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Urban Demographics

An analytical exploration of population trends and distributions across the United States' major urban centers, based on U.S. Census Bureau data.

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Understanding City Populations

The Scope of the Data

This compilation presents a detailed analysis of the population figures for incorporated municipalities within the United States. It focuses on cities with a population threshold of 100,000 or more, utilizing the most recent estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau as of July 1, 2024. The data provides a crucial snapshot of urban population dynamics, highlighting growth, decline, and density across the nation.

Defining a 'City'

It is essential to understand the terminology employed by the U.S. Census Bureau. An "incorporated place" encompasses various forms of municipal government, including cities, towns, villages, and boroughs. This list primarily includes these incorporated entities. Notably, certain census-designated places (CDPs) that function similarly to incorporated areas are also included for comprehensive coverage. Consolidated city-counties are represented by their non-municipal portions to avoid double-counting.

Incorporated Place: A type of administrative division in the United States with legally recognized boundaries and powers of self-government.

Census-Designated Place (CDP): A statistical counterpart to incorporated places, representing densely settled communities without separate municipal government, but which typically have a recognizable name and boundary.

Consolidated City-County: A unique governmental structure where a city and county have merged, often encompassing a large geographic area and population. This list includes only the portion of such entities that are not part of another incorporated place.

City Proper vs. Metropolitan Area

This dataset strictly adheres to the population counts within the official city limits (city proper). It is important to distinguish this from broader concepts like urban agglomerations or metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), which include surrounding suburbs and economically linked regions. Consequently, the ranking presented here may differ significantly from rankings based on these larger, more encompassing definitions of urban influence.

Key Terminology Explained

Geographic Coordinates

Accurate geographic positioning is fundamental to understanding urban distribution. Each city listed includes its latitude and longitude coordinates. These are provided in both Degrees Minutes Seconds (DMS) and Decimal Degrees (DD) formats, facilitating precise location referencing and integration with mapping systems.

Population Dynamics

The data captures population changes over time. It includes the latest estimate for July 1, 2024, the official count from the 2020 Census, and the percentage change between these two points. This allows for an analysis of recent population growth or contraction trends in major U.S. cities.

Land Area and Density

Population density is a critical metric for urban planning and resource management. This list provides both the land area in square miles (mi²) and square kilometers (km²), alongside the corresponding population density per square mile and square kilometer. These figures help contextualize population counts within the physical footprint of each city.

