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Featured Resource, Radio Industry
Nielsen DMA Rankings 2021
5 Min Read

Developing an effective public relations campaign depends on reaching your client’s target audience effectively and affordably. Before you plan a campaign, learn how to understand and utilize the Nielsen DMA rankings.

What are the Nielsen DMA rankings?

A DMA is a “Designated Market Area” — each DMA is a geographical area where Nielsen measures media consumption, ranked by local television homes. A DMA not only includes the urban center and suburbs, but it also includes the surrounding counties (aka trade area) where small towns and rural homes receive the same television signals. There are 210 DMAs in the United States. New York City is the largest DMA, and Glendive, MT is the smallest DMA.

Nielsen uses proprietary electronic measuring devices that measure what programs, networks, and stations family members watch on every TV and digital device in their home. Radio listening is also measured via similar devices and through diary entries. The company selects people and families and invites them to participate. The Nielsen panel members and “families” represent a cross-section of each market’s demographics, including ages, races, ethnicities, and behaviors.

Nielsen’s selection process includes:

  • A county within the DMA
  • A group of block areas within that county
  • Homes within the block/geographical area

Nielsen’s equipment detects audio codes to record the content that reaches each TV and device in the home. Depending on the market, Nielsen measures live content and on-demand, DVR, and streaming services. Their customized, exclusive software utilizes statistics and science to generate ratings.

These market-level viewing preferences allow PR firms and advertising agencies to make informed marketing decisions.

