Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD Metro Area
The Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area is made up of 7 counties and independent cities in Maryland; the largest are Baltimore County, Anne Arundel County, and Baltimore city. About 2,857,781 people lived there on July 1, 2025 (Census estimate), 0.3% more than in April 2020.
- Population, July 2025
- 2,857,781 0.3% more than in April 2020
- Type
- Metropolitan statistical area
- Counties and independent cities
- 7: 4 central, 3 outlying
- Land area
- 2,601 sq mi (6,738 km²)
- Time zone
- Eastern TimeUTC-05:00 in January; UTC-04:00 in July
- State
- Maryland
- Combined statistical area
- Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA
- CBSA code
- 12580
Counties and independent cities in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area, largest first
| County or independent city | Role | Population, July 2025 | Share of the area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore County | Central | 847,650 | 29.7% |
| Anne Arundel County | Central | 603,380 | 21.1% |
| Baltimore city | Central | 569,997 | 19.9% |
| Howard County | Central | 339,183 | 11.9% |
| Harford County | Outlying | 266,446 | 9.3% |
| Carroll County | Outlying | 176,677 | 6.2% |
| Queen Anne's County | Outlying | 54,448 | 1.9% |
A central county or independent city holds the area’s core, an urban area of at least 50,000 people. An outlying county or independent city is in the area because of commuting: at least a quarter of its workers have jobs in the central counties and independent cities, or at least a quarter of the people working there live in them. A county or independent city belongs to one metro or micro area at most, and it counts whole, countryside included.
Principal cities, largest first
OMB names the area after its largest principal cities. A principal city is the area’s largest city, plus any other city that is very large or a big job center, and smaller ones with at least as many jobs as working residents (2020 Census and commuting figures). People counts are American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates.
Part of the Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA combined statistical area
OMB joins neighboring metro and micro areas into a combined statistical area when enough people commute between them. The other 8 areas in this one, largest first:
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area6,465,724 people
- Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV Metro Area315,280 people
- Lexington Park, MD Metro Area211,176 people
- Chambersburg, PA Metro Area160,652 people
- Winchester, VA-WV Metro Area152,332 people
- Lake of the Woods, VA Micro Area40,083 people
- Easton, MD Micro Area38,238 people
- Cambridge, MD Micro Area33,628 people
Bordering metro and micro areas, nearest first
Areas with a county or independent city on this area’s edge. Distances are straight lines between the areas’ largest cities.
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area35 mi southwest
- Easton, MD Micro Area46 mi southeast
- York-Hanover, PA Metro Area46 mi north
- Gettysburg, PA Metro Area49 mi northwest
- Lancaster, PA Metro Area54 mi north
- Lexington Park, MD Metro Area73 mi south
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Metro Area93 mi northeast
Before using this answer on a form
A metro or micro area is a statistical area that OMB draws for federal statistics. It is not a city, a local government or a mailing address, and it is not a measure of urban and rural: whole counties count, rural parts included. Programs that use metro areas, such as housing income limits or wage rates, can use their own version of these lists; check the program’s own list for an address.
Find the metro area where you are now, find your county, or see every metro and micro area by population.