 |
| 1988 | 50.4% 684,453 | 48.6% 659,344 | 1.0% 14,219 |
| 1984 | 51.0% 653,568 | 48.5% 621,377 | 0.4% 5,656 |
| 1980 | 44.7% 484,590 | 44.6% 482,506 | 11.1% 115,797 |
| 1976 | 54.2% 590,481 | 44.9% 488,995 | 1.0% 10,654 |
| 1972 | 44.2% 431,257 | 54.8% 534,235 | 1.1% 10,825 |
| 1968 | 49.4% 414,345 | 39.1% 327,662 | 11.5% 96,701 |
| 1964 | 69.8% 495,490 | 30.2% 214,293 | 0.1% 462 |
| 1960 | 52.5% 204,614 | 47.3% 184,499 | 0.1% 593 |
The relative strength of the major political parties within the region is shown by the presidential election results since 1960, as presented in the table to the right.
The area has been a magnet for international in-migration since the late 1960s. It is also a magnet for internal migration (persons moving from one region of the U.S. to another).[5] Census estimates show that persons of post-1965 immigrant stock will likely represent 25% of the region's population by 2010, forming a bigger population bloc than native blacks for the first time.[6]
Racial composition of the Washington, D.C. area:[7]
The Washington, D.C. area is the most educated and affluent metropolitan area in the United States.[8] The median household income of the region is $72,800. The two highest median household income counties in the nation, Loudoun and Fairfax County, Virginia, are components of Washington–Arlington–Alexandria. 12.2% of Northern Virginia's 881,136 households, 8.5% of suburban Maryland's 799,300 households, and 8.2% of Washington's 249,805 households have an annual income in excess of $200,000, compared to 3.7% nationally.[9]
As of the 2006–2008 American Community Survey, the three most educated places with 200,000 people or more in Washington–Arlington–Alexandria by bachelor's degree attainment (population 25 and over) are Arlington, Virginia (68.0%), Fairfax County, Virginia (58.8%), and Montgomery County, Maryland (56.4%).[10] Forbes magazine stated in its 2008 "America's Best- And Worst-Educated Cities" report: "The D.C. area is less than half the size of L.A., but both cities have around 100,000 Ph.D.'s."[11]
The Washington, D.C. area has the largest science and engineering work force of any metropolitan area in the nation, at 324,530, ahead of the combined San Francisco and San Jose work force of 214,500, and Chicago at 203,090.[8]
Not limited to its proximity to the National Institutes of Health, Maryland's Washington suburbs are a major center for biotechnology. Prominent local biotech companies include MedImmune, The Institute for Genomic Research, Human Genome Sciences, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
Many defense contractors are based in the region to be close to the Pentagon in Arlington. Local defense contractors include Lockheed Martin, the largest, as well as Raytheon, General Dynamics, BAE Systems, Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), CACI, and Orbital Sciences Corporation.
(Numbers denote Fortune 500 company ranking.)
|
|
|
   | OMB Bulletin No. 05-02 - Bulletin 05-02, Update of Statistical Area Definitions and Guidance on Their Uses |
| | Urban Areas of Virginia - Urban Areas of Virginia |
| | May 2006 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates; Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division - Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division - May 2008 OES Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates |
| | May 2005 Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates; Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division - Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division - May 2005 OES Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates |
| | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV MSA Population and Components of Change - Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area (CBSA) Population and Components of Change |
|
|
Top topics
Wikis
Quiz
Map
Search
