300 Largest Cities in the U.S. by Population

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Cities in America range from very high populations of millions to a few municipalities with just one resident.

Perhaps you are considering moving to a highly populated city, or are just curious about where your own hometown ranks.

Let’s take a look at the 300 largest cities in the U.S.

Largest Cities in the U.S.

The largest cities on our list are New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston.

These cities all have more than 2 million residents.

New York City

The most populated city in America is New York City, with an incredible population of 8,172,684.

It’s the largest city in the U.S. and the second-largest city in North America.

The most densely populated area is Manhattan, which is one of New York City’s 5 boroughs.

Manhattan itself has a population of 1,629,000.

Los Angeles

The second largest city in America is on the other coast.

Los Angeles, California, often known as L.A., has a population of 3,809,182.

The City of Angels is currently declining in population, losing about 1% of the population each year.

Chicago

Chicago is the third largest city in the U.S. It has a population of 2,652,124.

Chicago is on the banks of Lake Michigan.

The city is beloved for its daring architecture and its delicious food, including deep-dish pizza.

Houston

Houston is the fourth largest city in America, with a population of 2,276,533.

It’s the last city in the country to have a population of over 2,000,000.

Methods of Measurement

Measuring the population of a city may seem simple, but there are a few different ways of counting a city’s population.

These are city proper, urban area, and metropolitan area.

City Proper

The city proper uses the official boundaries of the city.

You have probably noticed driving into a city at some point and seeing a sign stating that you are entering the city.

These signs define the city limits.

Anyone who lives within the official city limits is counted in the population.

Those who live outside this boundary are not counted using this method.

Miami is a great example.

When you use the metro or urban populations, Miami is one of the largest cities in America.

However, when you are considering the city proper, Miami ranks 40th in population size.

Cities that are smaller in practical terms, including Colorado Springs, Tucson, and Fresno, are technically larger using this measurement.

Urban Area

Urban areas can give a more accurate picture of a city’s population.

The city’s proper population will exclude anyone who doesn’t live within the official city limits.

This is an issue for cities with lots of sprawl, or residents living in the suburbs.

This measurement isn’t as clearly defined.

Instead of set boundaries, the urban area is the area within and around the city with a population build-up.

When the population becomes sparse, you’ve reached the boundary of the urban area.

Metropolitan Area

A metropolitan area will include the city proper, and the surrounding urban area.

In fact, it can encompass the core, or large city, and several smaller cities.

For example, New York’s metropolitan area is the largest metro in the US.

It has nearly 19 million residents, which is more than double the number in the city proper.

The New York City metropolitan area includes areas in four states.

These are New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

How America Compares to the World

New York City’s population of over 8 million may seem huge, and it is by American standards.

However, you may be surprised to learn that there are cities that are much larger in other parts of the world.

Tokyo, Japan, has more than 39 million residents.

Jakarta, Indonesia, comes in second with 34.5 million people living in the urban area.

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