DMA Name 2020 2021 Change No. Homes 2020 No. Homes 2021
New York 1 1 0 6,824,120 7,452,620
Los Angeles 2 2 0 5,145,350 5,735,230
Chicago 3 3 0 3,256,400 3,471,560
Philadelphia 4 4 0 2,758,330 2,997,360
Dallas-Ft. Worth 5 5 0 2,563,320 2,962,520
San Francisco-Oak-San Jose 6 6 0 2,364,740 2,653,270
Atlanta 10 7 3 2,269,270 2,648,970
Houston 8 8 0 2,330,180 2,569,900
Washington, DC (Hagrstwn) 7 9 -2 2,351,930 2,565,580
Boston (Manchester) 9 10 -1 2,302,680 2,489,620
Phoenix (Prescott) 11 11 0 1,879,780 2,158,240
Seattle-Tacoma 13 12 1 1,764,680 2,098,800
Tampa-St. Pete (Sarasota) 12 13 -1 1,800,600 2,035,250
Minneapolis-St. Paul 15 14 1 1,697,370 1,887,390
Detroit 14 15 -1 1,737,170 1,862,620
Denver 17 16 1 1,532,320 1,798,440
Orlando-Daytona Bch-Melbrn 18 17 1 1,492,640 1,731,360
Miami-Ft. Lauderdale 16 18 -2 1,642,220 1,693,450
Cleveland-Akron (Canton) 19 19 0 1,366,110 1,511,970
Sacramnto-Stkton-Modesto 20 20 0 1,317,500 1,459,260
Portland,OR 22 21 1 1,112,500 1,315,470
Charlotte 21 22 -1 1,125,970 1,290,660
St. Louis 23 23 0 1,099,590 1,239,210
Raleigh-Durham (Fayetvlle) 27 24 3 1,025,320 1,237,230
Indianapolis 25 25 0 1,053,830 1,182,500
Pittsburgh 24 26 -2 1,079,900 1,166,130
San Diego 29 27 2 981,650 1,132,300
Baltimore 26 28 -2 1,039,490 1,129,830
Nashville 28 29 -1 983,180 1,102,340
Salt Lake City 30 30 0 952,470 1,100,260
San Antonio 31 31 0 916,970 1,031,180
Hartford & New Haven 33 32 1 885,890 1,002,710
Columbus, OH 34 33 1 877,490 999,300
Kansas City 32 34 -2 896,850 986,160
Greenvll-Spart-Ashevll-And 38 35 3 787,930 940,000
Cincinnati 37 36 1 828,250 925,900
Milwaukee 35 37 -2 837,300 921,920
Austin 40 38 2 736,770 912,400
West Palm Beach-Ft. Pierce 36 39 -3 828,980 870,720
Las Vegas 39 40 -1 743,220 833,510
Grand Rapids-Kalmzoo-B.Crk 45 41 4 653,100 781,080
Harrisburg-Lncstr-Leb-York 47 42 5 641,660 772,810
Jacksonville 41 43 -2 690,400 756,960
Oklahoma City 43 44 -1 666,690 755,340
Birmingham (Ann and Tusc) 44 45 -1 666,170 730,440
Norfolk-Portsmth-Newpt Nws 42 46 -4 684,310 725,580
Greensboro-H.Point-W.Salem 49 47 2 635,580 717,110
Albuquerque-Santa Fe 46 48 -2 648,350 716,800
Louisville 48 49 -1 636,150 696,070
New Orleans 50 50 0 615,480 663,520
Memphis 51 51 0 580,600 619,610
Providence-New Bedford 56 52 4 543,430 619,140
Buffalo 52 53 -1 576,710 612,780
Ft. Myers-Naples 53 54 -1 564,250 608,640
Fresno-Visalia 55 55 0 550,860 607,200
Richmond-Petersburg 54 56 -2 555,630 585,030
Mobile-Pensacola (Ft Walt) 57 57 0 518,740 584,290
Wilkes Barre-Scranton-Hztn 60 58 2 497,830 571,470
Little Rock-Pine Bluff 62 59 3 472,560 562,060
Albany-Schenectady-Troy 59 60 -1 500,400 556,730
Tulsa 58 61 -3 509,560 552,980
Knoxville 61 62 -1 491,810 535,230
Lexington 64 63 1 425,890 499,880
Tucson (Sierra Vista) 65 64 1 421,820 479,780
Dayton 63 65 -2 445,240 476,790
Spokane 70 66 4 381,590 470,210
Honolulu 66 67 -1 414,130 464,090
Des Moines-Ames 68 68 0 393,470 457,040
