The Baltimore-Towson Metropolitan Statistical Area, also known as Central Maryland, is a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) in Maryland

Maryland

Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

 as defined by the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 Office of Management and Budget (OMB). In 2007, its population was estimated at 2,668,056 by the Census Bureau

United States Census Bureau

The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, making it the 20th most populous MSA in the country.

Composition

The area includes the following counties:

• Baltimore City
• Anne Arundel County
  Anne Arundel County, Maryland
  Anne Arundel County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is named for Anne Arundell , a member of the ancient family of Arundells in Cornwall, England and the wife of Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore. Its county seat is Annapolis, which is also the capital of the state...
  
  
• Baltimore County
  Baltimore County, Maryland
  Baltimore County is a county located in the northern part of the US state of Maryland. In 2010, its population was 805,029. It is part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Towson. The name of the county was derived from the barony of the Proprietor of the Maryland...
  
  
• Carroll County
  Carroll County, Maryland
  Carroll County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. In 2010, its population was 167,134. It was named for Charles Carroll of Carrollton , signer of the American Declaration of Independence. Its county seat is Westminster....
  
  
• Harford County
  Harford County, Maryland
  Harford County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland. In 2010, its population was 244,826. Its county seat is Bel Air. Harford County forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area.-History:...
  
  
• Howard County
  Howard County, Maryland
  -2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*62.2% White*17.5% Black*0.3% Native American*14.4% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.6% Two or more races*2.0% Other races*5.8% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
  
  
• Queen Anne's County
  Queen Anne's County, Maryland
  Queen Anne's County is a county located on the Eastern Shore of the U.S. state of Maryland.As of 2010, the population was 47,798. Its county seat and most populous municipality is Centreville. The census-designated place of Stevensville is the county's most populous place...
  
  

Principal cities

The metropolitan area includes the following principal communities :

• Baltimore, Maryland
• Towson, Maryland
  Towson, Maryland
  Towson is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 55,197 at the 2010 census...
  
  

It also includes several other communities (not necessarily incorporated as cities or towns):

• Aberdeen, Maryland
  Aberdeen, Maryland
  As of the census of 2000, there were 13,842 people, 5,475 households, and 3,712 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,166.2 people per square mile . There were 5,894 housing units at an average density of 922.4 per square mile...
  
  
• Annapolis, Maryland
  Annapolis, Maryland
  Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
  
  
• Bel Air, Maryland
• Catonsville, Maryland
  Catonsville, Maryland
  According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:In 2010 Catonsville had a population of 41,567...
  
  
• Columbia, Maryland
  Columbia, Maryland
  Columbia is a planned community that consists of ten self-contained villages, located in Howard County, Maryland, United States. It began with the idea that a city could enhance its residents' quality of life. Creator and developer James W. Rouse saw the new community in terms of human values, not...
  
  
• Dundalk, Maryland
  Dundalk, Maryland
  -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 62,306 people, 24,772 households, and 16,968 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 4,689.5 people per square mile . There were 26,385 housing units at an average density of 1,985.9 per square mile...
  
  
• Ellicott City, Maryland
  Ellicott City, Maryland
  Ellicott City is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Howard County, Maryland, United States. It is part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. The population was 65,834 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Howard County...
  
  
• Glen Burnie, Maryland
  Glen Burnie, Maryland
  Glen Burnie is a census-designated place in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States, and is a suburb of Baltimore. The population was 67,639 at the 2010 census...
  
  
• Havre de Grace, Maryland
  Havre de Grace, Maryland
  Havre de Grace is a city in Harford County, Maryland, United States. Located at the mouth of the Susquehanna River and the head of the Chesapeake Bay, Havre de Grace is named after the port city of Le Havre, France, which was first named Le Havre de Grâce, meaning in French "Harbor of Grace." As...
  
  
• Joppatowne, Maryland
  Joppatowne, Maryland
  Joppatowne is an unincorporated "bedroom community" in southwestern Harford County, Maryland, United States. It was established in 1961 as a Planned Unit Development . Joppatowne is a census-designated place - the population was 11,391 at the 2000 census.Joppatowne is only a small part of what is...
  
  
• Owings Mills, Maryland
  Owings Mills, Maryland
  Owings Mills is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. It is a suburb of Baltimore. The population was 20,193 at the 2000 census. Owings Mills is home to the northern terminus for the Baltimore Metro Subway and to Owings Mills Mall....
  
  
• Westminster, Maryland
  Westminster, Maryland
  Westminster is a city in northern Maryland, United States. It is the seat of Carroll County. The city's population was 18,590 at the 2010 census. Westminster is an outlying community within the Baltimore-Towson, MD MSA, which is part of a greater Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV...
  
  

In addition to its technical metropolitan area, Baltimore also receives a large number of commuters from cities such as York, Pennsylvania

York, Pennsylvania

York, known as the White Rose City , is a city located in York County, Pennsylvania, United States which is in the South Central region of the state. The population within the city limits was 43,718 at the 2010 census, which was a 7.0% increase from the 2000 count of 40,862...

 and the Washington Metropolitan Area

Washington Metropolitan Area

The Washington Metropolitan Area is the metropolitan area centered on Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. The area includes all of the federal district and parts of the U.S...

.