The
Harrisburg–Carlisle, Pennsylvania, metropolitan statistical area is defined by the
United States Census Bureau as an area consisting of three counties in
Pennsylvania's Susquehanna Valley, anchored by the cities of
Harrisburg and (to a lesser-extent)
Carlisle. As of the
2010 census, the
metropolitan statistical area (MSA) had a population of 549,475 (though a July 1, 2009 estimate placed the population at 536,919). In 2009, Harrisburg–Carlisle was the
96th largest metropolitan area in the
United States. As of 2010, it is part of the defined
Harrisburg–York–Lebanon, PA Combined Statistical Area, which includes
York and
Adams counties and has a population of 1,233,708 people making it the 43rd most populous in the United States.