The following is a list of the top 250 United States cities. This list is based on the population and the size of the geographical metropolitan area of these largest US cities. Some names would appear obvious to you, but some may come as a total surprise!
Moreover, if you are struck by wanderlust, then get yourself ready for an epic road trip. If you are city-life kind of person, then this list is for sure bucket list worthy!
- Related: World’s 200 Largest Cities
- Related: Largest Ancient Cities (since the recorded history)
Click on a city to view the detailed Travel Guide with a list of things to do, see, experience, and other related fun facts!
Top US Cities
1. New York City, New York
2. Los Angeles, California
3. San Francisco, California
4. Miami, Florida
5. Chicago, Illinois
6. Boston, Massachusetts
8. Las Vegas, Nevada
9. Seattle, Washington
10. New Orleans, Louisiana
11. Orlando, Florida
12. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
13. Phoenix, Arizona
14. San Diego, California
15. San Antonio, Texas
16. Dallas, Texas
17. Austin, Texas
18. Houston, Texas
19. Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii
20. Denver, Colorado
21. Atlanta, Georgia
22. Portland, Oregon
23. St. Louis, Missouri
24. Minneapolis, Minnesota
25. San Jose (and Silicon Valley), California
26. Salt Lake City, Utah
27. Nashville, Tennessee
28. Charleston, South Carolina
29. Richmond, Virginia
30. Savannah, Georgia
31. Chattanooga, Tennessee
32. Albuquerque, New Mexico
33. Charlotte, North Carolina
34. Providence, Rhode Island
35. Portland, Maine
36. Boulder, Colorado
37. Baltimore, Maryland
38. Long Beach, California
39. Memphis, Tennessee
40. Anchorage, Alaska
41. Huntington Beach, California
42. Virginia Beach, Virginia
43. Colorado Springs, Colorado
44. Sioux Falls, South Dakota
45. Jacksonville, Florida
46. Greater Lake Tahoe, California
47. Buffalo, New York
48. Atlantic City, New Jersey
49. Detroit, Michigan
50. Cleveland, Ohio
51. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
52. Indianapolis, Indiana
53. Arlington, Texas
54. Tampa, Florida
55. Plano, Texas
56. Kansas City, Missouri
57. Portsmouth, New Hampshire
58. St. Petersberg, Florida
59. Anaheim, California
60. Sacramento, California
61. Park City, Utah
62. Corpus Christi, Texas
63. Fairbanks, Alaska
64. Columbus, Ohio
65. Asheville, North Carolina
66. Omaha, Nebraska
67. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
68. Cincinnati, Ohio
69. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
70. Montgomery, Texas
71. Santa Fe, New Mexico
72. Tucson, Arizona
73. Raleigh, North Carolina
74. Irvine, California
75. Sedona, Arizona
76. Toledo, OH
77. Little Rock, Arkansas
78. Madison, Wisconsin
79. Birmingham, Alabama
80. Henderson, Nevada
81. Lincoln, Nebraska
82. Newark, New Jersey
83. Jersey City, New Jersey
84. Spokane, Washington
85. Chula Vista, CA
86. St. Augustine, Florida
87. Fort Wayne, Indiana
88. Fort Lauderdale, Florida
89. Montgomery, Alabama
90. Tulsa, OK
91. Bend, Oregon
92. Chandler, Arizona
93. El Paso, Texas
94. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
95. Louisville, KY
96. Key West, Florida
97. Boise, Idaho
98. Kansas City, Kansas
99. Glendale, Arizona
100. Durham, North Carolina
Fun Fact: Five of the US States — Delaware, Maine, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming — do not have a single city with populations of 100,000 or more.
