Nielsen DMA 2021 Rankings | MediaTracks Communications

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

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.

New York, with 7,452,620 TV homes – 6.162% of the US.
Los Angeles, with 5,735,230 TV homes – 4.742% of the US.
Chicago, with 3,471,560 TV homes – 2.870% of the US.
Philadelphia, with 2,997,360 TV homes – 2.478% of the US.
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/