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TV Ratings Reference

Nielsen Local Television Market Universe Estimates For 2012-13

Categories: TV Ratings Reference

Written By

August 31st, 2012

Here are the latest local television market estimates from Nielsen for the 2012-13 broadcast season that begins on September 24, 2012.

Note that for the second year in a row the total TV households in the US are down, from 114.6 million households in 2011-12 to 114.2 million households in 2012-13.


Rank Local Market  TV Homes % of US
1 New York  7,384,340 6.47%
2 Los Angeles  5,613,460 4.92%
3 Chicago  3,484,800 3.05%
4 Philadelphia  2,949,310 2.58%
5 Dallas-Ft. Worth  2,588,020 2.27%
6 San Francisco-Oak-San Jose  2,502,030 2.19%
7 Boston (Manchester)  2,366,690 2.07%
8 Washington, DC (Hagrstwn)  2,359,160 2.07%
9 Atlanta  2,326,840 2.04%
10 Houston  2,215,650 1.94%
11 Detroit  1,845,920 1.62%
12 Seattle-Tacoma  1,818,900 1.59%
13 Phoenix (Prescott)  1,812,040 1.59%
14 Tampa-St. Pete (Sarasota)  1,806,560 1.58%
15 Minneapolis-St. Paul  1,728,050 1.51%
16 Miami-Ft. Lauderdale  1,621,130 1.42%
17 Denver  1,566,460 1.37%
18 Cleveland-Akron (Canton)  1,485,140 1.30%
19 Orlando-Daytona Bch-Melbrn  1,453,170 1.27%
20 Sacramnto-Stkton-Modesto  1,387,710 1.22%
21 St. Louis  1,243,490 1.09%
22 Portland, OR  1,182,180 1.04%
23 Pittsburgh  1,165,740 1.02%
24 Raleigh-Durham (Fayetvlle)  1,150,350 1.01%
25 Charlotte  1,136,420 1.00%
26 Indianapolis  1,089,700 0.95%
27 Baltimore  1,085,070 0.95%
28 San Diego  1,075,120 0.94%
29 Nashville  1,014,910 0.89%
30 Hartford & New Haven  996,550 0.87%
31 Kansas City  931,320 0.82%
32 Columbus, OH  930,460 0.81%
33 Salt Lake City  917,370 0.80%
34 Milwaukee  902,190 0.79%
35 Cincinnati  897,890 0.79%
36 San Antonio  881,050 0.77%
37 Greenvll-Spart-Ashevll-And  846,030 0.74%
38 West Palm Beach-Ft. Pierce  794,310 0.70%
39 Grand Rapids-Kalmzoo-B.Crk  720,150 0.63%
40 Las Vegas  718,990 0.63%
41 Oklahoma City  718,770 0.63%
42 Birmingham (Ann and Tusc)  717,530 0.63%
43 Harrisburg-Lncstr-Leb-York  716,990 0.63%
44 Norfolk-Portsmth-Newpt Nws  709,730 0.62%
45 Austin  705,280 0.62%
46 Greensboro-H.Point-W.Salem  695,100 0.61%
47 Albuquerque-Santa Fe  691,450 0.61%
48 Louisville  670,880 0.59%
49 Memphis  662,830 0.58%
50 Jacksonville  659,170 0.58%
51 New Orleans  641,550 0.56%
52 Buffalo  632,150 0.55%
53 Providence-New Bedford  606,400 0.53%
54 Wilkes Barre-Scranton-Hztn  581,020 0.51%
55 Fresno-Visalia  576,820 0.51%
56 Little Rock-Pine Bluff  561,760 0.49%
57 Richmond-Petersburg  553,390 0.48%
58 Albany-Schenectady-Troy  540,050 0.47%