101. Aurora, Colorado
102. Tacoma, Washington
103. Rochester, New York
104. St.Paul, Minnesota
105. Fresno, California
106. West Adams, Colorado
107. Irving, Texas
108. Fremont, California
109. Baton Rouge, Louisiana
110. San Bernardino, California
111. Reno, Nevada
112. Des Moines, Iowa
113. Bakersfield, California
114. Akron, Ohio
115. Grand Rapids, Michigan
116. Salem, North Carolina
117. Greensboro, North Carolina
118. Tempe, Arizona
119. Wichita, Kansas
120. Dayton, Ohio
121. Hartford, Connecticut
122. West Palm Beach, Florida
123. Pomona, California
124. Laredo, Texas
125. Lubbock, Texas
126. Norfolk, Virginia
127. Winston, North Carolina
128. Chesapeake, Virginia
129. Gilbert, Arizona
130. Garland, Texas
131. Modesto, California
132. Fontana, California
133. Oxnard, California
134. Moreno Valley, California
135. Fayetteville, North Carolina
136. Aurora, Illinois
137. Glendale, California
138. Yonkers, New York
139. Amarillo, Texas
140. Columbus, Georgia
141. Augusta, Georgia
142. Shreveport, Louisiana
143. Huntsville, Alabama
144. Mobile, Alabama
145. Tallahassee, Florida
146. Grand Prairie, Texas
147. Overland Park, Kansas
148. Knoxville, Tennessee
149. Port St. Lucie, Florida
150. Worcester, Massachusetts
151. Brownsville, Texas
152. Santa Clarita, California
153. Newport News, Virginia
154. Cape Coral, Florida
155. Santa Rosa, California
156. Ontario, California
157. McKinney, Texas
158. Jackson, Mississippi
159. Salem, Oregon
160. Springfield, Missouri
161. Corona, California
162. Eugene, Oregon
163. Fort Collins, Colorado
164. Peoria, Arizona
165. Frisco, Texas
166. Cary, North Carolina
167. Salinas, California
168. Alexandria, Virginia
169. Lakewood, Colorado
170. Springfield, Massachusetts
171. Pasadena, Texas
172. Sunnyvale, California
173. Macon, Georgia
174. Pomona, California
175. Hollywood, Florida
176. Escondido, California
177. Clarksville, Tennessee
178. Paterson, New Jersey
179. Stamford, Connecticut
180. Mesquite, Texas
181. Killeen, Texas
182. Syracuse, New York
183. McAllen, Texas
184. Pasadena, California
185. Bellevue, Washington
186. Fullerton, California
187. Orange, California
188. Miramar, Florida
189. Olathe, Kansas
190. Hampton, Virginia
191. Warren, Michigan
192. Midland, Texas
193. Waco, Texas
194. Columbia, South Carolina
195. Denton, Texas
196. Carrollton, Texas
197. Surprise, Arizona
198. Roseville, California
199. Sterling Heights, Michigan
200. Murfreesboro, Tennessee
201. Gainesville, Florida
202. Cedar Rapids, Iowa
203. Coral Springs, Florida
204. New Haven, Connecticut
205. Reno, Nevada
206. Lafayette, Louisiana
207. Kent, Washington
208. Topeka, Kansas
209. Santa Clara, California
210. Athens, Georgia
211. Norman, Oklahoma
212. Vallejo, California
213. Berkeley, California
214. Round Rock, Texas
215. Ann Arbor, Michigan
216. Fargo, North Dakota
217. Bridgeport, Connecticut
218. Springfield, Illinois
219. Fairfield, California
220. Clearwater, Florida
221. Peoria, Illinois
222. Rochester, Minnesota
223. Carlsbad, California
224. Richardson, Texas
225. Miami Gardens, Florida
226. Billings, Montana
227. Pueblo, Colorado
228. Palm Bay, Florida
229. Ventura, California
230. Pompano Beach, Florida
231. Everett, Washington
232. Lakeland, Florida
233. Santa Maria, California
234. Norwalk, California
235. Green Bay, Wisconsin
236. Burbank, California
237. Greeley, Colorado
238. San Mateo, California
Related: The Ultimate Bucket List of Bucket Lists
Largest Cities Definition
Other similar online lists may vary. Most of them rank a city by its population size and they only count the population living within the official city limits.
From the travel perspective, we have substituted “population” with “touristy appeal” and center point of transportation for nearby attractions. So our list has a different ordering of US largest cities. We are considering several factors here: travel appeal, population size, geographic size, and transportation availability.
Cities Bucket List
Most of the above cities (counting the surrounding towns) have greater than 100,000 population. You can use this list for:
- Planning your book signing tour
- Top 100 US cities bucket list
- Roadtripping across the US
- Travel Resource for Travel planning
- Just for fun information or as a research material
Have comments, questions, or feedback? Please leave your thoughts in the comments below!
Happy and safe travels!