Great Lakes Megalopolis
Rank Area State/ Province CSA/CMA 2009 population Projected 2025 population Projected increase 2009-2025 Projected% increase 2009-2025
1 Chicago Illinois Indiana Wisconsin 9,804,845 10,216,648 411,803 4.2
2 Toronto Ontario 5,541,400 6,682,061 1,140,661 20.5
3 Detroit Michigan 5,318,744 5,583,400 264,656 5.0
4 Montreal Quebec 3,859,300 4,246,931 387,631 10.1
5 Minneapolis - Saint Paul Minnesota Wisconsin 3,604,460 4,031,000 426,540 11.8
6 Cleveland - Akron - Canton Ohio 3,515,646 3,469,943 -45,703 -1.3
7 St. Louis Missouri Illinois 2,892,874 3,049,000 156,126 5.4
8 Pittsburgh Pennsylvania 2,445,117 2,868,818 367,299 15.0
9 Indianapolis Indiana 2,386,199 2,779,921 393,722 16.5
10 Cincinnati Ohio Kentucky Indiana 2,214,954 2,448,000 233,046 10.5
11 Kansas City Missouri Kansas 2,038,724 2,293,564 254,840 12.5
12 Columbus Ohio 2,031,229 2,446,450 415,221 20.4
13 Milwaukee Wisconsin 2,025,898 2,129,949 103,706 5.1
14 Ottawa - Gatineau Ontario Quebec 1,451,415 1,596,556 145,141 10.0
15 Louisville Kentucky Indiana 1,395,634 1,602,456 206,822 14.8
16 Grand Rapids Michigan 1,327,366 1,530,000 202,634 15.3
17 Buffalo New York 1,203,493 1,251,633 48,140 6
18 Rochester New York 1,149,653 1,133,558 -16,095 -1.4
19 Dayton Ohio 1,066,261 1,066,261 0 0
20 Hamilton Ontario 740,200 954,858 214,658 29.1
Selected American and Canadian population centers
The Great Lakes Megalopolis consists of the group of metropolitan areas in North America largely in the Great Lakes region and along the Saint Lawrence Seaway. It extends from the Midwestern United States in the south and west to western Pennsylvania and Upstate New York in the east and northward through Southern Ontario into southwestern Quebec in Canada. It is the most populated and largest megalopolis in North America. At its most inclusive, in the United States the region cuts a wide swath from the Twin Cities in Minnesota to Rochester, New York, while on the Canadian side, it extends northeast to Quebec City. Further south, the region is commonly considered to include Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Louisville and Columbus, Ohio. Within the broad region, there is a core area that includes Chicago, Milwaukee, Grand Rapids, South Bend, Detroit, Cleveland, Toledo, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Rochester, and Windsor to Toronto. The total region, extending from Minneapolis to Chicago to Quebec City had an estimated population of 59,144,461 as of 2011, making it the most populous megalopolis on the continent. It is projected to reach a population of approximately 65 million by 2025.