Population Data Table

State's largest city
State capital and largest city
State capital
Federal capital
City ST 2024
Estimate		 2020
Census		 Change 2020 Land Area 2020 Density Location
mi2 km2 /mi2 /km2
New York[c] NY 8,478,072 8,804,190 −3.70% 300.5 778.3 29,298 11,312 40.66°N 73.94°W
Los Angeles CA 3,878,704 3,898,747 −0.51% 469.5 1,216.0 8,304 3,206 34.02°N 118.41°W
Chicago IL 2,721,308 2,746,388 −0.91% 227.7 589.7 12,061 4,657 41.84°N 87.68°W
Phoenix AZ 1,673,164 1,608,139 +4.04% 518.0 1,341.6 3,105 1,199 33.57°N 112.09°W
Philadelphia[d] PA 1,573,916 1,603,797 −1.86% 134.4 348.1 11,933 4,607 40.01°N 75.13°W
San Antonio TX 1,526,656 1,434,625 +6.41% 498.8 1,291.9 2,876 1,110 29.46°N 98.52°W
San Diego CA 1,404,452 1,386,932 +1.26% 325.9 844.1 4,256 1,643 32.81°N 117.14°W
Dallas TX 1,326,087 1,304,379 +1.66% 339.6 879.6 3,841 1,483 32.79°N 96.77°W
Jacksonville[e] FL 1,009,833 949,611 +6.34% 747.3 1,935.5 1,271 491 30.34°N 81.66°W
Fort Worth TX 1,008,106 918,915 +9.71% 347.3 899.5 2,646 1,022 32.78°N 97.35°W
San Jose CA 997,368 1,013,240 −1.57% 178.3 461.8 5,683 2,194 37.30°N 121.81°W
Austin TX 993,588 961,855 +3.30% 319.9 828.5 3,007 1,161 30.30°N 97.75°W
Charlotte NC 943,476 874,579 +7.88% 308.3 798.5 2,837 1,095 35.21°N 80.83°W
Columbus OH 933,263 905,748 +3.04% 220.0 569.8 4,117 1,590 39.99°N 82.99°W
Indianapolis[f] IN 891,484 887,642 +0.43% 361.6 936.5 2,455 948 39.78°N 86.15°W
San Francisco[g] CA 827,526 873,965 −5.31% 46.9 121.5 18,635 7,195 37.73°N 123.03°W
Seattle WA 780,995 737,015 +5.97% 83.8 217.0 8,795 3,396 47.62°N 122.35°W
Denver[h] CO 729,019 715,522 +1.89% 153.1 396.5 4,674 1,805 39.76°N 104.88°W
Oklahoma City OK 712,919 681,054 +4.68% 606.2 1,570.1 1,123 434 35.47°N 97.51°W
Nashville[i] TN 704,963 689,447 +2.25% 475.8 1,232.3 1,449 559 36.17°N 86.79°W
Washington[j] DC 702,250 689,545 +1.84% 61.1 158.2 11,286 4,358 38.90°N 77.02°W
El Paso TX 681,723 678,815 +0.43% 258.4 669.3 2,627 1,014 31.85°N 106.43°W
Las Vegas NV 678,922 641,903 +5.77% 141.8 367.3 4,527 1,748 36.23°N 115.26°W
Boston MA 673,458 675,647 −0.32% 48.3 125.1 13,989 5,401 42.34°N 71.02°W
Detroit MI 645,705 639,111 +1.03% 138.7 359.2 4,608 1,779 42.38°N 83.10°W
Louisville[k] KY 640,796 633,045 +1.22% 324.9 841.5 1,948 752 38.17°N 85.65°W
Portland OR 635,749 652,503 −2.57% 133.5 345.8 4,888 1,887 45.54°N 122.65°W
Memphis TN 610,919 633,104 −3.50% 297.0 769.2 2,132 823 35.11°N 89.97°W
Baltimore[l] MD 568,271 585,708 −2.98% 80.9 209.5 7,240 2,800 39.30°N 76.61°W
Milwaukee WI 563,531 577,222 −2.37% 96.2 249.2 6,000 2,300 43.06°N 87.97°W
Albuquerque NM 560,326 564,559 −0.75% 187.3 485.1 3,014 1,164 35.10°N 106.65°W
Tucson AZ 554,013 542,629 +2.10% 241.0 624.2 2,252 870 32.15°N 110.87°W
Fresno CA 550,105 542,107 +1.48% 115.2 298.4 4,706 1,817 36.78°N 119.79°W
Sacramento CA 535,798 524,943 +2.07% 98.6 255.4 5,324 2,056 38.57°N 121.47°W
Atlanta GA 520,070 498,715 +4.28% 135.3 350.4 3,686 1,423 33.76°N 84.42°W
Mesa AZ 517,151 504,258 +2.56% 138.7 359.2 3,636 1,404 33.40°N 111.72°W
Kansas City MO 516,032 508,090 +1.56% 314.7 815.1 1,615 624 39.12°N 94.56°W
Raleigh NC 499,825 467,665 +6.88% 147.1 381.0 3,179 1,227 35.83°N 78.64°W
Colorado Springs CO 493,554 478,961 +3.05% 195.4 506.1 2,451 946 38.87°N 104.76°W
Omaha NE 489,265 486,051 +0.66% 141.6 366.7 3,433 1,325 41.26°N 96.05°W
Miami FL 487,014 442,241 +10.12% 36.0 93.2 12,284 4,743 25.78°N 80.21°W
Virginia Beach[l] VA 454,808 459,470 −1.01% 244.7 633.8 1,878 725 36.78°N 76.03°W
Long Beach CA 450,901 466,742 −3.39% 50.7 131.3 9,206 3,554 33.78°N 118.17°W
Oakland CA 443,554 440,646 +0.66% 55.9 144.8 7,883 3,044 37.77°N 122.23°W
Minneapolis MN 428,579 429,954 −0.32% 54.0 139.9 7,962 3,074 44.96°N 93.27°W
Bakersfield CA 417,468 403,455 +3.47% 149.8 388.0 2,693 1,040 35.35°N 119.04°W
Tulsa OK 415,154 413,066 +0.51% 197.5 511.5 2,091 807 36.13°N 95.90°W
Tampa FL 414,547 384,959 +7.69% 114.0 295.3 3,377 1,304 27.97°N 82.47°W
Arlington TX 403,672 394,266 +2.39% 95.9 248.4 4,111 1,587 32.70°N 97.12°W
Aurora CO 403,130 386,261 +4.37% 160.1 414.7 2,413 932 39.70°N 104.72°W
Wichita KS 400,991 397,532 +0.87% 162.0 419.6 2,454 947 37.69°N 97.35°W
Cleveland OH 365,379 372,624 −1.94% 77.7 201.2 4,796 1,852 41.48°N 81.68°W
New Orleans[m] LA 362,701 383,997 −5.55% 169.5 439.0 2,265 875 30.05°N 89.93°W
Henderson NV 350,039 317,610 +10.21% 106.2 262.4 2,991 1,155 36.01°N 115.04°W
Honolulu[n] HI 344,967 350,964 −1.71% 60.5 156.7 5,801 2,240 21.32°N 157.85°W
Anaheim CA 344,561 346,824 −0.65% 50.3 130.3 6,895 2,662 33.86°N 117.76°W
Orlando FL 334,854 307,573 +8.87% 110.6 286.5 2,781 1,074 28.41°N 81.25°W
Lexington[o] KY 329,437 322,570 +2.13% 283.6 734.5 1,137 439 38.04°N 84.46°W
Stockton CA 324,975 320,804 +1.30% 62.2 161.1 5,158 1,992 37.98°N 121.31°W
Riverside CA 323,757 314,998 +2.78% 81.2 210.3 3,879 1,498 33.94°N 117.39°W
Irvine CA 318,683 307,670 +3.58% 65.6 169.9 4,690 1,810 33.68°N 117.77°W
Corpus Christi TX 317,317 317,863 −0.17% 162.2 420.1 1,960 760 27.75°N 97.17°W
Newark NJ 317,303 311,549 +1.85% 24.1 62.4 12,927 4,991 40.72°N 74.17°W
Santa Ana CA 316,184 310,227 +1.92% 27.3 70.7 11,364 4,388 33.74°N 117.88°W
Cincinnati OH 314,915 309,317 +1.81% 77.8 201.5 3,976 1,535 39.14°N 84.51°W
Pittsburgh PA 307,668 302,971 +1.55% 55.4 143.5 5,469 2,112 40.44°N 79.98°W
Saint Paul MN 307,465 311,527 −1.30% 52.0 134.7 5,991 2,313 44.95°N 93.10°W
Greensboro NC 307,381 299,035 +2.79% 129.6 335.7 2,307 891 36.10°N 79.83°W
Jersey City NJ 302,824 292,449 +3.55% 14.7 38.1 19,894 7,681 40.71°N 74.06°W
Durham NC 301,870 283,506 +6.48% 112.8 292.2 2,513 970 35.98°N 78.90°W
Lincoln NE 300,619 291,082 +3.28% 97.7 253.0 2,979 1,150 40.81°N 96.68°W
North Las Vegas NV 294,034 262,527 +12.00% 101.3 262.4 2,592 1,001 36.28°N 115.09°W
Plano TX 293,286 285,494 +2.73% 71.7 185.7 3,982 1,537 33.05°N 96.75°W
Anchorage[p] AK 289,600 291,247 −0.57% 1,706.8 4,420.6 171 66 61.17°N 149.28°W
Gilbert AZ 288,790 267,918 +7.79% 68.6 177.7 3,906 1,508 33.31°N 111.74°W
Madison WI 285,300 269,840 +5.73% 79.6 206.2 3,390 1,310 43.09°N 89.43°W
Reno NV 281,714 264,165 +6.64% 108.8 281.8 2,428 937 39.55°N 119.85°W
Chandler AZ 281,231 275,987 +1.90% 65.3 169.1 4,226 1,632 33.28°N 111.85°W
St. Louis[l] MO 279,695 301,578 −7.26% 61.7 159.8 4,888 1,887 38.64°N 90.24°W
Chula Vista CA 278,546 275,487 +1.11% 49.6 128.5 5,554 2,144 32.63°N 117.02°W
Buffalo NY 276,617 278,349 −0.62% 40.4 104.6 6,890 2,660 42.89°N 78.86°W

