National ranking · Top 100 · ACS 2023
100 Most Populous Cities in the US
This list ranks the 100 most populous, or most populated, cities in the US by resident population, using U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023). It compares individual cities and Census-designated places, not metropolitan areas or combined urban regions. The chart, table, and CSV all use the same ranked rows.
- 100
- Cities ranked
- #1
- New York
- 8,516,202
- Population
Data updated August 2026
The headline finding
New York, NY tops this list at 8,516,202 population, making the top 100 requires at least 229,021.
- New York, NY
- #1 · 8,516,202
- 229,021
- #100 cutoff
- 100
- cities in this ranking
Every figure here is read live from the same U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023) data rendered in the table below.
These 100 cities span 35 states. California has the most entries on this list: 16 (16% of the total). California state page.
How we calculate the state breakdown
The state count and leader above are a live tally of this list's own 100 rows, grouped by state. See the methodology page for the full source-to-figure lineage.
Top 12 cities by population
Hover or tap a bar for the city, value and rank
- New York, NY
New York, New York
8,516,202 Population
- Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles, California
3,857,897 Population
- Chicago, IL 2,707,648
Chicago, Illinois
2,707,648 Population
- Houston, TX 2,300,419
Houston, Texas
2,300,419 Population
- Phoenix, AZ 1,624,832
Phoenix, Arizona
1,624,832 Population
- Philadelphia, PA 1,582,432
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1,582,432 Population
- San Antonio, TX 1,458,954
San Antonio, Texas
1,458,954 Population
- San Diego, CA 1,385,061
San Diego, California
1,385,061 Population
- Dallas, TX 1,299,553
Dallas, Texas
1,299,553 Population
- San Jose, CA 990,054
San Jose, California
990,054 Population
- Austin, TX 967,862
Austin, Texas
967,862 Population
- Jacksonville, FL 961,739
Jacksonville, Florida
961,739 Population
What this shows New York, New York ranks #1 on population among the cities in this ranking; the full top 100 is listed below.
Which states show up most
State tally of this list's own rows
- California (CA)
California
16 Cities on this list
- Texas (TX)
Texas
13 Cities on this list
- Arizona (AZ)
Arizona
7 Cities on this list
- Florida (FL) 5
Florida
5 Cities on this list
- North Carolina (NC) 5
North Carolina
5 Cities on this list
- Nevada (NV) 5
Nevada
5 Cities on this list
- Ohio (OH) 4
Ohio
4 Cities on this list
- Virginia (VA) 4
Virginia
4 Cities on this list
- Colorado (CO) 3
Colorado
3 Cities on this list
- New York (NY) 2
New York
2 Cities on this list
What this shows California leads with 16 of the 100 spots on this list.
| # | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New YorkNew York | 8,516,202 |
| 2 | Los AngelesCalifornia | 3,857,897 |
| 3 | ChicagoIllinois | 2,707,648 |
| 4 | HoustonTexas | 2,300,419 |
| 5 | PhoenixArizona | 1,624,832 |
| 6 | PhiladelphiaPennsylvania | 1,582,432 |
| 7 | San AntonioTexas | 1,458,954 |
| 8 | San DiegoCalifornia | 1,385,061 |
| 9 | DallasTexas | 1,299,553 |
| 10 | San JoseCalifornia | 990,054 |
| 11 | AustinTexas | 967,862 |
| 12 | JacksonvilleFlorida | 961,739 |
| 13 | Fort WorthTexas | 941,311 |
| 14 | ColumbusOhio | 906,480 |
| 15 | CharlotteNorth Carolina | 886,283 |
| 16 | IndianapolisIndiana | 882,043 |
| 17 | San FranciscoCalifornia | 836,321 |
| 18 | SeattleWashington | 741,440 |
| 19 | DenverColorado | 713,734 |
| 20 | Oklahoma CityOklahoma | 688,693 |
| 21 | Nashville-DavidsonTennessee | 684,298 |
| 22 | El PasoTexas | 678,147 |
| 23 | WashingtonDistrict of Columbia | 672,079 |
| 24 | BostonMassachusetts | 663,972 |
| 25 | Las VegasNevada | 650,873 |
| 26 | PortlandOregon | 642,715 |
| 27 | DetroitMichigan | 636,644 |
| 28 | MemphisTennessee | 629,063 |
| 29 | Louisville/Jefferson CountyKentucky | 627,210 |
| 30 | BaltimoreMaryland | 577,193 |
| 31 | MilwaukeeWisconsin | 569,756 |
| 32 | AlbuquerqueNew Mexico | 562,488 |
| 33 | FresnoCalifornia | 543,615 |
| 34 | TucsonArizona | 543,348 |
| 35 | SacramentoCalifornia | 524,802 |
| 36 | Kansas CityMissouri | 508,233 |
| 37 | MesaArizona | 507,478 |
| 38 | AtlantaGeorgia | 499,287 |
| 39 | OmahaNebraska | 488,197 |