Green Bay-Appleton 67 69 -2 394,210 455,560
Wichita-Hutchinson Plus 72 70 2 378,930 447,710
Roanoke-Lynchburg 69 71 -2 384,120 446,270
Omaha 71 72 -1 380,630 439,530
Flint-Saginaw-Bay City 77 73 4 360,530 439,380
Springfield, MO 73 74 -1 373,700 432,370
Charleston-Huntington 74 75 -1 367,290 426,980
Columbia, SC 75 76 -1 365,850 421,760
Rochester, NY 76 77 -1 361,750 412,190
Portland-Auburn 79 78 1 349,470 409,560
Huntsville-Decatur (Flor) 78 79 -1 351,610 409,200
Toledo 80 80 0 347,480 408,590
Madison 81 81 0 343,350 408,570
Colorado Springs-Pueblo 85 82 3 327,530 386,620
Waco-Temple-Bryan 82 83 -1 333,300 383,820
Paducah-Cape Girard-Harsbg 84 84 0 330,920 382,300
Harlingen-Wslco-Brnsvl-McA 83 85 -2 331,520 380,530
Shreveport 86 86 0 321,190 375,420
Syracuse 87 87 0 320,830 373,320
Chattanooga 92 88 4 305,340 373,120
Charleston, SC 91 89 2 309,250 369,800
Champaign&Sprngfld-Decatur 88 90 -2 315,780 365,240
Savannah 89 91 -2 315,400 364,630
Cedar Rapids-Wtrlo-IWC&Dub 90 92 -2 311,260 357,480
El Paso (Las Cruces) 93 93 0 295,070 343,530
Baton Rouge 94 94 0 293,610 335,670
Ft. Smith-Fay-Sprngdl-Rgrs 101 95 6 265,520 327,930
Burlington-Plattsburgh 96 96 0 283,080 326,000
Jackson, MS 95 97 -2 284,110 323,800
South Bend-Elkhart 98 98 0 277,380 320,050
Myrtle Beach-Florence 97 99 -2 277,560 314,030
Tri-Cities, TN-VA 99 100 -1 273,310 312,560
Boise 102 101 1 261,140 311,270
Greenville-N.Bern-Washngtn 100 102 -2 265,820 308,190
Davenport-R.Island-Moline 103 103 0 259,590 298,580
Reno 104 104 0 254,040 293,750
Lincoln & Hastings-Krny 107 105 2 248,550 287,510
Evansville 105 106 -1 250,120 285,880
Johnstown-Altoona-St Colge 106 107 -1 248,880 282,430
Tallahassee-Thomasville 109 108 1 239,650 281,680
Sioux Falls (Mitchell) 113 109 4 229,420 277,210
Tyler-Longview(Lfkn&Ncgd) 114 110 4 223,590 276,520
Ft. Wayne 110 111 -1 238,610 273,680
Augusta-Aiken 108 112 -4 240,270 271,640
Eugene 117 113 4 218,200 263,100
Fargo 116 114 2 218,360 262,440
Lansing 112 115 -3 230,640 262,310
Springfield-Holyoke 111 116 -5 231,600 257,110
Yakima-Pasco-Rchlnd-Knnwck 118 117 1 215,940 256,130
Traverse City-Cadillac 121 118 3 209,210 253,730
Youngstown 115 119 -4 220,670 249,300
Macon 119 120 -1 211,110 243,340
SantaBarbra-SanMar-SanLuOb 126 121 5 195,870 242,220
Lafayette, LA 123 122 1 203,470 237,720
Peoria-Bloomington 120 123 -3 209,320 235,550
Monterey-Salinas 124 124 0 202,080 234,150
Bakersfield 125 125 0 200,460 232,010
Montgomery-Selma 122 126 -4 207,020 228,760
Columbus, GA (Opelika, AL) 130 127 3 183,620 221,700
Wilmington 127 128 -1 189,830 219,160
La Crosse-Eau Claire 129 129 0 185,920 217,880
Corpus Christi 128 130 -2 188,210 210,160
Amarillo 132 131 1 162,010 190,340
Chico-Redding 131 132 -1 171,710 189,580
Columbus-Tupelo-West Point 133 133 0 161,740 184,570
Medford-Klamath Falls 135 134 1 155,130 182,510
Columbia-Jefferson City 137 135 2 154,210 181,120