[c] New York City is the most populous city in the United States.
[d] Philadelphia is both a state capital and the largest city in Pennsylvania.
[e] Jacksonville is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States.
[f] Indianapolis is the state capital and largest city of Indiana.
[g] San Francisco has the highest population density among cities with over 500,000 residents.
[h] Denver is the state capital and largest city of Colorado.
[i] Nashville is the state capital and largest city of Tennessee.
[j] Washington D.C. is the federal capital.
[k] Louisville is the state capital and largest city of Kentucky.
[l] Baltimore and Virginia Beach are independent cities, not part of any county.
[m] New Orleans' population has been significantly impacted by historical events, including Hurricane Katrina.
[n] Honolulu is the state capital and largest city of Hawaii.
[o] Lexington is the state capital and largest city of Kentucky.
[p] Anchorage is the largest city in Alaska by population and area.

Geographic Distribution

Interactive Mapping

Visualizing the geographic distribution of these major urban centers provides valuable insights into population patterns across the United States. The U.S. Census Bureau provides tools to interactively map these locations.

Map Coordinates Using: OpenStreetMap

Download Coordinates As: KML

The map displays the approximate locations of the top 20 most populous cities, offering a visual representation of where the largest urban populations are concentrated.

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References

References

  1.  Peak as an independent city, consolidated with New York City in 1898. The estimated 2020 population for Brooklyn was 2,538,934.
A full list of references for this article are available at the List of United States cities by population Wikipedia page

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Academic Disclaimer

Important Notice Regarding Data and Content

This document has been generated by an advanced AI model, synthesizing information from publicly available data, primarily the U.S. Census Bureau and related Wikipedia articles. It is intended strictly for educational and informational purposes, simulating an academic resource for students of urban planning, geography, and demographics.

This is not official U.S. Census Bureau data or analysis. While efforts have been made to ensure accuracy and adherence to the source material, the content may contain nuances, interpretations, or omissions not present in the original data. Population estimates are subject to change and revision. Users are strongly advised to consult official U.S. Census Bureau publications and data sources for definitive and up-to-date information.

The creators of this page are not liable for any errors, omissions, or actions taken based on the information presented herein. This content does not constitute professional demographic, statistical, or governmental advice.