Springfield metropolitan area, Missouri

The Springfield, Missouri, metropolitan area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of five counties in southwestern Missouri, anchored by the city of Springfield, the state's third largest city.[2] Other primary population centers in the metro area include Nixa, Ozark, Republic, Bolivar, Marshfield and Willard. Currently, the city limits of Springfield reach the Nixa, and Ozark city limits at the Christian County line on US 160, and US 65 respectively, the city limits of Republic at James River Freeway on the southwest side of the city, and the Strafford city limits on Route 744 on the northeast side of the city.

Springfield metropolitan area, Missouri
Springfield, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area
Map
Interactive Map of Springfield, MO MSA
Coordinates: 37°21′42″N 93°10′37″W / 37.3617°N 93.1769°W / 37.3617; -93.1769
Country United States
State Missouri
Principal citySpringfield
Other citiesBattlefield
Nixa
Ozark
Republic
Marshfield
Bolivar
Willard
Area
 • Total3,021 sq mi (7,820 km2)
Population
 (2020 census)
 • Total475,432
 • Rank117th in the U.S.
GDP
 • Total$26.687 billion (2022)
Time zoneUTC−7 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−6 (CDT)
Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1960126,274
1970152,92921.1%
1980207,70435.8%
1990240,59315.8%
2000368,37453.1%
2010436,71218.6%
2020475,4328.9%
[1]

As of the 2020 census, the MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area) had a population of 475,432 and was the fastest growing metro area in the state of Missouri.[3] The area is home to several centers for higher education, including Missouri State University, Drury University and Southwest Baptist University. The Springfield region serves as the headquarters for various companies and organizations, including Bass Pro Shops, BKD, LLP, O'Reilly Auto Parts, Jack Henry & Associates, Andy's Frozen Custard and CoxHealth, and also serves as an important location for JPMorgan Chase,[4] Expedia and American Airlines.[5] As of 2019, the Springfield metro had a GDP of US$20.8 billion, the third largest in Missouri.[6]

Counties

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Springfield Metropolitan Statistical Area
County 2023 Census Estimate 2020 Census 2010 Census Change
Greene County 304,611 298,915 275,174 +8.63%
Christian County 94,422 88,842 77,422 +14.75%
Webster County 41,472 39,085 36,202 +7.96%
Polk County 32,780 31,519 31,137 +1.23%
Dallas County 17,768 17,071 16,777 +1.75%
Total 491,053 475,432 436,712 +8.87%

Communities

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Anchor cities

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Places with 5,000 to 20,000 inhabitants

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Places with 1,000 to 5,000 inhabitants

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Places with 500 to 1,000 inhabitants

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Places with less than 500 inhabitants

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Unincorporated places

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Satellite view of Springfield

School systems

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Economy

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Springfield is the headquarters for O'Reilly Auto Parts, the only Fortune 500 company based in the region.[7] It also houses the headquarters for Bass Pro Shops, CoxHealth, Andy's Frozen Custard, BKD, LLP and Jack Henry & Associates. The Springfield–Branson National Airport serves as a base for American Airlines and Envoy Air as the airline utilizes the airport as a maintenance base.[8] Springfield is also an important region for call centers, with Expedia, Chase and AT&T maintaining call centers in the city.[9]

Media

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Springfield serves as the center of the Springfield media market, the 75th largest media market in the country ranked amongst Omaha, Nebraska and Rochester, New York.[10] There are nearly 430,000 television owning homes and a total population of 1,065,000 people.[11]

Print

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The main newspaper for the area is the Springfield News-Leader. The area is also served by the Springfield Business Journal and 417 magazine as well as its specialized magazines including 417 Biz.

Surrounding areas are served by their own newspapers as well, Christian County communities are served by Headliner News,[12] Marshfield by The Marshfield Mail,[13] and Bolivar by the Herald Free-Press.[14]

Broadcast

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Television stations in the Springfield metro area include:

Education

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Secondary

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Central High School in Springfield

Springfield Public Schools is the largest fully accredited school district in the State of Missouri with nearly 25,000 students and a graduation rate of roughly 88%.[15] Nixa Public Schools, located just south of Springfield, is a growing district of 6,000 students that frequently ranks above the national average in ACT scores and has for the last ten years earned the highest state recognition for academic achievement given in Missouri.[16] Other growing districts in the area are located in the cities of Ozark, Republic, Strafford, and Marshfield. Private schools in the area include the Greenwood Laboratory School in Springfield, located on the Missouri State campus, and the Summit Preparatory School, located near James River Freeway in Chesterfield Village.