Wausau-Rhinelander 134 136 -2 158,720 180,920
Salisbury 136 137 -1 154,900 174,080
Odessa-Midland 145 138 7 141,600 173,210
Rockford 138 139 -1 152,400 172,720
Duluth-Superior 139 140 -1 150,930 171,400
Minot-Bsmrck-Dcknsn(Wlstn) 146 141 5 136,930 171,030
Topeka 144 142 2 142,240 170,640
Monroe-El Dorado 140 143 -3 148,210 169,140
Beaumont-Port Arthur 143 144 -1 143,130 168,210
Lubbock 142 145 -3 143,380 167,660
Palm Springs 141 146 -5 147,650 167,650
Anchorage 151 147 4 125,510 158,570
Sioux City 148 148 0 131,210 155,090
Wichita Falls & Lawton 147 149 -2 132,830 153,870
Rochestr-Mason City-Austin 150 150 0 129,600 149,660
Erie 152 151 1 125,340 148,830
Joplin-Pittsburg 153 152 1 121,260 146,870
Panama City 149 153 -4 130,350 145,260
Albany, GA 154 154 0 120,240 142,860
Bangor 159 155 4 111,070 141,120
Terre Haute 160 156 4 110,480 137,190
Biloxi-Gulfport 155 157 -2 116,300 137,020
Idaho Fals-Pocatllo(Jcksn) 162 158 4 101,030 136,150
Sherman-Ada 158 159 -1 112,160 135,390
Gainesville 156 160 -4 114,400 135,120
Missoula 163 161 2 100,830 128,570
Binghamton 161 162 -1 106,510 127,800
Wheeling-Steubenville 157 163 -6 114,140 127,010
Bluefield-Beckley-Oak Hill 166 164 2 98,530 123,020
Abilene-Sweetwater 164 165 -1 100,790 116,310
Yuma-El Centro 165 166 -1 99,710 116,250
Billings 168 167 1 91,950 114,850
Hattiesburg-Laurel 167 168 -1 96,000 108,610
Rapid City 169 169 0 86,610 105,510
Clarksburg-Weston 173 170 3 84,680 103,610
Utica 172 171 1 84,750 102,000
Dothan 171 172 -1 85,140 100,840
Lake Charles 170 173 -3 85,970 100,340
Quincy-Hannibal-Keokuk 174 174 0 84,040 99,840
Jackson, TN 176 175 1 78,940 97,320
Harrisonburg 175 176 -1 84,030 97,020
Charlottesville 182 177 5 70,490 94,530
Elmira (Corning) 178 178 0 72,530 92,150
Bowling Green 177 179 -2 72,620 87,660
Watertown 181 180 1 71,180 85,670
Alexandria, LA 178 181 -3 72,530 85,620
Jonesboro 183 182 1 69,470 84,400
Marquette 180 183 -3 71,920 84,030
Bend, OR 185 184 1 63,720 79,710
Butte-Bozeman 186 185 1 63,320 79,650
Laredo 184 186 -2 65,330 77,640
Grand Junction-Montrose 188 187 1 61,390 74,740
Lafayette, IN 187 188 -1 61,520 74,690
Twin Falls 191 189 2 55,050 69,610
Lima 189 190 -1 56,850 67,390
Meridian 190 191 -1 56,790 64,050
Great Falls 192 192 0 53,210 64,020
Eureka 197 193 4 47,550 61,330
Parkersburg 193 194 -1 51,240 60,750
Cheyenne-Scottsbluff 196 195 1 48,930 60,470
Greenwood-Greenville 194 196 -2 50,270 58,830
San Angelo 195 197 -2 50,220 58,000
Casper-Riverton 199 198 1 43,760 55,770
Mankato 198 199 -1 46,920 54,290
Ottumwa-Kirksville 201 200 1 37,440 46,870
St. Joseph 200 201 -1 38,780 45,070
Fairbanks 203 202 1 27,970 36,800
Zanesville 204 203 1 27,650 33,580
Victoria 202 204 -2 28,500 33,490
Helena 205 205 0 25,720 31,090
Presque Isle 206 206 0 22,340 27,140
Juneau 207 207 0 18,730 26,160
Alpena 208 208 0 14,280 16,450
North Platte 209 209 0 12,010 14,630
Glendive 210 210 0 3,630 3,900
