Washington–Baltimore combined statistical area

The Washington–Baltimore combined metropolitan statistical area is a statistical area including the overlapping metropolitan areas of Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. The region includes Central Maryland, Northern Virginia, three counties in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, and one county in south-central Pennsylvania. It is the most educated, highest-income, and third-largest combined statistical area in the United States behind New York City–Newark, NJ and Los Angeles–Long Beach.[1][2]

Washington–Baltimore combined statistical area
Coordinates: 38°58′N 77°19′W / 38.97°N 77.32°W / 38.97; -77.32
CountryUnited States
State or area
Constituent metropolitan & micropolitan areasCore areas:

Outlying areas:

Principal cities
Population
 (2020)
 • CSA
9,973,383 (3rd)
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
Map of the current OMB-designated Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA Combined Statistical Area.

The area is designated by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as the Washington–Baltimore–Arlington, DC–MD–VA–WV–PA Combined Statistical Area. It is composed primarily of two major metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs): the Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, DC–VA–MD–WV MSA and the Baltimore–Columbia–Towson, Maryland Metropolitan Statistical Area. In addition, five other smaller urban areas not contiguous to the main urban area but having strong commuting ties with the main area are included in the metropolitan area.[3] These are: the Hagerstown–Martinsburg, Maryland–West Virginia MSA, the Chambersburg–Waynesboro, Pennsylvania MSA, the Winchester, VA–WV MSA, the California–Lexington Park, Maryland MSA, and the Easton, Maryland micropolitan statistical area (µSA).

Some counties, such as Caroline and King George County, Virginia, are not officially designated by OMB as members of this metropolitan area but still consider themselves members anyway.[4][5][6][7][8] This is mostly due to their proximity to the area, the size of their commuter population, and by the influence of local broadcasting stations. The population of the entire Washington–Baltimore Combined Statistical Area as of the 2020 census was 9,973,383. The area's most-populous city is Washington, D.C. with a population of 689,545, and the area's most populous county is Fairfax County, Virginia, with a population of 1,150,309.[9]

Components of the combined statistical area edit

The counties and independent cities and their groupings that comprise the area are listed below with their 2012 population estimates. Central counties/cities (designated as such by OMB) for each MSA are shown in italics.

Regional organizations edit

Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments edit

Founded in 1957, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) is a regional organization of 23 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.[10]

The National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board, a component of MWCOG, is the federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization for the metropolitan Washington area.[11]

Baltimore Metropolitan Council edit

The Baltimore Metropolitan Council is the equivalent organization for the Baltimore portion of the combined Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area.[12] The BMC, which was created in 1992 as the successor to the Regional Planning Council and Baltimore Regional Council of Governments, consists of the Baltimore region's elected executives, representing Baltimore City and Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford and Howard counties.[13]

The Baltimore Regional Transportation Board is the federally recognized Metropolitan Planning Organization for transportation planning in the Baltimore region.[13]

List of principal cities edit

Baltimore area edit

Washington area edit

Economy edit

Primary industries edit

Biotechnology edit

Not limited to its proximity to the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland's Washington suburbs are a major center for biotechnology. Prominent local biotechnology companies include MedImmune, United Therapeutics, The Institute for Genomic Research, Human Genome Sciences and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Defense contracting edit

Many defense contractors are based in Northern Virginia and Montgomery County, Maryland to be close to the Pentagon in Arlington. Local defense contractors include Lockheed Martin, the largest, as well as Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, BAE Systems Inc., Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), Booz Allen Hamilton, Leidos, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), and Orbital Sciences Corporation.

Notable company headquarters in the region edit

Numbers denote Fortune 500 ranking.

