Map of The 210 TV Media Markets In The US (Including Territories)

Created Wikimedia user by SharpShark3The map above shows a detailed representation of the 210 United States Television Markets.

Here are some key points about the map:

1. Television Market Areas (DMAs): The map is divided into regions known as Designated Market Areas (DMAs). Each DMA represents a distinct television market where the population receives the same (or similar) television offerings and advertisements.
2. Color Coding: The map uses different colors to differentiate between the various television markets. Each color represents a unique DMA.
3. Market Names: The names of the television markets are labeled on the map. These typically correspond to major cities or regions within each DMA (see full list below), which serve as central hubs for television broadcasting in that area.
4. Geographic Boundaries: The map outlines the geographic boundaries of each television market, showing which counties or areas belong to which market. This is useful for understanding the reach of local television stations and the regions they cover.
5. Regulatory and Business Implications: Television markets are also important for regulatory purposes and for business decisions by TV networks and stations. They influence decisions on where to allocate resources, how to structure local news coverage, and how to approach regional advertising strategies.

Which Television Market Areas Areas are the largest?

The list below ranks the size of each market based on the number of viewers.

1. New York
2. Los Angeles
3. Chicago
4. Philadelphia
5. Dallas-Fort Worth
6. Houston
7. Atlanta
8. Boston (Manchester)
9. Washington, D.C. (Hagerstown)
10. San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose
11. Phoenix (Prescott)
12. Tampa-St. Petersburg (Sarasota)
13. Seattle-Tacoma
14. Detroit
15. Minneapolis-St. Paul
16. Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne
17. Denver
18. Miami-Fort Lauderdale
19. Cleveland-Akron (Canton)
20. Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto
21. Charlotte
22. Raleigh-Durham (Fayetteville)
23. Portland, OR
24. St. Louis
25. Indianapolis
26. Nashville
27. Salt Lake City
28. Pittsburgh
29. Baltimore
30. San Diego
31. San Antonio
32. Hartford & New Haven
33. Columbus, OH
34. Kansas City
35. Austin, TX
36. Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville-Anderson
37. Cincinnati
38. Milwaukee
39. West Palm Beach-Fort Pierce
40. Las Vegas
41. Jacksonville
42. Grand Rapids-Kalamazoo-Battle Creek
43. Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News
44. Harrisburg-Lancaster-Lebanon-York
45. Greensboro-High Point-Winston-Salem
46. Birmingham (Anniston and Tuscaloosa)
47. Oklahoma City
48. Louisville
49. Albuquerque-Santa Fe
50. Memphis
51. New Orleans
52. Fresno-Visalia
53. Providence-New Bedford
54. Buffalo
55. Fort Myers-Naples
56. Richmond-Petersburg
57. Mobile-Pensacola (Fort Walton Beach)
58. Wilkes Barre-Scranton-Hazleton
59. Little Rock-Pine Bluff
60. Albany-Schenectady-Troy
61. Knoxville
62. Tulsa
63. Lexington
64. Spokane
65. Tucson (Sierra Vista)
66. Dayton
67. Des Moines-Ames
68. Honolulu
69. Green Bay-Appleton
70. Roanoke-Lynchburg
71. Omaha
72. Wichita-Hutchinson Plus
73. Springfield, MO
74. Flint-Saginaw-Bay City
75. Columbia, SC
76. Rochester, NY
77. Madison
78. Portland-Auburn
79. Charleston-Huntington
80. Toledo
81. Huntsville-Decatur (Florence)
82. Harlingen-Weslaco-Brownsville-McAllen
83. Waco-Temple-Bryan
84. Chattanooga
85. Savannah
86. Colorado Springs-Pueblo
87. Syracuse
88. Charleston, SC
89. El Paso (Las Cruces)
90. Paducah-Cape Girardeau-Harrisburg
91. Champaign & Springfield-Decatur
92. Shreveport-Texarkana
93. Burlington-Plattsburgh
94. Cedar Rapids-Waterloo-Iowa City & Dubuque
95. Baton Rouge
96. Fort Smith-Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers
97. Boise
98. Jackson, MS
99. Myrtle Beach-Florence
100. South Bend-Elkhart
101. Tri-Cities, TN-VA
102. Greenville-New Bern-Washington
103. Reno
104. Davenport-Rock Island-Moline
105. Tallahassee-Thomasville
106. Lincoln & Hastings-Kearney
107. Evansville
108. Fort Wayne
109. Tyler-Longview (Lufkin & Nacogdoches)
110. Augusta-Aiken
111. Sioux Falls (Mitchell)
112. Johnstown-Altoona-State College
113. Lansing
114. Fargo-Valley City (Grand Forks)
115. Springfield-Holyoke
116. Yakima-Pasco-Richland-Kennewick
117. Youngstown
118. Traverse City-Cadillac
119. Eugene
120. Macon
121. Montgomery-Selma
122. Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-San Luis Obispo
123. Peoria-Bloomington
124. Bakersfield
125. Lafayette, LA
126. Columbus, GA
127. Monterey-Salinas
128. Wilmington, NC
129. La Crosse-Eau Claire
130. Corpus Christi
131. Amarillo
132. Wausau-Rhinelander
133. Salisbury
134. Chico-Redding
135. Columbus-Tupelo-West Point-Starkville
136. Columbia-Jefferson City
137. Rockford
138. Medford-Klamath Falls
139. Duluth-Superior
140. Topeka
141. Lubbock
142. Monroe-El Dorado
143. Palm Springs
144. Beaumont-Port Arthur
145. Minot-Bismarck-Dickinson (Williston)
146. Anchorage
147. Odessa-Midland
148. Panama City
149. Wichita Falls & Lawton
150. Sioux City
151. Joplin-Pittsburg
152. Rochester-Mason City-Austin
153. Erie
154. Albany, GA
155. Idaho Falls-Pocatello (Jackson)
156. Bangor
157. Biloxi-Gulfport
158. Gainesville
159. Terre Haute
160. Sherman-Ada
161. Missoula
162. Binghamton
163. Wheeling-Steubenville
164. Yuma-El Centro
165. Billings
166. Bluefield-Beckley-Oak Hill
167. Abilene-Sweetwater
168. Hattiesburg-Laurel
169. Rapid City
170. Dothan
171. Utica
172. Clarksburg-Weston
173. Charlottesville
174. Harrisonburg
175. Jackson, TN
176. Quincy-Hannibal-Keokuk
177. Lake Charles
178. Elmira (Corning)
179. Watertown
180. Bowling Green
181. Marquette
182. Alexandria, LA
183. Jonesboro
184. Butte-Bozeman
185. Bend, OR
186. Laredo
187. Grand Junction-Montrose
188. Lafayette, IN
189. Twin Falls
190. Lima
191. Great Falls
192. Meridian
193. Parkersburg
194. Cheyenne-Scottsbluff
195. Eureka
196. Greenwood-Greenville
197. San Angelo
198. Casper-Riverton
199. Mankato
200. Ottumwa-Kirksville
201. St. Joseph
202. Fairbanks
203. Helena
204. Zanesville
205. Victoria
206. Presque Isle
207. Juneau
208. Alpena
209. North Platte
210. Glendive

