What are the biggest cities in the US in 2026?
New York City is still the biggest city in the US in 2026, with roughly 8.5 million residents, followed by Los Angeles (about 3.86 million) and Chicago (about 2.73 million). Houston and Phoenix round out the top five, and together the 20 largest cities in the country now hold well over 30 million people, about a tenth of the entire US population living in just 20 places.
Full ranking: the top 20 biggest cities in the US right now
Below is the complete list, based on the latest 2026 city population estimates.
Rank | City | State | 2026 Population |
1 | New York | New York | 8,546,038 |
2 | Los Angeles | California | 3,863,148 |
3 | Chicago | Illinois | 2,727,758 |
4 | Houston | Texas | 2,419,191 |
5 | Phoenix | Arizona | 1,677,947 |
6 | San Antonio | Texas | 1,572,360 |
7 | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | 1,567,280 |
8 | San Diego | California | 1,410,522 |
9 | Dallas | Texas | 1,336,440 |
10 | Fort Worth | Texas | 1,049,355 |
11 | Jacksonville | Florida | 1,032,061 |
12 | Austin | Texas | 1,011,743 |
13 | San Jose | California | 984,378 |
14 | Charlotte | North Carolina | 982,070 |
15 | Columbus | Ohio | 944,402 |
16 | Indianapolis | Indiana | 904,128 |
17 | San Francisco | California | 812,530 |
18 | Seattle | Washington | 792,909 |
19 | Denver | Colorado | 746,590 |
20 | Oklahoma City | Oklahoma | 727,550 |
A few things jump out once you sit with this list for a minute. Texas alone places four cities in the top 20, Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, and Fort Worth, more than any other state. California comes in close behind with four as well: Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, and San Francisco.
Which US city has the largest population overall?
New York City, by a wide margin. Its roughly 8.5 million residents make it bigger than Los Angeles and Chicago combined, and it holds close to 13% of the entire population represented across the top 100 US cities.
No other American city has come close to New York’s size in decades, and nothing on the horizon suggests that’s about to change.
How many US cities have over 1 million people?
Right now, nine US cities have crossed the 1-million-resident mark: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Phoenix, San Antonio, Philadelphia, San Diego, and Dallas.
That’s essentially down from 10 a few years ago, San Jose’s population dipped just under a million after several years of gradual decline, largely tied to high housing costs pushing residents toward more affordable metro areas.
Which big US cities are growing the fastest?
Growth is concentrated almost entirely in the South and Southwest. Among the top 20, Fort Worth stands out with annual growth above 2%, driven by its position inside the booming Dallas–Fort Worth metro area. San Antonio, Jacksonville, and Charlotte are also expanding quickly, each adding new residents faster than the national average.
The broader pattern holds beyond the top 20 too, smaller cities in Texas, Florida, and Arizona are posting some of the fastest growth rates in the country:
- Georgetown, Texas: growing at nearly 9% a year, the fastest of any sizable US city
- Buckeye, Arizona: a Phoenix suburb growing at close to 6% annually
- New Braunfels, Texas: benefiting from spillover growth between Austin and San Antonio
- Conroe, Texas: expanding rapidly just north of Houston
- Port St. Lucie, Florida: one of the fastest-growing mid-size cities on the East Coast
Which major US cities are losing population?
A handful of large, older cities are shrinking, even as the country overall keeps growing. New York City itself has seen a slight decline in recent years, and so has San Francisco, which lost residents amid high housing costs and shifts in remote work patterns.
St. Louis and Detroit have also continued a longer-term population slide tied to deindustrialization and suburban migration that stretches back decades. Jackson, Mississippi is currently the fastest-shrinking city in the country among those with over 100,000 residents.
Why are Sun Belt cities growing so much faster than older metros?
A few forces are doing most of the work here. Lower costs of living, more affordable housing, and business-friendly tax policies are pulling both companies and individual residents toward Texas, Florida, and Arizona. Job growth in tech, logistics, and healthcare has also concentrated heavily in these regions over the past several years.
On top of that, remote and hybrid work has loosened the tie between where people live and where their office happens to be, letting more people prioritize affordability and climate over proximity to a specific employer.
Which state has the most-largest cities?
California and Texas are essentially tied at the top, though the picture flips depending on how you slice it.
California has more cities overall above 100,000 residents (78, compared to Texas’s 47), but Texas has a stronger showing at the very top of the list, with four cities in the top 10 biggest US cities compared to California’s two.
Conclusion
New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago remain the three biggest cities in the US in 2026, but the real story is happening lower down the list, Sun Belt cities across Texas, Florida, and Arizona are adding residents fast enough to reshape the ranking within a decade. Meanwhile, some of the country’s older, denser cities are holding steady or losing ground, a split that’s likely to keep defining US population trends for years to come.
