The figures suggest that the rapidly growing Texas metropolis, known as the Metroplex, passed us about two years ago and now outnumbers us by about 177,000.
You wouldn't know that, though, from the annual Greater Philadelphia Regional Report put out last month by Select Greater Philadelphia, which promotes the region as a place to do business. Although using the new census numbers, Select still listed this area as the nation's fourth biggest.
That's because the group's definition of the region differs from the Census Bureau's, with Select including the Trenton area and excluding Cecil County, Md. Based on those parameters, the region remains a tad more populous than Dallas-Fort Worth.
"We consider Greater Philadelphia to include the 11 counties that we think represent the natural economy of the region," said Nicole Blatcher, Select Greater Philadelphia's director of public relations.
So does ranking a bit lower in population reduce the region's importance nationally?
"We're big enough that we're always going to matter, and we remain part of the nation's largest mega-region," said Steven T. Wray, executive director of the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia. "The question is: What are we doing with what we have? Big isn't everything."
One population category in which the Philadelphia area still can claim fourth place, at least for now, is as a media market.
According to Nielsen Media Research, we trail only New York, Los Angeles and Chicago in total potential viewers within range of our local television stations. By the way, Dallas ranks sixth on that score, Phoenix 13th.
As for the Philadelphia-Phoenix comparison, census estimates out yesterday show Phoenix with nearly 65,000 more residents than Philadelphia as of July 1, 2006.
Past census numbers, newly revised, indicate that Phoenix assumed the head-count lead sometime early in 2005, if you believe the estimates.
