The Kokomo Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of two counties in Indiana, anchored by the city of Kokomo. As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 101,541 (though a July 1, 2009 estimate placed the population at 98,787). The official 2013 population estimate for the metro area says 82,760 people are in the Kokomo metropolitan area, which means at some point Tipton County has been dropped as a part of the metropolitan area, as Howard County alone also has 82,760 people in it as of 2013. Kokomo is also the principle city of the area known as North Central Indiana, the area around Kokomo with economic ties. The six county area including Cass, Clinton, Fulton, Howard, Miami, and Tipton counties had population of 228,331 people in 2010.