According to the results of the 1990 Federal Census Bureau, the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area has the fourth largest population in the nation after Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago. The currently reported population of about 4.94 million represents a 1 percent increases over that counted in 1990. The statistics indicate population growth in most of the suburban counties surrounding Philadelphia is reported to be about 1.552 million, a decrease of approximately 7.4 percent since 1980.