DMA Name 2020 2021 Change No. Homes 2020 No. Homes 2021
New York 1 1 0 6,824,120 7,452,620
Los Angeles 2 2 0 5,145,350 5,735,230
Chicago 3 3 0 3,256,400 3,471,560
Philadelphia 4 4 0 2,758,330 2,997,360
Dallas-Ft. Worth 5 5 0 2,563,320 2,962,520
San Francisco-Oak-San Jose 6 6 0 2,364,740 2,653,270
Atlanta 10 7 3 2,269,270 2,648,970
Houston 8 8 0 2,330,180 2,569,900
Washington, DC (Hagrstwn) 7 9 -2 2,351,930 2,565,580
Boston (Manchester) 9 10 -1 2,302,680 2,489,620
Phoenix (Prescott) 11 11 0 1,879,780 2,158,240
Seattle-Tacoma 13 12 1 1,764,680 2,098,800
Tampa-St. Pete (Sarasota) 12 13 -1 1,800,600 2,035,250
Minneapolis-St. Paul 15 14 1 1,697,370 1,887,390
Detroit 14 15 -1 1,737,170 1,862,620
Denver 17 16 1 1,532,320 1,798,440
Orlando-Daytona Bch-Melbrn 18 17 1 1,492,640 1,731,360
Miami-Ft. Lauderdale 16 18 -2 1,642,220 1,693,450
Cleveland-Akron (Canton) 19 19 0 1,366,110 1,511,970
Sacramnto-Stkton-Modesto 20 20 0 1,317,500 1,459,260
Portland,OR 22 21 1 1,112,500 1,315,470
Charlotte 21 22 -1 1,125,970 1,290,660
St. Louis 23 23 0 1,099,590 1,239,210
Raleigh-Durham (Fayetvlle) 27 24 3 1,025,320 1,237,230
Indianapolis 25 25 0 1,053,830 1,182,500
Pittsburgh 24 26 -2 1,079,900 1,166,130
San Diego 29 27 2 981,650 1,132,300
Baltimore 26 28 -2 1,039,490 1,129,830
Nashville 28 29 -1 983,180 1,102,340
Salt Lake City 30 30 0 952,470 1,100,260
San Antonio 31 31 0 916,970 1,031,180
Hartford & New Haven 33 32 1 885,890 1,002,710
Columbus, OH 34 33 1 877,490 999,300
Kansas City 32 34 -2 896,850 986,160
Greenvll-Spart-Ashevll-And 38 35 3 787,930 940,000
Cincinnati 37 36 1 828,250 925,900
Milwaukee 35 37 -2 837,300 921,920
Austin 40 38 2 736,770 912,400
West Palm Beach-Ft. Pierce 36 39 -3 828,980 870,720
Las Vegas 39 40 -1 743,220 833,510
Grand Rapids-Kalmzoo-B.Crk 45 41 4 653,100 781,080
Harrisburg-Lncstr-Leb-York 47 42 5 641,660 772,810
Jacksonville 41 43 -2 690,400 756,960
Oklahoma City 43 44 -1 666,690 755,340
Birmingham (Ann and Tusc) 44 45 -1 666,170 730,440
Norfolk-Portsmth-Newpt Nws 42 46 -4 684,310 725,580
Greensboro-H.Point-W.Salem 49 47 2 635,580 717,110
Albuquerque-Santa Fe 46 48 -2 648,350 716,800
Louisville 48 49 -1 636,150 696,070
New Orleans 50 50 0 615,480 663,520
Memphis 51 51 0 580,600 619,610
Providence-New Bedford 56 52 4 543,430 619,140
Buffalo 52 53 -1 576,710 612,780
Ft. Myers-Naples 53 54 -1 564,250 608,640
Fresno-Visalia 55 55 0 550,860 607,200
Richmond-Petersburg 54 56 -2 555,630 585,030
Mobile-Pensacola (Ft Walt) 57 57 0 518,740 584,290
Wilkes Barre-Scranton-Hztn 60 58 2 497,830 571,470
Little Rock-Pine Bluff 62 59 3 472,560 562,060
Albany-Schenectady-Troy 59 60 -1 500,400 556,730
Tulsa 58 61 -3 509,560 552,980
Knoxville 61 62 -1 491,810 535,230
Lexington 64 63 1 425,890 499,880
Tucson (Sierra Vista) 65 64 1 421,820 479,780
Dayton 63 65 -2 445,240 476,790
Spokane 70 66 4 381,590 470,210
Honolulu 66 67 -1 414,130 464,090
Des Moines-Ames 68 68 0 393,470 457,040
