The Omaha metropolitan area, officially known as the Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), is an urbanized region in

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

and

Iowa Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...

in the

American Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...

, centered on the city of

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest ...

. The region consists of eight counties (five in Nebraska and three in Iowa), and extends over a large area on both sides of the Missouri River. Covering and with a population of 967,604 (2020), the Omaha metropolitan area is the most populous in both Nebraska and Iowa (although the Des Moines-West Des Moines MSA is the largest MSA centered entirely in Iowa), and is the 58th most populous MSA in the United States. The 2003 revision to metropolitan area definitions was accompanied by the creation of micropolitan areas and

Combined Statistical Area Combined statistical area (CSA) is a United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) term for a combination of adjacent metropolitan statistical area, metropolitan (MSA) and micropolitan statistical areas (µSA) across the 50 US states and ...

s. Fremont, in Dodge County, Nebraska, was designated a micropolitan area. The Omaha–Council Bluffs–Fremont Combined Statistical Area has a population of 1,058,125 (2020 estimate). "May 2007 OES Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Definitions."

Bureau of Labor Statistics The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is a unit of the United States Department of Labor. It is the principal fact-finding agency for the U.S. government in the broad field of labor economics and statistics and serves as a principal agency of ...

. Retrieved September 5, 2008. Approximately 1.5 million people reside within the Greater Omaha area, within a radius of

Downtown Omaha Downtown Omaha is the central business, government and social core of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, U.S. state of Nebraska. The boundaries are Omaha's 20th Street on the west to the Missouri River on the east and the centerline ...

. The region is locally referred to as "Big O", "the Metro Area", "the Metro", or simply "Omaha". The core counties of

Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals *Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking * Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil ...

and Sarpy in Nebraska and Pottawattamie in Iowa contain large urbanized areas; the other five counties consist primarily of rural communities. The larger Omaha-Council Bluffs-Fremont, NE-IA

(CSA) encompasses the Omaha-Council Bluffs MSA as well as the separate Fremont, NE Micropolitan Statistical Area, which consists of the entirety of Dodge County, Nebraska.

Historical definitions and populations

Standard definitions for

United States metropolitan area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or to ...

s were created in 1949; the first census which had metropolitan area data was the 1950 census. At that time, the Omaha–Council Bluffs metropolitan area comprised three counties:

and Sarpy in Nebraska, and Pottawattamie in Iowa. No additional counties were added to the metropolitan area until 1983, when

Washington County, Nebraska Washington County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 20,234. Its county seat is Blair. Washington County is part of the Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE- IA Metropolitan Statistical Are ...

was added. Cass County, Nebraska was added in 1993; Saunders County in Nebraska and Harrison and Mills counties in Iowa became part of the Omaha–Council Bluffs metropolitan area in 2003.

Components of the Omaha–Council Bluffs metropolitan area

Counties

Cities

Primary city

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest c ...

– 486,051 inhabitants (2020)

Cities of 10,000 people or more (2020)

Bellevue, Nebraska Bellevue (French for "beautiful view"; previously named Belleview) is a suburban city in Sarpy County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Omaha–Council Bluffs metropolitan area, and had a population of 64,176 as of the 2020 Census, mak ...

– 64,176 inhabitants (2020) *

Council Bluffs, Iowa Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The city is the most populous in Southwest Iowa, and is the third largest and a primary city of the Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Area. It is loc ...

- 62,799 inhabitants (2020) * Papillion, Nebraska – 24,159 inhabitants (2020) *

La Vista, Nebraska La Vista is a city in Sarpy County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 15,758 at the 2010 census. The city was incorporated on February 23, 1960. La Vista is a suburb of Omaha. It is bordered by the cities of Omaha and Ralston on the n ...

– 16,746 inhabitants (2020) * Fremont, Nebraska - 26,437 inhabitants (2020)

Cities of 5,000 to 10,000 people (2020)

Blair, Nebraska Blair is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 7,990 at the 2010 census. History Blair was platted in 1869 when the Sioux City and Pacific Railroad was extended to that point. It was ...

– 7,790 inhabitants * Glenwood, Iowa – 5,073 inhabitants *

Gretna, Nebraska Gretna is a city in Sarpy County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 4,441 at the 2010 census. History Gretna started shortly after the Burlington Railroad built a short line between Omaha and Ashland in the summer of 1886. Advent of ...

– 5,083 inhabitants * Plattsmouth, Nebraska – 6,544 inhabitants * Ralston, Nebraska – 6,494 inhabitants

Cities of 1,000 to 5,000 people (2019 estimates)

Cities and villages with fewer than 1,000 people (2019 estimates)

Census-designated places (2020)

* Chalco, Nebraska – 11,064 inhabitants *

Offutt Air Force Base Offutt Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force base south of Omaha, adjacent to Bellevue in Sarpy County, Nebraska. It is the headquarters of the U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), the 557th Weather Wing, and the 55th Wing (55 WG) of the Ai ...

– 5,363 inhabitants

Annexations of formerly incorporated places by the City of Omaha

Notes

External links

Population for Iowa metropolitan areas and components, 1950 – 2000omaha.towncommons.com
– wiki website for the Omaha–Council Bluffs metro area {{DEFAULTSORT:Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area Geography of Omaha, Nebraska Metropolitan areas of Nebraska Metropolitan areas of Iowa Regions of Iowa Regions of Nebraska