With the stroke of a pen and without necessarily moving an inch, about 5.8 million Americans who previously lived in nonmetro counties are now part of a Metropolitan Statistical Area, or metro. Conversely, about a million Americans who formerly lived in metro areas now live in nonmetro counties.

The change is due to the reclassification of counties that are part of metropolitan areas by the federal Office of Management and Budget.

Because of the switch, 113 counties that previously lay outside metro areas have been incorporated into metropolitan areas.

Thirty-six counties have gone the other direction – changing from metro to nonmetro status.

The net change in county classifications is that 77 additional counties are part of metropolitan America. That means, in broad terms, that the federal government no longer considers them to be rural for some funding programs and demographic purposes.

We’ve got a list of the counties that switched below. The smallest formerly nonmetro county to join a metropolitan area is Kalawao County, on the island of Maui in Hawaii. With only 90 residents, it’s now part of the Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina metro.

On the other end of the population spectrum, the formerly nonmetro county of Mohave in Arizona, with a population of over 200,000, is now part of Lake Havasu City-Kingman metro.

The metro/nonmetro classification is based on population figures of cities and the economic ties of counties that are adjacent to them. While change on the ground may be gradual and occur over years or even decades, the metro/non-metro designation is an either/or proposition. Cross the threshold, and your county flips from metro to nonmetro, or the other way around.

Metro counties now have a combined population of 262.5 million, while nonmetro counties have a population of 46.3 million. About 15% of the U.S. population now lives in nonmetro counties, down from 17% in 2003.

COUNTIES THAT SWITCH TO METRO FROM NONMETRO

StateCounty NamePopulation in 2010 CensusMetro Area Joined In 2013
ALPickens County19,746Tuscaloosa, AL
ALBaldwin County182,265Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL
ARLittle River County13,171Texarkana, TX-AR
AZCochise County131,346Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ
AZMohave County200,186Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ
CTWindham County118,428Worcester, MA-CT
DESussex County197,145Salisbury, MD-DE
FLGulf County15,863Panama City, FL
FLWalton County55,043Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL
FLSumter County93,420The Villages, FL
FLFlagler County95,696Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL
FLHighlands County98,786Sebring, FL
FLCitrus County141,236Homosassa Springs, FL
GALincoln County7,996Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC
GAPulaski County12,010Warner Robins, GA
GAMorgan County17,868Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
GAPeach County27,695Warner Robins, GA
HIKalawao County90Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI
HIMaui County154,834Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI
IAPlymouth County24,986Sioux City, IA-NE-SD
IDButte County2,891Idaho Falls, ID
ILAlexander County8,238Cape Girardeau, MO-IL
ILDe Witt County16,561Bloomington, IL
ILJackson County60,218Carbondale-Marion, IL
ILWilliamson County66,357Carbondale-Marion, IL
INUnion County7,516Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN
INScott County24,181Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN
KSKingman County7,858Wichita, KS
KSPottawatomie County21,604Manhattan, KS
KSRiley County71,115Manhattan, KS
KYButler County12,690Bowling Green, KY
KYAllen County19,956Bowling Green, KY
LASt. James Parish22,102New Orleans-Metairie, LA
LAWebster Parish41,207Shreveport-Bossier City, LA
LAVermilion Parish57,999Lafayette, LA
LAAcadia Parish61,773Lafayette, LA
LAIberia Parish73,240Lafayette, LA
LATangipahoa Parish121,097Hammond, LA
MDWorcester County51,454Salisbury, MD-DE
MDSt. Mary’s County105,151California-Lexington Park, MD
MIMontcalm County63,342Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI
MIMidland County83,629Midland, MI
MNSibley County15,226Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
MNFillmore County20,866Rochester, MN
MNMille Lacs County26,097Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
MNLe Sueur County27,703Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
MNNicollet County32,727Mankato-North Mankato, MN
MNBlue Earth County64,013Mankato-North Mankato, MN
MOBollinger County12,363Cape Girardeau, MO-IL
MOCape Girardeau County75,674Cape Girardeau, MO-IL
MSBenton County8,729Memphis, TN-MS-AR
MSYazoo County28,065Jackson, MS
MTGolden Valley County884Billings, MT
NCJones County10,153New Bern, NC
NCGates County12,197Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC
NCPamlico County13,144New Bern, NC
NCLincoln County78,265Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
NCCraven County103,505New Bern, NC
NCRowan County138,428Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
NCIredell County159,437Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
NCDavidson County162,878Winston-Salem, NC
NDOliver County1,846Bismarck, ND
NDSioux County4,153Bismarck, ND
NEHoward County6,274Grand Island, NE
NEMerrick County7,845Grand Island, NE
NEHamilton County9,124Grand Island, NE
NEHall County58,607Grand Island, NE
NYYates County25,348Rochester, NY
NYJefferson County116,229Watertown-Fort Drum, NY
OHHocking County29,380Columbus, OH
OHPerry County36,058Columbus, OH
OKCotton County6,193Lawton, OK
ORJosephine County82,713Grants Pass, OR
ORLinn County116,672Albany, OR
PAMontour County18,267Bloomsburg-Berwick, PA
PAColumbia County67,295Bloomsburg-Berwick, PA
PAAdams County101,407Gettysburg, PA
PAFranklin County149,618Chambersburg-Waynesboro, PA
PAMonroe County169,842East Stroudsburg, PA
SCJasper County24,777Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC
SCUnion County28,961Spartanburg, SC
SCChester County33,140Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
SCLancaster County76,652Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
SCBeaufort County162,233Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC
SDCuster County8,216Rapid City, SD
TNCrockett County14,586Jackson, TN
TNMorgan County21,987Knoxville, TN
TNCampbell County40,716Knoxville, TN
TNRoane County54,181Knoxville, TN
TNMaury County80,956Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN
TXOldham County2,052Amarillo, TX
TXHudspeth County3,476El Paso, TX
TXMartin County4,799Midland, TX
TXLynn County5,915Lubbock, TX
TXSomervell County8,490Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
TXNewton County14,445Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX
TXFalls County17,866Waco, TX
TXHood County51,182Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
UTBox Elder County49,975Ogden-Clearfield, UT
VARappahannock County7,373Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
VAFloyd County15,279Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA
VABuckingham County17,146Charlottesville, VA
VAWaynesboro city21,006Staunton-Waynesboro, VA
VAStaunton city23,746Staunton-Waynesboro, VA
VACulpeper County46,689Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
VAAugusta County73,750Staunton-Waynesboro, VA
WAColumbia County4,078Walla Walla, WA
WAPend Oreille County13,001Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA
WAStevens County43,531Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA
WAWalla Walla County58,781Walla Walla, WA
WIGreen County36,842Madison, WI
WVFayette County46,039Beckley, WV
WVRaleigh County78,859Beckley, WV

