Washington, D.C. metropolitan area

Washington metropolitan area (Washington – Arlington – Alexandria)
Metropolitan statistical area
Old Town in Alexandria, Virginia; Rosslyn in Arlington, Virginia; Downtown in Washington, D.C.
Nickname(s): DMV
Calvert Charles Frederick Montgomery Prince George's Alexandria Arlington Clarke Fairfax Fairfax County Falls Church Fauquier Loudoun Manassas Manassas Park Prince William Spotsylvania Stafford Fredericksburg Warren Washington Jefferson
Country	United States of America
U.S. state/federal district	District of Columbia Virginia Maryland West Virginia
Principal municipalities	Washington, Arlington, Alexandria
Area(2010)
• Urban	3,644.2 km2 (1,407.0 sq mi)
• Metro	14,412 km2 (5,564.6 sq mi)
Elevation	0–716 m (0–2,350 ft)
Population (2014)
• Metropolitan statistical area	6,097,684 (6th)
• Density	418.7/km2 (1,084/sq mi)
• Urban	4,586,770 (8th)
• CSA	9,546,579 (4th)
	MSA = 2014, CSA = 2014, Urban & Densities = 2010
Time zone	ET (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EST (UTC-4)

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. states of Maryland and Virginia, along with a small portion of West Virginia.

The Washington metropolitan area is the most educated and, by some measures, the most affluent metropolitan area in the United States. As of the 2014 U.S. Census Bureau estimate^[update], the population of the Washington metropolitan area was estimated to be 6,097,684, making it the largest metropolitan area in the Southeast and the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the country.

The U.S. Office of Management and Budget defines the area as the Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, DC–VA–MD–WV metropolitan statistical area, a metropolitan statistical area used for statistical purposes by the United States Census Bureau and other agencies. The region's three largest cities are the federal territory of Washington, D.C., the county (and Census-designated place) of Arlington, and the independent city of Alexandria. The Office of Management and Budget also includes the metropolitan statistical area as part of the larger Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area, which has a population of 9,546,579 as of the 2014 Census Estimate.