Maryland edit

Baltimore area:

Washington area:

Washington, D.C. edit

Northern Virginia edit

Sports edit

Table of professional teams and venues edit

Club Sport League Founded Venue
Washington Capitals Hockey NHL 1974 Capital One Arena
Washington Nationals Baseball MLB 2005[a] Nationals Park
Baltimore Orioles Baseball MLB 1954[a] Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Washington Wizards Basketball NBA 1973[a] Capital One Arena
Baltimore Ravens Football NFL 1996 M&T Bank Stadium
Washington Commanders Football NFL 1937[a] FedExField
D.C. United Soccer MLS 1996 Audi Field
Washington Mystics Basketball WNBA 1998 St. Elizabeths East Entertainment and Sports Arena
Washington Spirit Soccer NWSL 2011[b] Maryland SoccerPlex (primary)
Audi Field (secondary)
Segra Field (secondary)
Old Glory DC Rugby Union Major League Rugby 2018 Segra Field
  1. ^ a b c d Year team moved to current location
  2. ^ Founded as D.C. United Women; rebranded as Washington Spirit in 2012 and started NWSL play in 2013.

Transportation edit

 
Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI)
 
Reagan National Airport
 
Dulles International Airport
 
Washington Metro
 
The Capital Beltway (I-495) in Northern Virginia
 
The Baltimore Metro subway

Commercial Service Airports edit

Airport IATA code ICAO code County State Note
Baltimore/Washington International Airport BWI KBWI Anne Arundel County Maryland Closest to Baltimore and busiest in region[18]
Capable of handling up to Group V aircraft
Hagerstown Regional Airport HGR KHGR Washington County Maryland Serves western Maryland, the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, and portions of south-central Pennsylvania and north-western Virginia along the Interstate 81 corridor. Capable of handling up to Group IV aircraft
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport DCA KDCA Arlington County Virginia Closest to Washington, DC
Capable of handling up to Group IV aircraft
Dulles International Airport IAD KIAD Loudoun County Virginia Most international traffic in region
Capable of handling Group VI aircraft

Rail transit systems edit

Major highways edit

Interstates

U.S. Routes

State Routes

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "CSA Median household income". Greaterbaltimore.org. Archived from the original on 7 December 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  2. ^ "Raleigh-Durham area ranks third in U.S. for college degrees". Triangle.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  3. ^ "OMB BULLETIN NO. 18-04: Revised Delineations of Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Micropolitan Statistical Areas, and Combined Statistical Areas, and Guidance on Uses of the Delineations of These Areas". Office of Management and Budget. September 14, 2018.
  4. ^ "Caroline County Economic Development". Archived from the original on 2015-07-11. Retrieved 2015-07-21.
  5. ^ "Washington DC South". washingtondcsouth.com. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  6. ^ "King George County Department of Economic Development". King George County Department of Economic Development. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  7. ^ Gardner, D'Vera Cohn and Amy (16 March 2006). "3 Virginia Exurbs Near Top of U.S. in Growth". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  8. ^ "FAMPO Technical Committee – FAMPO". Fampo.gwregion.org. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  9. ^ "2020 Population and Housing State Data". U.S. Census Bureau. August 12, 2021. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  10. ^ "COG & Our Region - Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments". Mwcog.org. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  11. ^ "Transportation Planning Board - Transportation - Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments". Mwcog.org. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  12. ^ O'Leary, __Sara Ann. "Home - Baltimore Metropolitan Council". Baltometro.org. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  13. ^ a b About BMC – Baltimore Metropolitan Council Archived 2007-05-01 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ "U.S. Census Bureau – Principal cities of metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas". Census.gov. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  15. ^ "Metropolitan And Micropolitan Statistical Areas And Principal Cities, November 2007, with codes". Census.gov. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  16. ^ "Whiting-Turner Contracting on the Forbes America's Largest Private Companies List". Forbes.com. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  17. ^ "The Boeing Company: General Information". www.boeing.com. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
  18. ^ As according to Federal Aviation Administration CY 2011 Enplanement Data[permanent dead link], BWI exceeded Dulles by less than 24,000 passengers. As of 2010, however, Dulles has an edge in international traffic.