| 40 | Colorado SpringsColorado | 483,099 |
| 41 | RaleighNorth Carolina | 470,763 |
| 42 | Long BeachCalifornia | 458,491 |
| 43 | Virginia BeachVirginia | 457,066 |
| 44 | MiamiFlorida | 446,663 |
| 45 | OaklandCalifornia | 438,072 |
| 46 | MinneapolisMinnesota | 426,845 |
| 47 | TulsaOklahoma | 412,322 |
| 48 | BakersfieldCalifornia | 408,366 |
| 49 | WichitaKansas | 396,488 |
| 50 | ArlingtonTexas | 394,769 |
| 51 | TampaFlorida | 393,389 |
| 52 | AuroraColorado | 390,201 |
| 53 | New OrleansLouisiana | 376,035 |
| 54 | ClevelandOhio | 367,523 |
| 55 | Urban HonoluluHawaii | 346,323 |
| 56 | AnaheimCalifornia | 344,553 |
| 57 | HendersonNevada | 324,523 |
| 58 | Lexington-FayetteKentucky | 321,122 |
| 59 | San Juan zona urbanaPuerto Rico | 320,691 |
| 60 | StocktonCalifornia | 320,470 |
| 61 | Corpus ChristiTexas | 317,383 |
| 62 | RiversideCalifornia | 316,241 |
| 63 | OrlandoFlorida | 311,732 |
| 64 | Santa AnaCalifornia | 311,639 |
| 65 | CincinnatiOhio | 309,595 |
| 66 | IrvineCalifornia | 308,160 |
| 67 | St. PaulMinnesota | 307,762 |
| 68 | NewarkNew Jersey | 307,188 |
| 69 | PittsburghPennsylvania | 303,620 |
| 70 | GreensboroNorth Carolina | 298,564 |
| 71 | St. LouisMissouri | 293,109 |
| 72 | LincolnNebraska | 291,932 |
| 73 | Jersey CityNew Jersey | 289,691 |
| 74 | AnchorageAlaska | 289,069 |
| 75 | DurhamNorth Carolina | 288,465 |
| 76 | PlanoTexas | 287,339 |
| 77 | ChandlerArizona | 278,123 |
| 78 | BuffaloNew York | 276,397 |
| 79 | MadisonWisconsin | 275,568 |
| 80 | Chula VistaCalifornia | 275,030 |
| 81 | GilbertArizona | 271,118 |
| 82 | North Las VegasNevada | 270,773 |
| 83 | RenoNevada | 268,959 |
| 84 | ToledoOhio | 268,461 |
| 85 | Fort WayneIndiana | 266,235 |
| 86 | LubbockTexas | 261,078 |
| 87 | St. PetersburgFlorida | 260,646 |
| 88 | LaredoTexas | 255,949 |
| 89 | IrvingTexas | 255,036 |
| 90 | ChesapeakeVirginia | 251,153 |
| 91 | Winston-SalemNorth Carolina | 250,887 |
| 92 | GlendaleArizona | 250,193 |
| 93 | GarlandTexas | 245,298 |
| 94 | ScottsdaleArizona | 242,169 |
| 95 | Boise CityIdaho | 235,701 |
| 96 | ArlingtonVirginia | 235,463 |
| 97 | NorfolkVirginia | 235,037 |
| 98 | EnterpriseNevada | 232,043 |
| 99 | SpokaneWashington | 229,228 |
| 100 | Santa ClaritaCalifornia | 229,021 |
According to the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (2023 vintage, released December 2024), the underlying dataset behind this ranking spans 28,702 U.S. incorporated places and census-designated places nationally; this page shows the top 100 by population. See our methodology for the full data-collection process.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023). Verify directly with the source agency: U.S. Census Bureau, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES.
Questions about the most populated cities list
What does this most populated cities ranking measure?
It orders cities by population using U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023). It is a single-metric comparison, not an overall score for quality of life or a recommendation about where to live.
Are metropolitan areas included?
No. This list compares individual incorporated cities and Census-designated places. A metropolitan area can contain several cities and surrounding communities, so metro populations are not interchangeable with the city figures shown here.
Can I download and verify the ranking?
Yes. The CSV above contains the same ranked rows shown in the table. The page names the source and vintage, links to the source agency, and explains category-specific caveats before the data.
What to do with the most populated cities list
Use this ranking to narrow the field, then dig into the specific places you're considering.
- New York, NY leads this list at 8,516,202 -- see its full profile before drawing conclusions from the rank alone. New York profile
- Put two specific cities side by side across every tracked metric, not just this one ranking. Compare cities
- See every ranked city in New York together, not just how New York compares nationally. New York state page
This ranking reflects the single population metric only -- it is not a composite of everything that makes a city a good fit.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.
Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.