59 Tulsa  526,960 0.46%
60 Mobile-Pensacola (Ft Walt)  525,990 0.46%
61 Knoxville  520,890 0.46%
62 Ft. Myers-Naples  502,050 0.44%
63 Dayton  498,270 0.44%
64 Lexington  485,630 0.43%
65 Charleston-Huntington  455,490 0.40%
66 Wichita-Hutchinson Plus  450,300 0.39%
67 Flint-Saginaw-Bay City  446,010 0.39%
68 Roanoke-Lynchburg  445,470 0.39%
69 Green Bay-Appleton  441,800 0.39%
70 Tucson (Sierra Vista)  438,440 0.38%
71 Honolulu  437,790 0.38%
72 Des Moines-Ames  427,860 0.37%
73 Spokane  420,640 0.37%
74 Springfield, MO  414,570 0.36%
75 Omaha  414,060 0.36%
76 Toledo  409,550 0.36%
77 Columbia, SC  398,510 0.35%
78 Rochester, NY  395,680 0.35%
79 Huntsville-Decatur (Flor)  390,590 0.34%
80 Portland-Auburn  389,530 0.34%
81 Paducah-Cape Girard-Harsbg  388,340 0.34%
82 Shreveport  384,410 0.34%
83 Champaign&Sprngfld-Decatur  378,720 0.33%
84 Syracuse  377,550 0.33%
85 Madison  376,670 0.33%
86 Harlingen-Wslco-Brnsvl-McA  364,160 0.32%
87 Chattanooga  353,710 0.31%
88 Waco-Temple-Bryan  349,540 0.31%
89 Colorado Springs-Pueblo  343,990 0.30%
90 Cedar Rapids-Wtrlo-IWC&Dub  342,610 0.30%
91 El Paso (Las Cruces)  339,130 0.30%
92 Savannah  334,750 0.29%
93 Jackson, MS  331,500 0.29%
94 Baton Rouge  329,620 0.29%
95 South Bend-Elkhart  319,860 0.28%
96 Tri-Cities, TN-VA  319,060 0.28%
97 Burlington-Plattsburgh  316,910 0.28%
98 Charleston, SC  316,080 0.28%
99 Davenport-R.Island-Moline  303,800 0.27%
100 Greenville-N.Bern-Washngtn  303,280 0.27%
101 Ft. Smith-Fay-Sprngdl-Rgrs  297,590 0.26%
102 Johnstown-Altoona-St Colge  288,100 0.25%
103 Myrtle Beach-Florence  285,550 0.25%
104 Evansville  284,040 0.25%
105 Lincoln & Hastings-Krny  276,790 0.24%
106 Tallahassee-Thomasville  273,120 0.24%
107 Tyler-Longview(Lfkn&Ncgd)  268,150 0.23%
108 Reno  265,600 0.23%
109 Ft. Wayne  265,390 0.23%
110 Youngstown  260,000 0.23%
111 Boise  259,090 0.23%
112 Sioux Falls(Mitchell)  258,460 0.23%
113 Augusta-Aiken  257,730 0.23%
114 Springfield-Holyoke  252,950 0.22%
115 Lansing  251,140 0.22%
116 Peoria-Bloomington  244,050 0.21%
117 Fargo-Valley City  243,890 0.21%
118 Montgomery-Selma  241,930 0.21%
119 Traverse City-Cadillac  241,800 0.21%
120 Macon  241,170 0.21%
121 Eugene  235,570 0.21%
122 SantaBarbra-SanMar-SanLuOb  231,950 0.20%
122 Yakima-Pasco-Rchlnd-Knnwck  231,950 0.20%
124 Lafayette, LA  229,320 0.20%
125 Monterey-Salinas  224,240 0.20%
126 Bakersfield  221,740 0.19%
127 Columbus, GA (Opelika, AL)  216,920 0.19%
128 La Crosse-Eau Claire  211,670 0.19%
129 Corpus Christi  203,730 0.18%
130 Amarillo  197,110 0.17%
131 Chico-Redding  191,500 0.17%
