Cincinnati metropolitan area
The Cincinnati metropolitan area, informally known as Greater Cincinnati or the Greater Cincinnati Tri-State Area, is a metropolitan area that includes counties in the U.S. states of Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana around the Ohio city of Cincinnati. The United States Census Bureau's formal name for the area is the Cincinnati–Middletown, OH–KY–IN Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, this MSA had a population of 2,114,580, making Greater Cincinnati the 29th most populous metropolitan area in the United States, the largest metro area primarily in Ohio, followed by Cleveland and Columbus.
The Census also lists the Cincinnati–Wilmington–Maysville, OH–KY–IN Combined Statistical Area, which adds Clinton County, Ohio and Mason County, Kentucky for a 2014 estimated population of 2,208,450.
The Cincinnati metropolitan area is considered part of the Great Lakes Megalopolis.
Census designation history
The Cincinnati, OH–KY–IN, MSA was originally formed by the United States Census Bureau in 1950 and consisted of the Kentucky counties of Campbell and Kenton and the Ohio county of Hamilton. As surrounding counties saw an increase in their population densities and the number of their residents employed within Hamilton County, they met Census criteria to be added to the MSA. The Hamilton–Middletown, OH MSA was also formed in 1950 and consisted solely of Butler County, Ohio.In 1990, the Census changed designation of the areas known as MSAs to Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area, and a new Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area grouping was created. From 1990 through 2005, the Cincinnati–Hamilton–Middletown CMSA included the Cincinnati–Hamilton, OH–KY–IN PMSA and the Hamilton–Middletown, OH PMSA.
As of December 2005, Census terminology changed again, eliminating the PMSA/CMSA terminology. Consolidated Statistical Areas combine more than one Core Based Statistical Area. Newly defined MSAs and µSAs Statistical Areas are CBSAs. From 2005 to 2013, the Cincinnati–Middletown–Wilmington CSA included the Cincinnati–Middletown MSA, and Wilmington, OH µSA.
In 2013, the CSA was redefined again. The Cincinnati–Middletown MSA was renamed the Cincinnati MSA. The Wilmington, OH µSA remained in the CSA. The Maysville, KY µSA, which had previously consisted of Mason and Lewis Counties in Kentucky, was redefined as consisting solely of Mason County and added to the CSA. The name of the CSA accordingly changed to the Cincinnati–Wilmington–Maysville CSA.
Population growth
The metropolitan area's population has grown 8.1 percent between Census 2000 and the 2009 Census population estimate, just under the national population growth rate of 9.2 percent over the same period. This growth rate is about in the middle of the growth rates of other similarly sized mid western metropolitan areas. For example, the Cleveland metropolitan area lost approximately 2% of population, while Louisville gained 8%, Columbus gained 12%, and Indianapolis gained 14% over the same time period.The 2009 population estimate from the US Census classifies population changes between natural population increases and net migration. Natural population increase contributes fundamentally all of Greater Cincinnati's population growth. A small amount of net international migration to the region is offset by a small amount of net domestic migration out of the region.
The Cincinnati Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes seven counties in Northern Kentucky and three in Southeast Indiana, is the largest metropolitan area that includes parts of Ohio, exceeding the population of Greater Cleveland, though both Greater Cleveland and metropolitan Columbus have larger populations within the state of Ohio as of 2013.
Most of the region's population growth has occurred in the northern counties, leading to speculation that the Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky metropolitan area will eventually merge with Greater Dayton. Cincinnati is also located very close to other metropolitan areas, such as Louisville, Lexington, and Frankfort, Kentucky, and Columbus, Ohio.
Statistical information
Notes1For comparison purposes, population data is summarized using 2008 Census CSA/MSA county definitions.
2Butler County, Ohio was previously known as the Hamilton–Middletown, OH PMSA and was separate from the Cincinnati, OH–KY–IN PMSA until the 1990 Census, when the Cincinnati–Hamilton, OH–KY–IN CMSA designation was used to consolidate the two PMSAs. The CMSA/PMSA designation is no longer used by the US Census.
