American
City Populations and Growth:
The Largest and
Fastest Growing Large Cities in America
Although it may be hard to
believe, there are only nine U.S. cities that have
populations of more than a million people. The
largest American city, New York City, has more
than eight million residents, making it twice as
big as the city in the number two position, Los
Angeles, which has a population of slightly fewer
than four million. In turn, LA is nearly twice as
big as the number three and four American cities,
Chicago and Houston, which have populations of
slightly more than two million. The other cities
of more than one million are Philadelphia,
Phoenix, San Diego, San Antonio, and Dallas.
The 200 largest U.S.
cities grew even bigger, according to the 2004
Census Bureau study. Those 200 cities are home to
some 24.8% of America's total population—more than
72 million people. Of those cities, LA had the
fastest growth rate, increasing by more than
125,000 from 2000 to 2003. New York City ranked
second in growth, adding 77,500 people during that
period, and San Antonio, Phoenix, Houston, and
Fort Worth all increased by more than 50,000.
The largest population
declines among big cities were in the north and
east. Detroit's population dropped by nearly
40,000 and Chicago's by more than 26,000.
Philadelphia dropped by 38,200, and a number of
other large cities lost more than 10,000 between
2000 and 2003, including Milwaukee, Cincinnati,
San Francisco, St Louis, Cleveland, New Orleans,
and Baltimore.
Of all metropolitan areas
in the U.S., the Greeley area, north of Denver
grew fastest during that period, growing by 16.8%.
Metropolitan populations in the West grew fastest
overall (5.5%), followed by the South (5.1%), the
Midwest (2%), and the Northeast 1.5%). In 2003,
more than half the U.S. population lived in metro
areas of one million or more, and nearly a quarter
of all Americans lived in metro areas that topped
five million.
California ranked first in
the United States when it came to the most cities
with populations of more than 100,000. Of
America's 200 largest cities, 46 are in the Golden
State. Texas ranked second in that regard, with 19
of the largest cities in the U.S. With 12 cities
on that list, Florida ranked third, followed by
New York, with 5.
On the other end of the
scale, there are only three American states that
have no cities with populations of more than
100,000—North Dakota, Vermont, and West Virginia.
The overall population of the United States,
according to the Census Bureau in 2004, was 293.6
million.
Would you rather live
in a big city or to a state with low populations?
I love Philadelphia! Read
my article
A Californian's View of Philadelphia
I love this city, too. Do
you know where it is?
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