COUNTIES THAT SWITCHED TO NONMETRO FROM METRO

StateCounty NamePopulation in 2010 CensusMetropolitan Area These Counties Belonged To Before 2010 Census
ALGreene County9,045Tuscaloosa, AL
ARFranklin County18,125Fort Smith, AR-OK
IDPower County7,817Pocatello, ID
INTipton County15,936Kokomo, IN
INFranklin County23,087Cincinnati-Middletown, OH-KY-IN
INGreene County33,165Bloomington, IN
INGibson County33,503Evansville, IN-KY
KSFranklin County25,992Kansas City, MO-KS
KYWebster County13,621Evansville, IN-KY
KYNelson County43,437Louisville, KY-IN
MAFranklin County71,372Springfield, MA
MINewaygo County48,460Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI
MIIonia County63,905Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI
MOHoward County10,144Columbia, MO
MOWashington County25,195St. Louis, MO-IL
MSStone County17,786Gulfport-Biloxi, MS
MSGeorge County22,578Pascagoula, MS
NCGreene County21,362Greenville, NC
NCAnson County26,948Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, NC-SC
OHOttawa County41,428Toledo, OH
OHPreble County42,270Dayton, OH
OHWashington County61,778Parkersburg-Marietta, WV-OH
OHErie County77,079Sandusky, OH
TNStewart County13,324Clarksville, TN-KY
TXDelta County5,231Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
TXCalhoun County21,381Victoria, TX
TXSan Jacinto County26,384Houston-Baytown-Sugar Land, TX
UTSummit County36,324Salt Lake City, UT
VAKing and Queen County6,945Richmond, VA
VASurry County7,058Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC
VACumberland County10,052Richmond, VA
VALouisa County33,153Richmond, VA
VADanville city43,055Danville, VA
VAPittsylvania County63,506Danville, VA
WVPleasants County7,605Parkersburg-Marietta, WV-OH
WVMorgan County17,541Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV

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