Counties
Cincinnati–Wilmington–Maysville, OH–KY–IN CSA
- Brown County, Ohio
- Butler County, Ohio
- Clermont County, Ohio
- Clinton County, Ohio
- Hamilton County, Ohio
- Warren County, Ohio
- Boone County, Kentucky
- Bracken County, Kentucky
- Campbell County, Kentucky
- Gallatin County, Kentucky
- Grant County, Kentucky
- Kenton County, Kentucky
- Mason County, Kentucky
- Pendleton County, Kentucky
- Dearborn County, Indiana
- Franklin County, Indiana
- Ohio County, Indiana
Main cities
- Cincinnati, Ohio
- Hamilton, Ohio
- Middletown, Ohio
- Fairfield, Ohio
- Covington, Kentucky
- Mason, Ohio
- Florence, Kentucky
- Independence, Kentucky
- Oxford, Ohio
- Lebanon, Ohio
- Norwood, Ohio
- Springboro, Ohio
- Forest Park, Ohio
- Erlanger, Kentucky
- Springboro, Ohio
- Fort Thomas, Kentucky
- Newport, Kentucky
- Sharonville, Ohio
- Blue Ash, Ohio
- Wilmington, Ohio
- Loveland, Ohio
- Springdale, Ohio
- Maysville, Kentucky
Major highways and roads
- Interstate 71
- Interstate 74
- Interstate 75
- Interstate 275
- Interstate 471
- U.S. Route 22 & State Route 3
- U.S. Route 27
- U.S. Route 42
- U.S. Route 50
- U.S. Route 52
- U.S. Route 127
- Ohio State Route 747
- Ohio State Route 562
- Ohio State Route 131
- Ohio State Route 129
- Ohio State Route 126
- Ohio State Route 32
- Ohio State Route 28
- Ohio State Route 4
- Kentucky Route 9
- Kentucky Route 17
- Kentucky Route 18
- Kentucky Route 177
- Vine Street, Cincinnati
Universities, colleges, and technical schools
Ohio
- University of Cincinnati
- Xavier University
- Cincinnati State Technical and Community College
- Miami University
- Mount St. Joseph University
- Union Institute & University
- Hebrew Union College
- Cincinnati Christian University
- Art Academy of Cincinnati
- The Art Institute of Cincinnati
- God's Bible School and College
- Gateway Community and Technical College
Kentucky
- Northern Kentucky University
- Thomas More University
- Gateway Community and Technical College
- Maysville Community and Technical College
Indiana
- Ivy Tech Community College
Area codes
- 513 – Ohio Counties
- 937 and 326 – Ohio Counties
- 859 – most Kentucky counties
- 606 – Bracken and Mason Counties, Kentucky
- 812 and 930 – Indiana Counties
- 765 – Indiana Counties
Climate
Significant moderating variables for the overall climate are:
- South and central: Ohio River, Licking River, relatively large hills and valleys, and a combined urban heat island effect due to the close proximity of the Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky cities of Covington, Newport, and Downtown Cincinnati
- Suburban: large parking lots that take up much land in Mason, West Chester, and Florence create a heat island effect.
- North: Great Miami River, the area is situated on a glaciated flat plateau, the Miami Valley, and some urban heat island effect in the immediate area of downtown Dayton and Hamilton.
Although widely accepted as part of the Midwest, the Cincinnati–Northern Kentucky metropolitan area is climatically and geographically located on the northern periphery of the Upland South region of the United States and is within the Bluegrass region of Ohio and Kentucky.
The area is vulnerable to occasional severe weather—thunderstorms, large hail and sometimes tornadoes.
In media
Cincinnati-based broadcast media outlets often use the terms "Cincinnati metropolitan area" and "Tri-State Area" to refer to their broader viewing or listening areas, especially for the purpose of weather reports or school closings. The viewing areas of WLWT, WCPO-TV, and WKRC-TV all span the same 26 counties, including Adams and Highland counties in Ohio; Fayette, Ripley, Switzerland, and Union counties in Indiana; and Carroll, Owen, and Robertson counties in Kentucky. WXIX-TV additionally includes Decatur County in Indiana and Lewis County in Kentucky.Dayton-area media outlets similarly refer to a Miami Valley area that includes Butler and Warren counties in Ohio and sometimes Clinton County, Ohio, and Union County, Indiana.