132 Wilmington  188,420 0.17%
133 Columbus-Tupelo-W Pnt-Hstn  184,990 0.16%
134 Wausau-Rhinelander  179,450 0.16%
135 Rockford  179,240 0.16%
136 Topeka  176,160 0.15%
137 Monroe-El Dorado  175,960 0.15%
138 Columbia-Jefferson City  173,640 0.15%
139 Duluth-Superior  169,610 0.15%
140 Medford-Klamath Falls  167,820 0.15%
141 Beaumont-Port Arthur  167,110 0.15%
142 Lubbock  159,840 0.14%
143 Wichita Falls & Lawton  158,500 0.14%
144 Salisbury  157,830 0.14%
145 Anchorage  156,280 0.14%
146 Erie  155,190 0.14%
147 Sioux City  154,830 0.14%
148 Palm Springs  154,560 0.14%
149 Joplin-Pittsburg  151,200 0.13%
150 Albany, GA  150,110 0.13%
151 Minot-Bsmrck-Dcknsn(Wlstn)  150,000 0.13%
152 Odessa-Midland  147,730 0.13%
153 Rochestr-Mason City-Austin  143,330 0.13%
154 Terre Haute  139,600 0.12%
155 Bangor  138,040 0.12%
156 Bluefield-Beckley-Oak Hill  134,410 0.12%
157 Binghamton  133,420 0.12%
158 Wheeling-Steubenville  130,110 0.11%
159 Panama City  129,390 0.11%
160 Biloxi-Gulfport  128,300 0.11%
161 Sherman-Ada  126,930 0.11%
162 Idaho Fals-Pocatllo(Jcksn)  125,710 0.11%
163 Gainesville  123,430 0.11%
164 Abilene-Sweetwater  114,080 0.10%
165 Yuma-El Centro  113,230 0.10%
166 Missoula  113,010 0.10%
167 Hattiesburg-Laurel  109,950 0.10%
168 Billings  109,730 0.10%
169 Dothan  107,110 0.09%
170 Clarksburg-Weston  106,480 0.09%
171 Quincy-Hannibal-Keokuk  103,520 0.09%
172 Utica  102,890 0.09%
173 Rapid City  98,020 0.09%
174 Elmira (Corning)  95,530 0.08%
175 Lake Charles  94,610 0.08%
176 Jackson, TN  93,090 0.08%
177 Watertown  92,590 0.08%
178 Harrisonburg  90,260 0.08%
179 Alexandria, LA  89,280 0.08%
180 Marquette  84,640 0.07%
181 Jonesboro  80,740 0.07%
182 Bowling Green  78,780 0.07%
183 Charlottesville  74,340 0.07%
184 Laredo  72,590 0.06%
185 Grand Junction-Montrose  70,580 0.06%
186 Meridian  68,860 0.06%
187 Butte-Bozeman  67,180 0.06%
188 Greenwood-Greenville  66,410 0.06%
189 Lafayette, IN  66,240 0.06%
190 Great Falls  65,930 0.06%
191 Twin Falls  64,100 0.06%
192 Bend, OR  62,950 0.06%
193 Parkersburg  62,620 0.05%
194 Eureka  59,610 0.05%
195 Cheyenne-Scottsbluff  56,350 0.05%
196 San Angelo  55,820 0.05%
197 Casper-Riverton  55,270 0.05%
198 Mankato  52,530 0.05%
199 Lima  51,240 0.04%
200 Ottumwa-Kirksville  46,730 0.04%
201 St. Joseph  46,180 0.04%
202 Fairbanks  37,920 0.03%
203 Zanesville  32,940 0.03%
204 Victoria  31,560 0.03%
205 Presque Isle  29,250 0.03%
206 Helena  28,260 0.02%
207 Juneau  26,320 0.02%
208 Alpena  16,910 0.01%
209 North Platte  14,720 0.01%
210 Glendive  4,050 0.00%
NSI Total U.S.  114,173,690 100.00%

