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-most populous combined statistical area in the United States behind New York City–Newark, NJ and Los Angeles–Long Beach.[1][2]
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. Five 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]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]
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.
Founded in 1957, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) is a regional organization of 23 Washington-area local governments, 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]
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]
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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.
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.
Numbers denote Fortune 500 ranking.
Baltimore area:
Washington area:
| 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] | Commanders Field |
| 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 |
| Airport | IATA code | ICAO code | County | State | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore/Washington International Airport | BWI | KBWI | Anne Arundel County | Maryland | The closest airport to Baltimore and region's second-busiest airport[18] |
| Dulles International Airport | IAD | KIAD | Loudoun County | Virginia | Most international traffic in region |
| Hagerstown Regional Airport | HGR | KHGR | Washington County | Maryland | Serves Western Maryland, the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, and portions of south-central Pennsylvania and northwestern Virginia along the Interstate 81 corridor |
| Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport | DCA | KDCA | Arlington County | Virginia | Region's busiest airport and its closest airport to Washington, D.C. |
Interstates
Interstate 66
Interstate 70
Interstate 81
Interstate 83
Interstate 95
Interstate 97
Interstate 195
Interstate 270
Interstate 295
Interstate 370
Interstate 395 (District of Columbia-Virginia) Interstate 395 (Maryland)
Interstate 495 (Capital Beltway)
Interstate 595 (Unsigned)
Interstate 695 (District of Columbia) Interstate 695 (Baltimore Beltway)
Interstate 795
Interstate 895U.S. Routes
U.S. Route 1
U.S. Route 11
U.S. Route 15
U.S. Route 29
U.S. Route 40
U.S. Route 50
U.S. Route 301
U.S. Route 340State Routes
Maryland Route 2
Maryland Route 4
Maryland Route 5
Maryland Route 26
Maryland Route 32
Maryland Route 97
Maryland Route 100
Maryland Route 200 (Intercounty Connector)
Baltimore–Washington Parkway (Maryland Route 295)
Maryland Route 355
Virginia State Route 3
Virginia State Route 7
Virginia State Route 9
Virginia State Route 28
Virginia State Route 267
Virginia State Route 286 (Fairfax County Parkway)
Virginia State Route 289 (Franconia–Springfield Parkway)
West Virginia Route 9|
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The District of Columbia itself, and Virginia's incorporated cities, are county equivalents. Virginia's incorporated cities are listed under their surrounding county. The incorporated cities bordering more than one county (Alexandria, Falls Church and Fredericksburg) are listed under the county they were part of before incorporation as a city. Some unincorporated areas and census-designated places like Silver Spring and Bethesda in Maryland, Reston in Virginia, as well as the County of Arlington in Virginia are also treated as city-like entities (or principal cities) even though they have not been legally incorporated as such. | |||||||||
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Core cities are metropolitan core cities of at least a million people. The other areas are urban areas of cities that have an urban area of 150,000+ or of a metropolitan area of at least 250,000+. Satellite cities are in italics. | |||||||
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