Population of the 20 Largest U.S. Cities, 1900–2012
The table below lists the largest 20 cities in the United States based on population for select years between 1900 to 2012.
1900 | 1920 | 1940 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rank | Place | Population | Place | Population | Place | Population |
1. | New York, N.Y. | 3,437,202 | New York, N.Y. | 5,620,048 | New York, N.Y. | 7,454,995 |
2. | Chicago, Ill. | 1,698,575 | Chicago, Ill. | 2,701,705 | Chicago, Ill. | 3,396,808 |
3. | Philadelphia, Pa. | 1,293,697 | Philadelphia, Pa. | 1,823,779 | Philadelphia, Pa. | 1,931,334 |
4. | St. Louis, Mo. | 575,238 | Detroit, Mich. | 993,078 | Detroit, Mich. | 1,623,452 |
5. | Boston, Mass. | 560,892 | Cleveland, Ohio | 796,841 | Los Angeles, Calif. | 1,504,277 |
6. | Baltimore, Md. | 508,957 | St. Louis, Mo. | 772,897 | Cleveland, Ohio | 878,336 |
7. | Cleveland, Ohio | 381,768 | Boston, Mass. | 748,060 | Baltimore, Md. | 859,100 |
8. | Buffalo, N.Y. | 352,387 | Baltimore, Md. | 733,826 | St. Louis, Mo. | 816,048 |
9. | San Francisco, Calif. | 342,782 | Pittsburgh, Pa. | 588,343 | Boston, Mass. | 770,816 |
10. | Cincinnati, Ohio | 325,902 | Los Angeles, Calif. | 576,673 | Pittsburgh, Pa. | 671,659 |
11. | Pittsburgh, Pa. | 321,616 | Buffalo, N.Y. | 506,775 | Washington, DC | 663,091 |
12. | New Orleans, La. | 287,104 | San Francisco, Calif. | 506,676 | San Francisco, Calif. | 634,536 |
13. | Detroit, Mich. | 285,704 | Milwaukee, Wis. | 457,147 | Milwaukee, Wis. | 587,472 |
14. | Milwaukee, Wis. | 285,315 | Washington, DC | 437,571 | Buffalo, N.Y. | 575,901 |
15. | Washington, DC | 278,718 | Newark, N.J. | 414,524 | New Orleans, La. | 494,537 |
16. | Newark, N.J. | 246,070 | Cincinnati, Ohio | 401,247 | Minneapolis, Minn. | 492,370 |
17. | Jersey City, N.J. | 206,433 | New Orleans, La. | 387,219 | Cincinnati, Ohio | 455,610 |
18. | Louisville, Ky. | 204,731 | Minneapolis, Minn. | 380,582 | Newark, N.J. | 429,760 |
19. | Minneapolis, Minn. | 202,718 | Kansas City, Mo. | 324,410 | Kansas City, Mo. | 399,178 |
20. | Providence, R.I. | 175,597 | Seattle, Wash. | 315,312 | Indianapolis, Ind. | 386,972 |
1960 | 1980 | 20051 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rank | Place | Population | Place | Population | Place | Population |
1. | New York, N.Y. | 7,781,984 | New York, N.Y. | 7,071,639 | New York, N.Y. | 8,143,197 |
2. | Chicago, Ill. | 3,550,404 | Chicago, Ill. | 3,005,072 | Los Angeles, Calif. | 3,844,829 |
3. | Los Angeles, Calif. | 2,479,015 | Los Angeles, Calif. | 2,966,850 | Chicago, Ill. | 2,842,518 |
4. | Philadelphia, Pa. | 2,002,512 | Philadelphia, Pa. | 1,688,210 | Houston, Tex. | 2,016,582 |
5. | Detroit, Mich. | 1,670,144 | Houston, Tex, | 1,595,138 | Philadelphia, Pa. | 1,463,281 |
6. | Baltimore, Md. | 939,024 | Detroit, Mich. | 1,203,339 | Phoenix, Ariz. | 1,461,575 |
