Reference

U.S. City Statistics

The national reference figures behind PlainCities -- population, crime, climate, and school coverage across every tracked U.S. city.

Data as of · figures update with each data refresh

PlainCities tracks 28,702 U.S. cities across 52 states and territories, covering 252,133,314 residents per Census ACS 5-Year 2023 estimates.

This national reference aggregates Census ACS population, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting coverage (7,520 reporting cities), NOAA climate normals (3,717 station-mapped cities), and NCES public-school counts (80,110 schools across 15,098 cities). Figures describe federal reporting coverage as of August 2026, not livability rankings or predictions.

  • 28,702 cities tracked
  • 7,520 FBI reporting cities
  • 80,110 public schools counted

PlainCities tracks 28,702 U.S. cities, towns, and census-designated places across 52 states and territories, home to 252,133,314 residents according to Census ACS 5-Year 2023 estimates. This page collects the national reference figures behind the site, with the methodology for every derived number.

Cities tracked
28,702
States & territories
52
Residents covered
252,133,314
Public schools counted
80,110

Key findings

Headline figures from the federal data, free to cite, with attribution to PlainCities (August 2026).

  • 28,702 U.S. cities, towns, and census-designated places are profiled, spanning 52 states and territories.
  • 252,133,314 residents live across the 28,702 tracked places, according to Census ACS 5-Year 2023 estimates.
  • 7,520 of the 28,702 tracked cities report crime data to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program, 26% of all places tracked.
  • 3,717 cities have a NOAA climate-monitoring station with 30-year (1991-2020) average temperature normals on file.
  • 80,110 public schools are counted across 15,098 cities, per the National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data.
  • 16.5 per 100,000 residents is the lowest reported violent-plus-property crime rate of any U.S. city with a population of 5,000+ that reports to the FBI, held by Worcester, Massachusetts.
  • 8,516,202 residents make New York, New York the most populous city tracked on PlainCities, per Census ACS 5-Year 2023 estimates.
  • 769 public schools are counted in Houston, Texas, the most of any city tracked, per NCES Common Core of Data.
  • 2,884 incorporated cities with at least 5,000 residents in 2020 grew in population between 2020 and 2025, per Census Population Estimates Program Vintage 2025 (1,841 declined).
  • +2.8% change in the sum of eligible-place PEP populations nationwide, 2020→2025 (+5,486,968 residents). Full tables: /changes.

Population change (Census PEP)

The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program (PEP) publishes annual counts for incorporated cities and towns. PlainCities stores 2020 and 2025 vintages for 18,101 places (4,778 eligible with at least 5,000 residents in 2020). Between those releases, 2,884 eligible places grew and 1,841 declined. The eligible-place population sum moved +5,486,968 (+2.8%). PEP figures are separate from ACS 5-Year estimates used elsewhere on this site.

Population change report (2020–2025) → · Fastest-growing cities · Cities losing population

Data coverage by source

Not every federal dataset covers every place. Population, income, housing, and demographic figures come from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey and cover all 28,702 tracked places. Crime data covers 7,520 cities that voluntarily report to the FBI's UCR program, 26% of the total. Climate normals cover 3,717 cities with an NOAA monitoring station. School counts cover 15,098 cities with at least one public school in the NCES Common Core of Data. See the methodology for the full source list and join logic.

Using these figures

Every number on this page is read directly from the underlying federal dataset at the data vintage shown above, nothing is estimated or hand-entered. Figures change when the source agency publishes new files and our pipeline ingests them, so a citation should include the as-of date. PlainCities does not rate, rank, or recommend places to live, these statistics describe population, reported crime, climate normals, and school counts, not livability or safety in any predictive sense.

Download the city profile extract behind these aggregates: plaincities-cities.csv (same Census ACS / FBI / NCES fields used sitewide). Catalog: /data.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, FBI, NOAA, and NCES American Community Survey; Uniform Crime Reporting Program; U.S. Climate Normals; Common Core of Data · August 2026 Aggregates computed by PlainCities from the official files.

Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page's figures are live aggregates (SUM/COUNT) over the same city-level Census/FBI/NOAA/NCES data rendered throughout the site. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.