Metro Index
Every metro on Earth, scored on sixteen weighted dimensions.
Data as of
4,315 metros · 239 countries · source: the MetroAreas workbook
- 4,315Metrosevery one ranked
- 239Countriesacross 11 regions
- 4.16 billionPeoplecombined metro population
- 78%Scored above zerothe rest have no recorded assets
What it is for
The question this dataset answers, and the pages built from it.
To compare any two metros on one scale of what each has built: people, money, teams, culture, universities, transit, connectivity and towers. It is the spine the rest of the site hangs on: country, team, music and film pages all read a metro's score from it.
Each metro's score is the sum of sixteen weighted terms: population, market capitalisation, major and minor league teams, cultural and civic assets, universities and research institutions, metro and suburban rail, intercity hubs, GaWC connectivity, skyscrapers, airports, major sporting and cultural events, and Michelin and luxury hospitality.
On the site:Metro Power RankingsCompare metrosCountries
Coverage
Counted from the data as of 10 Oct 2026.
| Measure | Count |
|---|---|
| Metros ranked | 4,315 |
| Countries | 239 |
| World regions | 11 |
| Continents | 6 |
| Combined population | 4.16 billion |
| Metros with a score above zero | 3,369 (78%) |
| Metros with a listed company | 571 (13%) |
| Metros with a major-league team | 688 (16%) |
Data dictionary
Every field the public pages show: its key in the data, what it means, its unit and how often it is filled.
How filled is counted
Filled is the share of rows that carry a value for the field. For counts and money a second line gives the share that is not zero, because a zero there means none recorded rather than a missing value. A share never rounds up to 100% unless every row is filled.
| Field | Meaning | Unit | Filled |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rankrankposition | Position on the board by score; 1 is the highest. | position | 100%of 4,315 metros |
| Metro areanametext | The metro's name on the site. | text | 100%of 4,315 metros |
| Scorescorepoints | The composite Metro Power score: the sum of the sixteen weighted dimension terms. | points | 100%of 4,315 metros |
| Populationpoppeople | Metro population, from the curated workbook. | people | 100%of 4,315 metros |
| GDPgdpUS$ billions | Metro gross domestic product. | US$ billions | 100%non-zero 20%of 4,315 metros |
| Market capmarketCapUS$ | Combined market capitalisation of listed companies headquartered in the metro. | US$ | 100%non-zero 13%of 4,315 metros |
| Companiescompaniescount | Listed companies headquartered in the metro. | count | 100%non-zero 13%of 4,315 metros |
| TeamsmajorTeamscount | Major professional sports teams. | count | 100%non-zero 16%of 4,315 metros |
| Towersskyscraperscount | Skyscrapers in the metro. | count | 100%non-zero 8%of 4,315 metros |
| StationsmetroStationscount | Metro (rapid transit) stations. | count | 100%non-zero 6%of 4,315 metros |
| Universitiesuniversitiescount | Ranked universities in the metro. | count | 100%non-zero 22%of 4,315 metros |
| Countrycountrytext | The country the metro is filed under. | text | 100%of 4,315 metros |
| Regionregiontext | The site's world region, used by the regional filters. | text | 100%of 4,315 metros |
| Continentcontinenttext | The continent of the metro's country. | text | 100%of 4,315 metros |
| Primary cityprimaryCitytext | The metro's principal city. | text | 100%of 4,315 metros |
| State or provinceprimaryStatetext | The first-level division of the principal city. | text | 100%of 4,315 metros |
| Latitudelatdegrees | Where the metro's marker sits on the map. | degrees | 100%of 4,315 metros |
| Longitudelondegrees | Where the metro's marker sits on the map. | degrees | 100%of 4,315 metros |
Method
The short version; the full method lives on the pages linked below.
ReviewedThe same hand-curated composite as the rankings, checked by hand against its sources. About the tiers
- Every metro is scored on sixteen dimensions, each weighted by an editorial judgment the methodology page sets out one by one.
- Metro boundaries follow the site's own municipality hierarchy, not any single national statistical definition.
- Metros with no recorded assets tie on a score of zero.
Full method:The sixteen dimensionsTiersAdjustmentsLimitations
Changelog
Release notes that mention this dataset, from the public log at /updates.
- Also shipped: cricket and rugby union Greatest Games, a daily Live Charts hub, a new Geography hub at /geography, and a rebuilt directory-forward homepage with the metro rankings now at /rankings.
- Every metro page now lists its most similar metros by overall profile across the 16 dimensions, with a Stands out for line flagging the dimensions where it most leads the field.
- Metro pages get a compact Dimension Breakdown (16 dimensions with global rank, replacing Key Statistics), refreshed rankings from the latest workbook, and updated top-team picks (LA now Lakers and Dodgers).
- Companion essay The Global Metro Power Rankings Site Is Live published on Substack, announcing the launch.
- Initial release: 4,200+ metros, 16 dimensions, ranked by composite score.
- Inaugural essay The Global Metro Power Rankings: Measuring What Makes a City Matter published on Substack, introducing the dimension-based composite framework one day before the site went live.
Sources
- The MetroAreas workbook, curated by hand from primary sources
- CWUR university rankings
- GaWC world city connectivity
- CTBUH skyscraper data
- UEFA, TEA/AECOM and the Michelin Guide
- CompaniesMarketCap, for company market capitalisation
Rights and reuse
Our own composite. The files below are the ones the site already serves; the source datasets behind them stay with their owners and are not redistributed.
The composite ranking, scores and methodology are released under CC BY 4.0. The third-party source data behind them stays with its owners and is not redistributed. CC BY 4.0
Files
- Every metro, ranked · JSON, one row per metro, the fields in the dictionary
- Regional summaries · JSON, one row per world region