Introduction: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) has been cited as a potentially modifiable risk factor for the cardiovascular outcomes. Hypothesis Pectoralis muscle (PM) and intermuscular adipose tissue (IntM AT) areas on chest CT images may be readily obtainable soft tissue biomarkers for MetS screening. Methods: Out of 3,204 subjects in the MESA study with available chest CT scan in the exam 5 (4/2010 to 2/2012), 2,975 subjects had quality-essential images and were included in this analysis. The PM and IntM AT areas in the CT images were measured using a framework for image segmentation in the slice above the aortic arch.The presence of MetS subcomponents and the MetS diagnosis for this sample were determined using the NCEP ATP III. The associations between PM and IntM AT areas with MetS subcomponents and diagnosis were studied using regression (adjusted for relevant confounders). The ROC curves were used to defining the optimal cut-off points (using the Youden’s Index) for MetS diagnosis. Results: The mean age of subjects was 69.29±9.26 (1,434 men and 1,541 women). In this sample, 1,065 (35.80%) subjects were diagnosed with MetS. IntM AT (OR:1.07(1.02-1.13)), but not the PM (OR:0.98(0.97-1.00)) area, was associated with MetS. Using the ROC curve, the optimal cut-off points of the IntM AT areas and PM for MetS diagnosis were 16.22 and 1.87, respectively. The cut-off point for the PM were highly sensitive (87.1%) but not specific (16.4%). Conclusion: Quantitative analysis of PM and IntM AT areas, measured in a predefined “single slice” of the chest CT image using an in-house semiautomatic framework, may be used as an imaging biomarker for MetS.