9 Peer Region Introduction

This chapter presents information about our region’s economy alongside information about peer regions for comparison. The definition of the Twin Cities region may differ by information availability. This chapter will use the following definitions:

Planning or Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) area Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, and Washington Counties, the urban portions of Wright and Sherburne counties, and Houlton, Wisconsin.
7-County Metro Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, and Washington Counties only.
Core-Based Statistical Area (CBSA) a broader area defined by the United States Census that includes the 7 County Metro Area and the addition of Chisago, Isanti, Sherburne, and Wright counties in Minnesota and St. Croix and Pierce counties in Wisconsin. The Twin Cities CBSA is also the metropolitan statistical area (MSA) for the region.

Learn more about regional geographic definitions in Section D.2.

Each region is unique, so this chapter provides a variety of peer region comparisons for specific purposes. Additional data may be provided for the top 26 most populous Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) in the United States.¹ Table 9.1 marks which regions are used for transit, highway, and aviation comparisons.

Table 9.1: Peer metropolitan regions
Peer Region	Transit	Highway	Aviation
Atlanta, GA			◆
Baltimore, MD	◆	◆
Charlotte, NC			◆
Cincinnati, OH		◆
Cleveland, OH	◆	◆
Dallas, TX	◆	◆
Denver, CO	◆	◆	◆
Detroit, MI			◆
Houston, TX	◆
Milwaukee, WI	◆	◆
Philadelphia, PA			◆
Phoenix, AZ	◆
Pittsburgh, PA	◆	◆	◆
Portland, OR	◆	◆
Seattle, WA	◆	◆
St. Louis, MO	◆	◆

We specify 26 MSAs because the Los Angeles area metropolitan planning organization, Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), includes both the Los Angeles and Riverside MSAs.↩︎