The Omaha metropolitan area, officially known as the Omaha, NE–IA, Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), is an urbanized, bi-state metro region in Nebraska and Iowa in the American Midwest, centered on the city of Omaha, Nebraska. 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 4,407 square miles (11,410 km2) and with a population of 967,604 (2020), [2] 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 areas. Fremont, in Dodge County, Nebraska, was designated a micropolitan area. The Omaha–Fremont Combined Statistical Area has a population of 1,058,125 (2020 estimate).[3] [4][5] Approximately 1.5 million people reside within the Greater Omaha area, within a 50 mi (80 km) radius of Downtown Omaha.

Omaha Metro
Omaha–Council Bluffs, NE–IA
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Downtown Omaha
Map
Interactive Map of Omaha, NE–IA CSA
Coordinates: 41°15′35″N 95°55′18″W / 41.2597°N 95.9217°W / 41.2597; -95.9217
Country United States
State Nebraska
Iowa
Largest cityOmaha
Other cities
Area
 • Total
4,407 sq mi (11,410 km2)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
967,604
 • Rank58th in the U.S.
 • Density219.6/sq mi (133/km2)
GDP
 • MSA$85.021 billion (2022)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)

The region is locally referred to as "Big O", "the Metro Area", "the Metro", or simply "Omaha". The core counties of Douglas and Sarpy in Nebraska and Pottawattamie in Iowa contain large urbanized areas; the other five counties consist primarily of rural communities. The larger Omaha–Fremont, NE–IA, Combined Statistical Area (CSA) encompasses the Omaha MSA as well as the separate Fremont, NE, Micropolitan Statistical Area, which consists of the entirety of Dodge County, Nebraska.

Historical definitions and populations

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1950366,395
1960457,87325.0%
1970540,14218.0%
1980589,8579.2%
1990678,26215.0%
2000767,04113.1%
2010865,35012.8%
2020967,60411.8%
2023 (est.)983,9691.7%
[6]
 
View from space of Omaha and Council Bluffs

Standard definitions for United States metropolitan areas 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: Douglas and Sarpy in Nebraska, and Pottawattamie in Iowa. No additional counties were added to the metropolitan area until 1983, when Washington County of Nebraska 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

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Counties

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County State 2020 Census 2010 Census Change
Cass Nebraska 26,598 25,241 +5.38%[7]
Douglas Nebraska 584,526 517,110 +13.04%[7]
Sarpy Nebraska 190,604 158,840 +20.00%[7]
Saunders Nebraska 22,278 20,780 +7.21%[7]
Washington Nebraska 20,865 20,234 +3.12%[7]
Harrison Iowa 14,582 14,937 −2.38%[8]
Mills Iowa 14,484 15,059 −3.82%[8]
Pottawattamie Iowa 93,667 93,158 +0.55%[8]

Cities

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Primary city

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The Downtown Omaha skyline from North Downtown.
  • Omaha – 486,051 inhabitants (2020)

Cities of 10,000 people or more (2020)

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

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

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

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Census-designated places (2020)

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Annexations of formerly incorporated places by the City of Omaha

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Annexations by the City of Omaha
Year Former incorporated area name
1854 East Omaha, Nebraska
1877 Kountze Place
1877 Gifford Park
1877 Saratoga, Nebraska
1877 Near North Side, Omaha
1887 Sheelytown
1887 Bemis Park
1915 South Omaha, Nebraska
1915 Dundee, Nebraska
1917 Benson, Nebraska
1917 Florence, Nebraska
1971 Millard, Nebraska
2005 Elkhorn, Nebraska

Notes

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  1. ^ "Total Gross Domestic Product for Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA (MSA)". Federal Reserve Economic Data. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
  2. ^ "Table 1. Annual Estimates of the Resident Population in the United States and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2021 (CBSA-MET-EST2021-POP)" (xlsx). 2021 Population Estimates. United States Census Bureau, Population Division. July 1, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  3. ^ Iowa Data Center. "Population Estimates and Components of Population Change for Iowa's Combined Statistical Areas (2003 Definition): 2000–2006" (PDF). Retrieved April 6, 2007.
  4. ^ Hunzeker, S. "Nebraska Metro & Micro Statistical Areas" Archived January 7, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, Nebraska Department of Labor. Retrieved September 5, 2008.
  5. ^ "May 2007 OES Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Definitions." Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved September 5, 2008.
  6. ^ "Metro population hits 965,350". Omaha World-Herald. March 1, 2011. Retrieved March 6, 2011.
  7. ^ a b c d e "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Washington County, Nebraska; Sarpy County, Nebraska; Saunders County, Nebraska; Douglas County, Nebraska; Cass County, Nebraska". Census Bureau QuickFacts.
  8. ^ a b c "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Harrison County, Iowa; Pottawattamie County, Iowa; Mills County, Iowa". Census Bureau QuickFacts.
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41°15′35″N 95°55′18″W / 41.25972°N 95.92167°W / 41.25972; -95.92167