Humanities › Geography Most Populous Metropolitan Areas in the United States The 30 Largest Metropolitan Areas in the United States Share Flipboard Email Print Howard Kingsnorth / Getty Images Geography Population Basics Physical Geography Political Geography Country Information Key Figures & Milestones Maps Urban Geography By Matt Rosenberg Matt Rosenberg Geography Expert M.A., Geography, California State University - Northridge B.A., Geography, University of California - Davis Matt Rosenberg is an award-winning geographer and the author of "The Handy Geography Answer Book" and "The Geography Bee Complete Preparation Handbook." Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on April 07, 2022 Some of the most populous cities in the United States have held on to those top spots decade after decade. In fact, New York City has been the largest U.S. metropolitan area since the country's first census in 1790. The other long-time holders of top-three titles are Los Angeles and Chicago. To have a change in the top three, you have to go back to 1980 to have Los Angeles and Chicago trade places, with Chicago holding the number two spot. Then, you have to look back to 1950 to find Los Angeles moving down to number 4 behind Philadelphia and keep heading back to 1940 to have Detroit push Los Angeles down to number five. The Census Bureau's Criteria The U.S. Census Bureau conducts official census counts every ten years, and regularly releases population estimates for consolidated metropolitan statistical areas (CMSAs), metropolitan statistical areas, and primary metropolitan areas. CMSAs are urban areas (such as one or more counties) with a city of more than 50,000 and its surrounding suburbs. The area needs to have a combined population of at least 100,000 (in New England, the total population requirement is 75,000). The suburbs need to be economically and socially integrated with the core city, in most cases by a high level of residents commuting into the core city, and the area needs to have a specific percentage of the urban population or population density. The Census Bureau first started using a definition of a metropolitan area for census work in the tabulation of 1910 and used the minimum of 100,000 or more residents, revising it in 1950 down to 50,000 to take into account the growth of suburbs and their integration with the city they surround. About Metropolitan Areas The 30 largest metropolitan areas in the United States are those urban and suburban areas containing populations of more than 2 million. This list of the top 30 metropolitan areas spans from New York City to Austin; you'll note that many of the largest consolidated metros in New England stretch through multiple states. Several others across the country span borders as well; for example, Kansas City, Kansas stretches over into Missouri. In another example, St. Paul and Minneapolis are both completely in Minnesota, but there are people residing right across the border in Wisconsin who are considered an integrated part of the metropolitan statistical area of Minnesota's Twin Cities. The data here represents the estimates for each Combined Statistical Area from the 2020 Census, as reported by the Census Reporter. The 30 Biggest U.S. Metropolitan Areas from Largest to Smallest 1. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 19,261,570 2. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 13,211,027 3. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 9,478,801 4. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 7,451,858 5. Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 6,979,613 6. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 6,250,309 7. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL 6,129,858 8. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 6,092,403 9. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA 5,947,008 10. Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ 4,860,338 11. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH 4,854,808 12. San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA 4,709,220 13. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 4,600,396 14. Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI 4,317,384 15. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 3,928,498 16. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 3,605,450 17. San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA 3,323,970 18. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL 3,152,928 19. Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO 2,928,437 20. St. Louis, MO-IL 2,806,349 21. Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD 2,800,427 22. Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC 2,595,027 23. Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL 2,560,260 24. San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX 2,510,211 25. Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA 2,472,774 26. Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA 2,338,866 27. Pittsburgh, PA 2,324,447 28. Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV 2,228,866 29. Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN 2,214,265 30. Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX 2,173,804 View Article Sources "The Census Reporter." Chicago: Northwestern University Knight Lab. Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Rosenberg, Matt. "Most Populous Metropolitan Areas in the United States." ThoughtCo, Apr. 7, 2022, thoughtco.com/largest-metropolitan-areas-1435135. Rosenberg, Matt. (2022, April 7). Most Populous Metropolitan Areas in the United States. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/largest-metropolitan-areas-1435135 Rosenberg, Matt. "Most Populous Metropolitan Areas in the United States." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/largest-metropolitan-areas-1435135 (accessed March 22, 2023). copy citation Featured Video By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies