The largest cities of the United States: urban units, municipalities and metro areas
The United States counted three ways: by continuous built-up area, by municipality and by metro area. 304 urban units pass 100,000 people; the largest is New York, with 19,426,449. The city of New York City has 8,804,190 people within its limits; its urban unit, 19,426,449; its metro area, 19,940,274.
How the United States counts its cities
The Census Bureau draws urban areas around densely developed territory: at least 2,000 housing units or 5,000 people. Metropolitan areas, defined for the federal government, add the counties tied to the core by commuting.
The 25 largest urban units
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, urban areas, 2020 Census.
| # | Urban unit | People | Area (km²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | 19,426,449 | 8,413 |
| 2 | Los Angeles | 12,237,376 | 4,239 |
| 3 | Chicago | 8,671,746 | 6,055 |
| 4 | Miami | 6,077,522 | 3,222 |
| 5 | Houston | 5,853,575 | 4,539 |
| 6 | Dallas | 5,732,354 | 4,524 |
| 7 | Philadelphia | 5,696,125 | 4,916 |
| 8 | Washington | 5,174,759 | 3,353 |
| 9 | Atlanta | 5,100,112 | 6,612 |
| 10 | Boston | 4,382,009 | 4,289 |
| 11 | Phoenix | 3,976,313 | 2,876 |
| 12 | Detroit | 3,776,890 | 3,328 |
| 13 | Seattle | 3,544,011 | 2,545 |
| 14 | San Francisco | 3,515,933 | 1,331 |
| 15 | San Diego | 3,070,300 | 1,748 |
| 16 | Minneapolis | 2,914,866 | 2,628 |
| 17 | Tampa | 2,783,045 | 2,510 |
| 18 | Denver | 2,686,147 | 1,669 |
| 19 | Riverside | 2,276,703 | 1,576 |
| 20 | Baltimore | 2,212,038 | 1,696 |
| 21 | Las Vegas | 2,196,623 | 1,127 |
| 22 | St. Louis | 2,156,323 | 2,358 |
| 23 | Portland | 2,104,238 | 1,345 |
| 24 | San Antonio | 1,992,689 | 1,589 |
| 25 | Sacramento | 1,946,618 | 1,211 |
The 10 largest municipalities and metro areas
| # | Municipality | People | Metro area | People |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York City | 8,804,190 | New York | 19,940,274 |
| 2 | Los Angeles | 3,820,914 | Los Angeles | 12,927,614 |
| 3 | Chicago | 2,664,452 | Chicago | 9,408,576 |
| 4 | Houston | 2,314,157 | Dallas | 8,344,032 |
| 5 | Phoenix | 1,650,070 | Houston | 7,796,182 |
| 6 | Philadelphia | 1,573,916 | Miami | 6,457,988 |
| 7 | San Antonio | 1,526,656 | Washington | 6,436,489 |
| 8 | San Diego | 1,404,452 | Atlanta | 6,411,149 |
| 9 | Dallas | 1,326,087 | Philadelphia | 6,330,422 |
| 10 | Jacksonville | 1,009,833 | Phoenix | 5,186,958 |
Municipalities: GeoNames, latest census or estimate. Metro areas: Census metropolitan areas. Metro areas are named after their main municipality, which is not always the best-known name of the area.
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