The biggest cities in America

This article provides a comprehensive look at the most populous areas of the United States of America.

Below is a list of America’s biggest cities. The ranking uses data gathered by the The U.S. Census Bureau. The Census Bureau produces estimates of total resident population for all areas of general-purpose government on a yearly basis.

Click here for information on the methodology used to estimate the population of geographic areas across the U.S.

The biggest cities in the US are:

  • 1. New York City, New York
  • 2013 population estimate: 8,405,837 – 2013 land area: 302.6 square miles
  • 2. Los Angeles, California
  • 2013 population estimate: 3,884,307 – 2013 land area: 468.7 square miles
  • 3. Chicago, Illinois
  • 2013 population estimate: 2,718,782 – 2013 land area: 589.6 square miles
  • 4. Houston, Texas
  • 2013 population estimate: 2,195,914 – 2013 land area: 599.6 square miles
  • 5. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • 2013 population estimate: 1,553,165 – 2013 land area: 134.1 square miles
  • 6. Phoenix, Arizona
  • 2013 population estimate: 1,513,367 – 2013 land area: 516.7 square miles
  • 7. San Antonio, Texas
  • 2013 population estimate: 1,409,019 – 2013 land area: 460.9 square miles
  • 8. San Diego, California
  • 2013 population estimate: 1,355,896 – 2013 land area: 325.2 square miles
  • 9. Dallas, Texas
  • 2013 population estimate: 1,257,676 – 2013 land area: 340.5 square miles
  • 10. San Jose, California
  • 2013 population estimate: 998,537 – 2013 land area: 176.5 square miles
  • 11. Austin, Texas
  • 2013 population estimate: 885,400 – 2013 land area: 297.9 square miles
  • 12. Indianapolis, Indiana
  • 2013 population estimate: 843,393 – 2013 land area: 361.4 square miles
  • 13. Jacksonville, Florida
  • 2013 population estimate: 842,583 – 2013 land area: 747.0 square miles
  • 14. San Francisco, California
  • 2013 population estimate: 837,442 – 2013 land area: 46.9 square miles
  • 15. Columbus, Ohio
  • 2013 population estimate: 822,553 – 2013 land area: 217.2 square miles
  • 16. Charlotte, North Carolina
  • 2013 population estimate: 792,862 – 2013 land area: 297.7 square miles
  • 17. Fort Worth, Texas
  • 2013 population estimate: 792,727 – 2013 land area: 339.8 square miles
  • 18. Detroit, Michigan
  • 2013 population estimate: 688,701 – 2013 land area: 138.8 square miles
  • 19. El Paso, Texas
  • 2013 population estimate: 674,433 – 2013 land area: 255.2 square miles
  • 20. Memphis, Tennessee
  • 2013 population estimate: 653,450 – 2013 land area: 315.1 square miles
  • 21. Seattle, Washington
  • 2013 population estimate: 652,405 – 2013 land area: 83.9 square miles
  • 22. Denver, Colorado
  • 2013 population estimate: 649,495 – 2013 land area: 153.0 square miles
  • 23. Washington, District of Columbia
  • 2013 population estimate: 646,449 – 2013 land area: 61.0 square miles
  • 24. Boston, Massachusetts
  • 2013 population estimate: 645,966 – 2013 land area: 48.3 square miles
  • 25. Nashville, Tennessee
  • 2013 population estimate: 634,464 – 2013 land area: 475.1 square miles
  • 26. Baltimore, Maryland
  • 2013 population estimate: 622,104 – 2013 land area: 80.9 square miles
  • 27. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
  • 2013 population estimate: 610,613 – 2013 land area: 606.4 square miles
  • 28. Louisville, Kentucky
  • 2013 population estimate: 609,893 – 2013 land area: 325.2 square miles
  • 29. Portland, Oregon
  • 2013 population estimate: 609,456 – 2013 land area: 133.4 square miles
  • 30. Las Vegas, Nevada
  • 2013 population estimate: 603,488 – 2013 land area: 135.8 square miles
  • 31. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  • 2013 population estimate: 599,164 – 2013 land area: 96.1 square miles
  • 32. Albuquerque, New Mexico
  • 2013 population estimate: 556,495 – 2013 land area: 187.7 square miles
  • 33. Tucson, Arizona
  • 2013 population estimate: 526,116 – 2013 land area: 226.7 square miles
  • 34. Fresno, California
  • 2013 population estimate: 509,924 – 2013 land area: 112.0 square miles
  • 35. Sacramento, California
  • 2013 population estimate: 479,686 – 2013 land area: 97.9 square miles
  • 36. Long Beach, California
  • 2013 population estimate: 469,428 – 2013 land area: 50.3 square miles
  • 37. Kansas City, Missouri
  • 2013 population estimate: 467,007 – 2013 land area: 315.0 square miles
  • 38. Mesa, Arizona
  • 2013 population estimate: 457,587 – 2013 land area: 136.5 square miles
  • 39. Virginia Beach, Virginia
  • 2013 population estimate: 448,479 – 2013 land area: 249.0 square miles
  • 40. Atlanta, Georgia
  • 2013 population estimate: 447,841 – 2013 land area: 133.2 square miles
  • 41. Colorado Springs, Colorado
  • 2013 population estimate: 439,886 – 2013 land area: 194.5 square miles
  • 42. Omaha, Nebraska
  • 2013 population estimate: 434,353 – 2013 land area: 127.1 square miles
  • 43. Raleigh, North Carolina
  • 2013 population estimate: 431,746 – 2013 land area: 142.9 square miles
  • 44. Miami, Florida
  • 2013 population estimate: 417,650 – 2013 land area: 35.9 square miles
  • 45. Oakland, California
  • 2013 population estimate: 406,253 – 2013 land area: 55.8 square miles
  • 46. Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • 2013 population estimate: 400,070 – 2013 land area: 54.0 square miles
  • 47. Tulsa, Oklahoma
  • 2013 population estimate: 398,121 – 2013 land area: 196.8 square miles
  • 48. Cleveland, Ohio
  • 2013 population estimate: 390,113 – 2013 land area: 77.7 square miles
  • 49. Wichita, Kansas
  • 2013 population estimate: 386,552 – 2013 land area: 159.3 square miles
  • 50. Arlington, Texas
  • 2013 population estimate: 379,577 – 2013 land area: 95.9 square miles