Green Bay-Appleton 67 69 -2 394,210 455,560
Wichita-Hutchinson Plus 72 70 2 378,930 447,710
Roanoke-Lynchburg 69 71 -2 384,120 446,270
Omaha 71 72 -1 380,630 439,530
Flint-Saginaw-Bay City 77 73 4 360,530 439,380
Springfield, MO 73 74 -1 373,700 432,370
Charleston-Huntington 74 75 -1 367,290 426,980
Columbia, SC 75 76 -1 365,850 421,760
Rochester, NY 76 77 -1 361,750 412,190
Portland-Auburn 79 78 1 349,470 409,560
Huntsville-Decatur (Flor) 78 79 -1 351,610 409,200
Toledo 80 80 0 347,480 408,590
Madison 81 81 0 343,350 408,570
Colorado Springs-Pueblo 85 82 3 327,530 386,620
Waco-Temple-Bryan 82 83 -1 333,300 383,820
Paducah-Cape Girard-Harsbg 84 84 0 330,920 382,300
Harlingen-Wslco-Brnsvl-McA 83 85 -2 331,520 380,530
Shreveport 86 86 0 321,190 375,420
Syracuse 87 87 0 320,830 373,320
Chattanooga 92 88 4 305,340 373,120
Charleston, SC 91 89 2 309,250 369,800
Champaign&Sprngfld-Decatur 88 90 -2 315,780 365,240
Savannah 89 91 -2 315,400 364,630
Cedar Rapids-Wtrlo-IWC&Dub 90 92 -2 311,260 357,480
El Paso (Las Cruces) 93 93 0 295,070 343,530
Baton Rouge 94 94 0 293,610 335,670
Ft. Smith-Fay-Sprngdl-Rgrs 101 95 6 265,520 327,930
Burlington-Plattsburgh 96 96 0 283,080 326,000
Jackson, MS 95 97 -2 284,110 323,800
South Bend-Elkhart 98 98 0 277,380 320,050
Myrtle Beach-Florence 97 99 -2 277,560 314,030
Tri-Cities, TN-VA 99 100 -1 273,310 312,560
Boise 102 101 1 261,140 311,270
Greenville-N.Bern-Washngtn 100 102 -2 265,820 308,190
Davenport-R.Island-Moline 103 103 0 259,590 298,580
Reno 104 104 0 254,040 293,750
Lincoln & Hastings-Krny 107 105 2 248,550 287,510
Evansville 105 106 -1 250,120 285,880
Johnstown-Altoona-St Colge 106 107 -1 248,880 282,430
Tallahassee-Thomasville 109 108 1 239,650 281,680
Sioux Falls (Mitchell) 113 109 4 229,420 277,210
Tyler-Longview(Lfkn&Ncgd) 114 110 4 223,590 276,520
Ft. Wayne 110 111 -1 238,610 273,680
Augusta-Aiken 108 112 -4 240,270 271,640
Eugene 117 113 4 218,200 263,100
Fargo 116 114 2 218,360 262,440
Lansing 112 115 -3 230,640 262,310
Springfield-Holyoke 111 116 -5 231,600 257,110
Yakima-Pasco-Rchlnd-Knnwck 118 117 1 215,940 256,130
Traverse City-Cadillac 121 118 3 209,210 253,730
Youngstown 115 119 -4 220,670 249,300
Macon 119 120 -1 211,110 243,340
SantaBarbra-SanMar-SanLuOb 126 121 5 195,870 242,220
Lafayette, LA 123 122 1 203,470 237,720
Peoria-Bloomington 120 123 -3 209,320 235,550
Monterey-Salinas 124 124 0 202,080 234,150
Bakersfield 125 125 0 200,460 232,010
Montgomery-Selma 122 126 -4 207,020 228,760
Columbus, GA (Opelika, AL) 130 127 3 183,620 221,700
Wilmington 127 128 -1 189,830 219,160
La Crosse-Eau Claire 129 129 0 185,920 217,880
Corpus Christi 128 130 -2 188,210 210,160
Amarillo 132 131 1 162,010 190,340
Chico-Redding 131 132 -1 171,710 189,580
Columbus-Tupelo-West Point 133 133 0 161,740 184,570
Medford-Klamath Falls 135 134 1 155,130 182,510
Columbia-Jefferson City 137 135 2 154,210 181,120