7. | Houston, Tex. | 938,219 | Dallas, Tex. | 904,078 | San Antonio, Tex. | 1,256,509 |
8. | Cleveland, Ohio | 876,050 | San Diego, Calif. | 875,538 | San Diego, Calif. | 1,255,540 |
9. | Washington, DC | 763,956 | Phoenix, Ariz. | 789,704 | Dallas, Tex. | 1,213,825 |
10. | St. Louis, Mo. | 750,026 | Baltimore, Md. | 786,775 | San Jose, Calif. | 912,332 |
11. | Milwaukee, Wis. | 741,324 | San Antonio, Tex. | 785,880 | Detroit, Mich. | 886,671 |
12. | San Francisco, Calif. | 740,316 | Indianapolis, Ind. | 700,807 | Indianapolis, Ind. | 784,118 |
13. | Boston, Mass. | 697,197 | San Francisco, Calif. | 678,974 | Jacksonville, Fla. | 782,623 |
14. | Dallas, Tex. | 679,684 | Memphis, Tenn. | 646,356 | San Francisco, Calif. | 739,426 |
15. | New Orleans, La. | 627,525 | Washington, DC | 638,333 | Columbus, Ohio | 730,657 |
16. | Pittsburgh, Pa. | 604,332 | Milwaukee, Wis. | 636,212 | Austin, Tex. | 690,252 |
17. | San Antonio, Tex. | 587,718 | San Jose, Calif. | 629,442 | Memphis, Tenn. | 672,277 |
18. | San Diego, Calif. | 573,224 | Cleveland, Ohio | 573,822 | Baltimore, Md. | 635,815 |
19. | Seattle, Wash. | 557,087 | Columbus, Ohio | 564,871 | Fort Worth, Tex. | 624,067 |
20. | Buffalo, N.Y. | 532,759 | Boston, Mass. | 562,994 | Charlotte, N.C. | 610,949 |
2010 | 2012 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Rank | Place | Population | Place | Population |
1. | New York, N.Y. | 8,175,133 | New York, N.Y. | 8,336,697 |
2. | Los Angeles, Calif. | 3,792,621 | Los Angeles, Calif. | 3,857,799 |
3. | Chicago, Ill. | 2,695,598 | Chicago, Ill. | 2,714,856 |
4. | Houston, Tex. | 2,099,451 | Houston, Tex. | 2,160,821 |
5. | Philadelphia, Pa. | 1,526,006 | Philadelphia, Pa. | 1,547,607 |
6. | Phoenix, Ariz. | 1,445,632 | Phoenix, Ariz. | 1,488,750 |
7. | San Antonio, Tex. | 1,327,407 | San Antonio, Tex. | 1,382,951 |
8. | San Diego, Calif. | 1,307,402 | San Diego, Calif. | 1,338,348 |
9. | Dallas, Tex. | 1,197,816 | Dallas, Tex. | 1,241,162 |
10. | San Jose , Calif. | 945,942 | San Jose , Calif. | 982,765 |
11. | Jacksonville , Fla. | 821,784 | Austin , Tex. | 842,592 |
12. | Indianapolis , Ind. | 820,445 | Jacksonville , Fla. | 836,507 |
13. | San Francisco , Calif. | 805,235 | Indianapolis , Ind. | 834,852 |
14. | Austin , Tex. | 790,390 | San Francisco , Calif. | 825,863 |
15. | Columbus , Ohio | 787,033 | Columbus , Ohio | 809,798 |
16. | Fort Worth , Tex. | 741,206 | Fort Worth , Tex. | 777,992 |
17. | Charlotte , N.C. | 731,424 | Charlotte , N.C. | 775,202 |
18. | Detroit , Mich. | 713,777 | Detroit , Mich. | 701,475 |
19. | El Paso , Tex. | 649,121 | El Paso , Tex. | 672,538 |
20. | Memphis , Tenn. | 646,889 | Memphis , Tenn. | 655,155 |
1. Populations for 1900–1980, 2010 are Census figures. 2005 figures are population estimates.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau. For 2000 Census figures, see Top 50 Cities in the U.S. by Population and Rank.
U.S. Cities |