-

Copyright © 2012 The Nielsen Company
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(14) Comments - Add Yours!

  1. battye
    Posted August 31, 2012 at 10:12 PM

    I thought you had been saying that TV viewing has been going up but for only broadcast networks it has been going down?

    Is TV viewing a separate measure to the number TV households?

  2. Nick
    Posted August 31, 2012 at 10:12 PM

    Thanks! I love these things.

    New York beats you all. Hah!!

  3. Nick
    Posted August 31, 2012 at 10:15 PM

    @battye.

    TV households are people that have registered cable boxes/satelite dishes in their homes. TV viewers are the number of people who actually watch their TV.

  4. Oliver
    Posted August 31, 2012 at 10:50 PM

    Nielsen reported the number of households with a television fell this year, as did the number of viewers (albeit to a lesser extent). Time watching television also fell slightly. (Source: http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/03/nielsen-reports-a-decline-in-television-viewing/ )

    This represents a rounding error to the major networks ratings, with the real cause of attrition being down to cable.

    Consider that typically ratings are reported in terms of percentages rather than absolute figures. The underlying HH/viewers falling will have no effect when comparing percentages year-on-year, and it’s those percentages which are falling season-to-season for the broadcast networks.

  5. Bill Gorman
    Posted August 31, 2012 at 10:55 PM

    “TV households are people that have registered cable boxes/satelite dishes in their homes. TV viewers are the number of people who actually watch their TV.”

    Not exactly.

    TV households are households with a television that can be watched. Cable, satellite, over the air, whatever. That’s what this list is about.

    The number of TV households in the US has declined slightly in the past 2 years after rising pretty much forever. Some say “cord cutting” some say “economic downturn” limiting household formation, spending on TV subscriptions. Nobody really has good data on the “why” though.

    TV ratings measure the actual viewing of television programs by people.

    Overall TV viewing has been flat to slightly up for a very long time. Here’s some reasonably current aggregate numbers. You’re correct though, the general trend is broadcast losing viewers to cable.

  6. Mark
    Posted August 31, 2012 at 11:57 PM

    Its because streaming is slowing on the up take.. The of television is starting to come to a end

  7. Mark
    Posted August 31, 2012 at 11:59 PM

    Sorry for the typo.. The age of television is slowly coming to a end

  8. Ray32
    Posted September 1, 2012 at 1:51 AM

    I don’t suppose you have the number of people in those TV households? And maybe the 18-49? (Not market by market, just national.)

  9. Bill Gorman
    Posted September 1, 2012 at 8:55 AM

    “I don’t suppose you have the number of people in those TV households? And maybe the 18-49? (Not market by market, just national.)”

    9/2 Update: 2012-13 numbers now posted.

    http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/09/02/whats-a-tv-rating-and-who-is-it-dating-2012-13-edition/147028/

  10. DenverDean
    Posted September 1, 2012 at 9:28 AM

    If you go to Nielsen site, you can see the changes between 2011-12 and 2012-13. No position changes until 39, but lots of raw number drops in top 40.

  11. Silvio
    Posted September 1, 2012 at 3:18 PM

    Typo in article
    from 114.6 million households in 2011-12
    it should be 114.7

    Bill’s above link confirms it’s so
    http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/09/06/updated-numbers-101-whats-a-tv-rating-and-who-is-it-dating/102756/

  12. Tom Morgan
    Posted September 1, 2012 at 10:23 PM

    LOL. Nashville is highlighted as a TV show. What’s next? House-ton?

  13. Ray32
    Posted September 3, 2012 at 1:52 AM

    Great, thanks!

  14. USAmerica1st
    Posted September 3, 2012 at 7:21 PM

    A real eye opener. Sports talk stars like Colin Cowherd are frequently heard building up Los Angeles as the largest TV market in the nation, but without an NFL team since the Raiders left town. Maybe they are including the entire LA county or New York has just grown past them or they were always wrong.

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