The 20 Biggest U.S. Cities Based on Population

The biggest cities in the U.S. (at least the top few) don't tend to shift around in the ranks, but they definitely grow. Ten metros have a population of more than a million people. California and Texas each have three of the most populous cities.

Notice that more than half of the cities are located in what is broadly defined as the Sunbelt, the southwestern, sun-warmed region that is one of the fastest-growing parts of the country (as people arrive from colder, northern states). The South has 10 of the 15 cities that are growing fastest, and five of those are in Texas.

This list of the 20 biggest cities in the U.S. is based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau as of July 2016.

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New York, New York: Population 8,537,673

Empire State building and skyline, New York, USA — Matteo Colombo / Getty Images

The U.S. Census Bureau showed a gain for New York City of 362,500 residents (4.4 percent), the biggest city in the U.S., as compared with the 2010 figures. Each of the city's boroughs gained in population. Longer lifespans balanced out people moving out of the city.

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Los Angeles, California: Population 3,976,322

Los Angeles skyline — Jean-Pierre Lescourret / Getty Images

The median home price (owner occupied) in Los Angeles is nearly $600,000, the median age of the people is 35.6, and 60 percent of the nearly 1.5 million households speak a language other than (or in addition to) English.

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Chicago, Illinois: Population 2,704,958

Aerial cityscape of Chicago and Lake Michigan — Allan Baxter / Getty Images

Overall, Chicago's population is declining, but the third-biggest city in the U.S. is becoming more racially diverse. Populations of Asian and Hispanic people are growing, while the numbers of Caucasians and Blacks are decreasing.

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Houston, Texas: Population 2,303,482

USA, Texas, Houston, Skyline and Eleanor Tinsley Park — Westend61 / Getty Images

Houston was eighth in the top 10 fastest-growing cities between 2015 and 2016, adding 18,666 people that year. About two-thirds are 18 years old and above, and only about 10 percent are 65 and over—a similar ratio to the cities that are bigger than Houston.

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Phoenix, Arizona: 1,615,017

Phoenix, Business district — Brian Stablyk / Getty Images

Phoenix took over Philadelphia's spot on the list of the biggest cities in the U.S. in 2017. This Sunbelt hotspot almost accomplished this back in 2007, but those estimated gains disappeared after 2010's full count.

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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Population 1,567,872

Philadelphia skyline with Schuylkill River — Jon Lovette / Getty Images

Philadelphia is growing, but just barely. The Philadelphia Inquirer noted in 2017 that people move to Philly (an increase in population of 2,908 between 2015 and 2016) but move out when their children turn school age. Philly's suburbs are growing slightly, too.

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San Antonio, Texas: Population 1,492,510

One of the biggest growers in the U.S., San Antonio added 24,473 new folks between 2015 and 2016.

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San Diego, California: Population 1,406,630

San Diego Harbor on clear day — David Toussaint / Getty Images

San Diego rounded out the top 10 list of the biggest cities in the U.S. between 2015 and 2016 by adding 15,715 new residents.

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Dallas, Texas: Population 1,317,929

USA, Texas, Dallas, City skyline on sunny day — Gavin Hellier / Getty Images

Three of the fastest-growing cities in the nation are in Texas. Dallas is one of these; it added 20,602 people between 2015 and 2016.

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San Jose, California: Population 1,025,350

Downtown - San Jose California — Derek_Neumann / Getty Images

San Jose's city government estimates that it grew just under 1 percent between 2016 and 2017, enough to maintain its status as the third largest city in California.

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Austin, Texas: Population 947,890

Texas skyline during golden hour — Peter Tsai Photography - www.petertsaiphotography.com / Getty Images

Austin is a "no majority" city, meaning that no one ethnic or demographic group claims a majority of the city's population.

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Jacksonville, Florida: Population 880,619

USA, Florida, Jacksonville, City skyline at dusk — Henryk Sadura / Getty Images

Besides being the 12th-biggest city in the U.S., Jacksonville, Florida, was also the 12th fastest-growing between 2015 and 2016.

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San Francisco, Califorina: Population 870,887

USA, California, San Francisco, Bay Bridge and city skyline — Jordan Banks / Getty Images

The median price for a home in San Francisco, California, was $1.5 million dollars in the fourth quarter of 2017. Even a condo's median was more than $1.1 million.

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Columbus, Ohio: Population 860,090

Downtown Columbus, Ohio — TraceRouda / Getty Images

Growing about 1 percent between 2015 and 2016 was all that was needed to overtake Indianapolis to become the No. 14 most populous city.

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Indianapolis, Indiana: Population 855,164

USA, Indiana, Indianapolis, Skyline against clear sky — Henryk Sadura / Getty Images

More than half of Indiana's counties saw a reduction in population between 2015 and 2016, but Indianapolis (up almost 3,000) and surrounding suburbs saw modest increases.

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Fort Worth, Texas: Population 854,113

Fort Worth skyline and bridge — Davel5957 / Getty Images

Fort Worth added almost 20,000 people between 2015 and 2016, making it one of the biggest cities in the U.S., right between Dallas at No. 6 and Houston at No. 8.

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Charlotte, North Carolina: Population 842,051

Marshall Park and city skyline. — Richard Cummins / Getty Images

Charlotte, North Carolina, has not stopped growing since 2010 but also reflects the nationwide trend since 2000 of a shrinking middle class, as reported in the 2017 Mecklenburg County Community Pulse report. The trend hits especially hard where there's manufacturing loss.

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Seattle, Washington: Population 704,352

Famous view of Seattle skyline with the Space Needle and Mt Rainier — @ Didier Marti / Getty Images

In 2016, Seattle was the 10th most expensive major city in the country to be a renter.

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Denver, Colorado: Population 693,060

Autumn Sunset Over the Downtown Denver Skyline — Photography by Bridget Calip / Getty Images

A report by Downtown Denver Partnership found in 2017 that the center of the city was growing quickly and had 79,367 residents, or just over 10 percent of the city's population, more than triple the number living there in 2000.

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El Paso, Texas: Population 683,080

Downtown El Paso — DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images

El Paso, on the far western tip of Texas, is the biggest city in the U.S. on the Mexican border.

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Rosenberg, Matt. "The 20 Biggest U.S. Cities Based on Population." ThoughtCo, Aug. 1, 2024, thoughtco.com/biggest-u-s-cities-4158615. Rosenberg, Matt. (2024, August 1). The 20 Biggest U.S. Cities Based on Population. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/biggest-u-s-cities-4158615 Rosenberg, Matt. "The 20 Biggest U.S. Cities Based on Population." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/biggest-u-s-cities-4158615 (accessed March 15, 2025).