U.S. territories, commonwealths, and insular areas

• United States Virgin Islands
• Puerto Rico
• Guam / Northern Mariana Islands
• American Samoa
• Federated States of Micronesia/Palau/Midway Island/Marshall Islands

Why are Television Market Areas important?

A Television Market Area (TMA) is a group of U.S. counties served by specific television stations, regulated by the FCC. These areas control local broadcasts and dictate which channels are available to cable and satellite subscribers under “must-carry” rules.

TMAs also define restrictions on signal rebroadcasting, with the exception of the “significantly viewed” list. Each U.S. region belongs to one TMA.

Nielsen Media Research uses a similar term, Designated Market Area (DMA), to identify areas with the most viewers for specific TV stations. The U.S. has 210 DMAs, 70 of which have automatic viewership tracking.

TMAs may cover larger areas than their stations’ reach, especially post-digital transition, with some areas served only by cable, satellite, or small translators.

Examples include Olean, New York, which falls under the Buffalo market without direct signal reach, and Erie, Pennsylvania, whose signals extend into neighboring TMAs.

Arbitron, now Nielsen Audio, previously used “areas of dominant influence” (ADI) for TV ratings, starting in 1966. By 1993-1994, there were 209 ADIs, but Arbitron ceased offering TV ratings in late 1993.