 
Meyer Library at Missouri State University Campus

There are also several private religious schools in the area, including Springfield Catholic and Springfield Lutheran.[17]

Colleges and universities

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Missouri State University in Springfield is the second largest university in the state with roughly 23,697 in 2019. Other universities in Springfield include Drury University, a private liberal arts college with more than 1,000 students, and OTC with approximately 11,000 students, where students can earn a one-year certificate or a two-year associate degree. Evangel University is located in town and it is a private Christian University.

Transportation

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Principal Highways

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Allegiant Air flight departing from Springfield

The area is served by Springfield-Branson National Airport which has direct flights on Delta, United, American and Allegiant to thirteen cities across the United States, including hubs such as Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, Charlotte and Houston, among others. With over one million passengers per year prior to the COVID-19 pandemic,[18] it is one of the fastest growing airports of its size in the country.[19] A new terminal was opened at the airport in 2007 with 10 gates, expandable to 60, and runways can accommodate the Boeing 747 and large military aircraft.

Springfield has a secondary, smaller airport, Downtown Airport which is not served by any passenger airlines and is used mostly by smaller general aviation airplanes.

Public transportation

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Public transportation in the metropolitan area is focused primarily in Springfield. City Utilities of Springfield operates Springfield Transit Services, operating many buses on several different routes throughout the city, and bus service is available 365 days per year with less frequent weekend, holiday and evening routes.

Greenways

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The area has a growing number of Greenway trails, 70 miles (112 km) run through parks and green areas, while 81 miles (130 km) are located on city streets.[20] Such routes include The Link, which runs on local roads through the city of Springfield, and the Trail of Tears Link, while the Frisco Link connects Springfield with Bolivar to the north.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Total Gross Domestic Product for Springfield, MO (MSA)". Federal Reserve Economic Data. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
  2. ^ "OMB Bulletin No. 18-04: Update of Statistical Area Definitions and Guidance on Their Uses" (PDF). United States Office of Management and Budget. September 14, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  3. ^ Riley, Claudette. "Springfield is fastest-growing metro area in Missouri — even outpacing Kansas City — according to a report". Springfield News-Leader. Retrieved 2021-12-09.
  4. ^ "Chase plans 300 more hires on 20th anniversary in Springfield". Springfield Business Journal. 8 January 2018. Retrieved 2021-12-09.
  5. ^ "$11M airport project to expand American operations". Springfield Business Journal. 3 February 2021. Retrieved 2021-12-09.
  6. ^ "Metropolitan Gross Domestic Product Data Series | Missouri Economic Research and Information Center". meric.mo.gov. Retrieved 2021-12-09.
  7. ^ "O'Reilly Auto climbs 46 spots on Fortune 500". Springfield Business Journal. 3 June 2021. Retrieved 2021-12-30.
  8. ^ Taylor, Abbey (14 December 2021). "Springfield-Branson National Airport opens new maintenance hangar for Envoy Air". ky3.com. Retrieved 2021-12-30.
  9. ^ Partnership (SREP), Springfield Regional Economic. "Call Centers & Back Office". Springfield Regional Economic Partnership. Retrieved 2021-12-30.
  10. ^ "Springfield DMA Map 2021". Media Market Map. 2021-09-28. Retrieved 2021-12-14.
  11. ^ "TRUCK ADS | Springfield Designated Market Map | ADMAP | Truckside Ads". www.truckads.com. Retrieved 2021-12-14.
  12. ^ "Christian County Headliner News". ccheadliner.com. Retrieved 2021-12-14.
  13. ^ "Marshfield Mail". marshfieldmail.com. Retrieved 2021-12-14.
  14. ^ "Bolivar Herald Free-Press". bolivarmonews.com. Retrieved 2021-12-14.
  15. ^ http://www.springfieldpublicschoolsmo.org/pages/SPSMO/DistrictInfo/Quality_Improvement___Accounta/QIA_Links/Demographic_Data
  16. ^ "Nixa Area Chamber". www.nixachamber.com. Archived from the original on 16 February 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  17. ^ Departika, Creativore. "Live in Springfield Missouri - Private K-12". www.liveinspringfieldmo.com. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  18. ^ Simmons, Linda (Dec 6, 2018). "Springfield-Branson National Airport tops 1 million passengers for 2018". Retrieved Dec 9, 2021.
  19. ^ Wood, Emily; Leimkuhler, Tim (25 May 2017). "Springfield - Branson National Airport likely will reach 1 million passengers in 2017". ky3.com. Archived from the original on 31 May 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  20. ^ "Ozark Greenways, Inc. - American Trails". www.americantrails.org. Retrieved 2021-12-09.