Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Metro Area
The Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area is made up of 11 counties in Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, and Maryland; the largest are Philadelphia County, Montgomery County, and Bucks County. About 6,329,118 people lived there on July 1, 2025 (Census estimate), 1.3% more than in April 2020.
- Population, July 2025
- 6,329,118 1.3% more than in April 2020
- Type
- Metropolitan statistical area
- Counties
- 11, all central
- Land area
- 4,603 sq mi (11,922 km²)
- Time zone
- Eastern TimeUTC-05:00 in January; UTC-04:00 in July
- States
- Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland
- Combined statistical area
- Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- CBSA code
- 37980
Counties in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area, largest first
| County | Role | Population, July 2025 | Share of the area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia CountyPennsylvania | Central | 1,574,281 | 24.9% |
| Montgomery CountyPennsylvania | Central | 877,643 | 13.9% |
| Bucks CountyPennsylvania | Central | 647,828 | 10.2% |
| New Castle CountyDelaware | Central | 588,026 | 9.3% |
| Delaware CountyPennsylvania | Central | 580,937 | 9.2% |
| Chester CountyPennsylvania | Central | 557,116 | 8.8% |
| Camden CountyNew Jersey | Central | 535,799 | 8.5% |
| Burlington CountyNew Jersey | Central | 481,439 | 7.6% |
| Gloucester CountyNew Jersey | Central | 312,638 | 4.9% |
| Cecil CountyMaryland | Central | 107,131 | 1.7% |
| Salem CountyNew Jersey | Central | 66,280 | 1.0% |
A central county holds the area’s core, an urban area of at least 50,000 people. This area has no outlying counties: no neighboring county sends enough commuters to join it. A county belongs to one metro or micro area at most, and it counts whole, countryside included.
Principal cities, largest first
- Philadelphia1,579,706 people
- Wilmington71,727 people
- Camden71,496 people
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.
Metropolitan divisions
The Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area is big enough to be split into 4 metropolitan divisions, each a job center with the counties that commute to it.
- Camden, NJ: Burlington County, Camden County, and Gloucester County
- Montgomery County-Bucks County-Chester County, PA: Bucks County, Chester County, and Montgomery County
- Philadelphia, PA: Delaware County and Philadelphia County
- Wilmington, DE-MD-NJ: New Castle County, Cecil County, and Salem County
Part of the Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD combined statistical area
OMB joins neighboring metro and micro areas into a combined statistical area when enough people commute between them. The other 4 areas in this one, largest first:
- Reading, PA Metro Area440,072 people
- Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ Metro Area372,047 people
- Dover, DE Metro Area194,786 people
- Vineland, NJ Metro Area157,148 people
Bordering metro and micro areas, nearest first
Areas with a county on this area’s edge. Distances are straight lines between the areas’ largest cities.
- Trenton-Princeton, NJ Metro Area25 mi northeast
- Vineland, NJ Metro Area38 mi south
- Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ Metro Area44 mi northwest
- Reading, PA Metro Area48 mi northwest
- Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ Metro Area57 mi southeast
- Lancaster, PA Metro Area62 mi west
- Dover, DE Metro Area62 mi south
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ Metro Area77 mi northeast
- Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD Metro Area93 mi southwest
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.