Wausau-Rhinelander 134 136 -2 158,720 180,920
Salisbury 136 137 -1 154,900 174,080
Odessa-Midland 145 138 7 141,600 173,210
Rockford 138 139 -1 152,400 172,720
Duluth-Superior 139 140 -1 150,930 171,400
Minot-Bsmrck-Dcknsn(Wlstn) 146 141 5 136,930 171,030
Topeka 144 142 2 142,240 170,640
Monroe-El Dorado 140 143 -3 148,210 169,140
Beaumont-Port Arthur 143 144 -1 143,130 168,210
Lubbock 142 145 -3 143,380 167,660
Palm Springs 141 146 -5 147,650 167,650
Anchorage 151 147 4 125,510 158,570
Sioux City 148 148 0 131,210 155,090
Wichita Falls & Lawton 147 149 -2 132,830 153,870
Rochestr-Mason City-Austin 150 150 0 129,600 149,660
Erie 152 151 1 125,340 148,830
Joplin-Pittsburg 153 152 1 121,260 146,870
Panama City 149 153 -4 130,350 145,260
Albany, GA 154 154 0 120,240 142,860
Bangor 159 155 4 111,070 141,120
Terre Haute 160 156 4 110,480 137,190
Biloxi-Gulfport 155 157 -2 116,300 137,020
Idaho Fals-Pocatllo(Jcksn) 162 158 4 101,030 136,150
Sherman-Ada 158 159 -1 112,160 135,390
Gainesville 156 160 -4 114,400 135,120
Missoula 163 161 2 100,830 128,570
Binghamton 161 162 -1 106,510 127,800
Wheeling-Steubenville 157 163 -6 114,140 127,010
Bluefield-Beckley-Oak Hill 166 164 2 98,530 123,020
Abilene-Sweetwater 164 165 -1 100,790 116,310
Yuma-El Centro 165 166 -1 99,710 116,250
Billings 168 167 1 91,950 114,850
Hattiesburg-Laurel 167 168 -1 96,000 108,610
Rapid City 169 169 0 86,610 105,510
Clarksburg-Weston 173 170 3 84,680 103,610
Utica 172 171 1 84,750 102,000
Dothan 171 172 -1 85,140 100,840
Lake Charles 170 173 -3 85,970 100,340
Quincy-Hannibal-Keokuk 174 174 0 84,040 99,840
Jackson, TN 176 175 1 78,940 97,320
Harrisonburg 175 176 -1 84,030 97,020
Charlottesville 182 177 5 70,490 94,530
Elmira (Corning) 178 178 0 72,530 92,150
Bowling Green 177 179 -2 72,620 87,660
Watertown 181 180 1 71,180 85,670
Alexandria, LA 178 181 -3 72,530 85,620
Jonesboro 183 182 1 69,470 84,400
Marquette 180 183 -3 71,920 84,030
Bend, OR 185 184 1 63,720 79,710
Butte-Bozeman 186 185 1 63,320 79,650
Laredo 184 186 -2 65,330 77,640
Grand Junction-Montrose 188 187 1 61,390 74,740
Lafayette, IN 187 188 -1 61,520 74,690
Twin Falls 191 189 2 55,050 69,610
Lima 189 190 -1 56,850 67,390
Meridian 190 191 -1 56,790 64,050
Great Falls 192 192 0 53,210 64,020
Eureka 197 193 4 47,550 61,330
Parkersburg 193 194 -1 51,240 60,750
Cheyenne-Scottsbluff 196 195 1 48,930 60,470
Greenwood-Greenville 194 196 -2 50,270 58,830
San Angelo 195 197 -2 50,220 58,000
Casper-Riverton 199 198 1 43,760 55,770
Mankato 198 199 -1 46,920 54,290
Ottumwa-Kirksville 201 200 1 37,440 46,870
St. Joseph 200 201 -1 38,780 45,070
Fairbanks 203 202 1 27,970 36,800
Zanesville 204 203 1 27,650 33,580
Victoria 202 204 -2 28,500 33,490
Helena 205 205 0 25,720 31,090
Presque Isle 206 206 0 22,340 27,140
Juneau 207 207 0 18,730 26,160
Alpena 208 208 0 14,280 16,450
North Platte 209 209 0 12,010 14,630
Glendive 210 210 0 3,630 3,900

