Largest city   Dallas Other cities Fort Worth   Arlington   Plano   Denton Population Ranked 4th in the U.S.   Total6,300,006 (2008 est.)[1]   Density 634/sq. mi.   24,059 km² Area 9,286 sq. mi.   24,059 km² State(s) Texas Elevation  Highest point1,368 feet (417 m)     Lowest point295 feet (< 90 m)

The Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area, a title designated by the U.S. Census as of 2003, encompasses 12 counties within the U.S. state of Texas. The Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area, a title designated by the U.S. Census as of 2003, encompasses 12 counties within the U.S. state of Texas. The metropolitan area is further divided into two metropolitan divisions: Dallas–Plano–Irving and Fort Worth–Arlington. Residents of the area informally refer to it as the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, or simply The Metroplex (the term was originally invented to refer to Dallas/Fort Worth), which is the economic and cultural hub of the region commonly called North Texas or North Central Texas.   According to the U.S. Census Bureau's July 1, 2008 estimate, the metropolitan area has a population of 6,300,006. According to the North Central Texas Council of Governments, the metroplex has a population near 6,538,850. The Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington MSA is the largest metropolitan area in Texas and the fourth-largest in the United States. The metroplex also encompasses 9,286 square miles (24,100 km2) of total area: 8,991 sq mi (23,290 km2) is land, while 295 sq mi (760 km2) is water, making it larger in area than the U.S. states of Rhode Island and Connecticut combined. It is also the 4th largest metropolitan area by population and gross metropolitan product (GMP) in the United States, and approximately tenth largest by GMP in the world.