Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Database

Federal transportation legislation requires that a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) be designated for each urbanized area with a population of more than 50,000 people in order to carry out the metropolitan transportation planning process, as a condition of Federal aid.

As a result of the 2000 decennial Census, 76 new urbanized areas were identified; 47 of these lie outside the metropolitan planning area boundaries of any existing MPO. These areas will either have to establish and staff a new MPO, or merge with an existing MPO.

Additionally, a total of 48 new Transportation Management Areas (TMAs) were designated by the Secretary of Transportation as a result of increases in their urbanized area population or because of splits or mergers of urbanized areas within existing metropolitan planning area boundaries. TMAs generally are metropolitan areas with a population greater than 200,000.