The 2002-2003 television season is the 57th network season in United States television history. It began on Monday, August 26, 2002 and ended on Sunday, May 25, 2003. The effective start date of the 2002-03 season for the purposes of audience measurement was Saturday, September 21, 2002 through Sunday, September 21, 2003.
Top 10 ranking of designated market areas by number of television homes for the 2002-2003 TV season. See the complete 2002-2003 Nielsen DMA ranking.
| Rank | Market | TV Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | 7,282,320 | 6.829% |
| 2 | Los Angeles | 5,318,040 | 4.987% |
| 3 | Chicago | 3,351,330 | 3.143% |
| 4 | Philadelphia | 2,830,470 | 2.654% |
| 5 | San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose | 2,436,220 | 2.285% |
| 6 | Boston-Manchester | 2,353,500 | 2.207% |
| 7 | Dallas-Fort Worth | 2,195,540 | 2.059% |
| 8 | Washington-Hagerstown | 2,169,230 | 2.034% |
| 9 | Atlanta | 1,971,180 | 1.848% |
| 10 | Detroit | 1,899,910 | 1.782% |
Universe estimates used to calculate a program or network's rating within that particular demographic for the 2002-03 TV season. See the extended 2002-2003 universe estimates.
| Demographic | Population | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Households | 106,641,910 | |
| Persons 2+ | 272,040,000 | |
| Persons 2-11 | 39,990,000 | 14.7% |
| Persons 12-17 | 24,840,000 | 9.13% |
| Persons 18+ | 207,210,000 | 76.2% |
| Persons 18-34 | 64,800,000 | 23.8% |
| Persons 18-49 | 128,660,000 | 47.3% |
| Persons 25-54 | 120,390,000 | 44.3% |
| Persons 35+ | 142,410,000 | 52.4% |
| Persons 50+ | 78,550,000 | 28.9% |