Do you want to more accurately target regional campaigns across multiple markets?

Updated 2021 Nielsen DMA Rankings Reflect the Effects of COVID-19

COVID-19 and the resulting pandemic have impacted every business throughout the United States and the world. From the early lock-downs in the spring to record-high COVID cases just before the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, viewing and listening habits changed — family-by-family and market-by-market.

COVID-19 increased media consumption for several reasons — 1) people wanted news about COVID, 2) viewers and listeners wanted to know specifics about COVID outbreaks within their community, and 3) people were hungry for entertainment while self-isolating.

But one fact remains clear, the number of TV households increased regardless of the market.

According to the Nielsen DMA Ranks 2021, the Top Five markets remained unchanged.

  1. New York, with 7,452,620 TV homes – 6.162% of the US.
  2. Los Angeles, with 5,735,230 TV homes – 4.742% of the US.
  3. Chicago, with 3,471,560 TV homes – 2.870% of the US.
  4. Philadelphia, with 2,997,360 TV homes – 2.478% of the US.
  5. Dallas-Ft. Worth, with 2,962,520 TV homes – 2.444% of the US.

But there was movement--up and down movement among the Top 10 in the Nielsen DMA rankings:

  • Atlanta moved up 3 notches, from #10 to #7 – with 2,648,970 TV homes, up over 375,000
  • Washington, DC declined by 2 notches, from #7 to #9 – even though their TV homes increased by 213,650
  • Boston also declined, from #9 to #10 – although their TV homes increased by 180,940

San Francisco-Oak-San Jose remained #6, and Houston remained #8.

How do the Nielsen DMA rankings help PR firms?

A crucial goal for every public relations firm is to ensure that clients’ messaging reaches the maximum targeted audience and is cost-efficient. Broadcast is a critical part of every PR firm’s arsenal of media options. The Nielsen DMA rankings report is the “holy grail” for public relations professionals.

Broadcast, both television and radio, remains a cornerstone of most marketing campaigns. Nielsen provides accurate, reliable audience measurements in all 210 demographic market areas in the United States. The Nielsen DMA rankings provide targeting and distribution guidance. Whether you are planning paid or earned media, the Nielsen rankings offer information to ensure that your client’s message reaches the intended audience.

When you have a national communications campaign targeted across multiple markets, the importance of understanding the depth of information contained in the Nielsen DMA Rankings 2021 may be crucial for your campaign’s success. Sometimes, a DMA is composed of several cities, such as Minneapolis-St. Paul or Albuquerque-Santa Fe. Nielsen’s DMA integrates residents’ listening and viewing preferences into a specific, defined region (DMA).

As digital and streaming devices increase, it’s critical to consider and include newer listeners who access a New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago station from a distant location. An understanding of a DMA’s demographics strengthens your outreach, helping ensure high-quality, targeted leads.

Why work with MediaTracks?

MediaTracks has provided services to public relations firms since 1989. We help public relations specialists, like you, utilize Nielsen’s DMA rankings to assure that your message hits the mark for your clients.

Call us today at 847-299-9500 or email us at [email protected] to learn more about utilizing the Nielsen DMA Rankings in 2021.

 

Source: https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/solutions/measurement/television/

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