Guide Rankings Demographics Updated June 21, 2026

Largest City in Each U.S. State

Skyline of New York City with dense high-rise buildings

Largest City in Each U.S. State

Ranking - Demographics

The largest city in a state can mean a global megacity like New York or a small regional hub like Burlington, Vermont. The spread runs from more than 8.3 million residents at the top to just over 44,000 at the bottom.

Quick Answer

Largest City in Each U.S. State

  1. 1

    New York has the largest city of any state. With 8,346,955 residents, New York City is followed by California's Los Angeles at 3,869,891 and Illinois's Chicago at 2,765,636.

  2. 2

    Vermont's Burlington, with 44,275 residents, is the smallest largest city of any state. West Virginia's Charleston, at 45,403, is the second smallest, and Wyoming's Cheyenne ranks 48th at 65,914.

  3. 3

    Seven states have a largest city with more than 1 million residents: New York, California, Illinois, Texas, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Florida. All other 43 states have a largest city below 1 million.

Map

Largest City in Each U.S. State (Population Map)

residents
No data
New York City leads all states at 8,346,955 residents, more than twice the size of Los Angeles at 3,869,891. Vermont's Burlington, at 44,275, is the smallest largest city of any state.
Largest City in Each U.S. State (Population Map)
Rank State residents
1 New York 8.3M
2 California 3.9M
3 Illinois 2.8M
4 Texas 2.4M
5 Arizona 1.7M
6 Pennsylvania 1.6M
7 Florida 1.0M
8 North Carolina 977,740
9 Ohio 946,661
10 Indiana 893,619
11 Washington 801,192
12 Colorado 734,718
13 Oklahoma 727,836
14 Tennessee 712,581
15 Nevada 694,501
16 Massachusetts 691,168
17 Michigan 649,374
18 Kentucky 645,270
19 Oregon 627,040
20 Maryland 560,812
21 New Mexico 558,046
22 Wisconsin 556,718
23 Georgia 530,106
24 Missouri 520,000
25 Nebraska 487,506
26 Virginia 452,375
27 Minnesota 427,499
28 Kansas 402,453
29 Louisiana 352,364
30 Hawaii 343,229
31 New Jersey 333,459
32 Alaska 288,947
33 Idaho 238,923
34 Alabama 237,413
35 Utah 226,341
36 South Dakota 217,209
37 Iowa 212,759
38 Arkansas 205,857
39 Rhode Island 196,657
40 South Carolina 160,965
41 Connecticut 153,542
42 North Dakota 141,434
43 Mississippi 135,671
44 Montana 123,608
45 New Hampshire 117,774
46 Delaware 74,343
47 Maine 70,104
48 Wyoming 65,914
49 West Virginia 45,403
50 Vermont 44,275

New York City leads all states at 8,346,955 residents, more than twice the size of Los Angeles at 3,869,891. Vermont's Burlington, at 44,275, is the smallest largest city of any state.

Largest City in Each U.S. State Table

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Print-ready table — Largest City in Each U.S. State

Largest and Smallest Largest Cities by State

Highest

8346955
New York flag
New York #1

Lowest

44275
Vermont flag
Vermont #50

Top 10 Highest — Population

#1 New York flag New York
8346955
#2 California flag California
3869891
#3 Illinois flag Illinois
2765636
#4 Texas flag Texas
2435715
#5 Arizona flag Arizona
1703449
#6 Pennsylvania flag Pennsylvania
1560480
#7 Florida flag Florida
1038787
#8 North Carolina flag North Carolina
977740
#9 Ohio flag Ohio
946661
#10 Indiana flag Indiana
893619

Top 10 Lowest — Population

#50 Vermont flag Vermont
44275
#49 West Virginia flag West Virginia
45403
#48 Wyoming flag Wyoming
65914
#47 Maine flag Maine
70104
#46 Delaware flag Delaware
74343
#45 New Hampshire flag New Hampshire
117774
#44 Montana flag Montana
123608
#43 Mississippi flag Mississippi
135671
#42 North Dakota flag North Dakota
141434
#41 Connecticut flag Connecticut
153542

States Where the Largest City Has Over 1 Million People

Aerial view of a dense downtown skyline with skyscrapers
Only seven states have a largest city above 1 million residents, and they are heavily concentrated in the country's biggest population centers. New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Phoenix, Philadelphia, and Jacksonville form a very small top tier.

Seven states have a largest city exceeding 1 million residents: New York (8,346,955), California (3,869,891), Illinois (2,765,636), Texas (2,435,715), Arizona (1,703,449), Pennsylvania (1,560,480), and Florida (1,038,787). New York City is more than twice the size of Los Angeles.

The gap from rank 1 to rank 2 is 4.5 million people. Florida's Jacksonville, at 1,038,787, just clears the threshold as the seventh and smallest city in this group, ranking 269,000 below Pennsylvania's Philadelphia.

States with the Smallest Largest Cities

Small American downtown street with low-rise buildings
At the other end of the ranking, some states are led not by giant metros but by relatively small local centers. Burlington and Charleston show how different state urban systems can look outside the biggest regions.

Vermont's Burlington, at 44,275 residents, is the smallest largest city of any state. West Virginia's Charleston, at 45,403, is second smallest, separated from Burlington by fewer than 1,200 people. Wyoming ranks 48th with Cheyenne at 65,914.

Delaware's Wilmington, at 74,343, is the 46th largest. New Hampshire's Manchester (117,774) and Montana's Billings (123,608) are the only two states where the largest city falls between 100,000 and 125,000 residents.

Quick Answers

What is the largest city in New York State?
New York City is the largest city in New York State, with 8,346,955 residents. That total is roughly three times the size of Chicago, the third-largest city in the table at 2,765,636.
Which state has the smallest largest city?
Vermont has the smallest largest city of any state. Burlington holds 44,275 residents, with Maine's Portland the only other state whose largest city is below 75,000, at 70,104.
How many states have a largest city with over 1 million residents?
Seven states have a largest city exceeding 1 million residents. New York leads at 8,346,955, followed by California (3,869,891), Illinois (2,765,636), Texas (2,435,715), Arizona (1,703,449), Pennsylvania (1,560,480), and Florida (1,038,787).
What is the largest city in California?
Los Angeles is the largest city in California, with 3,869,891 residents, placing California second in the table behind only New York.
What is the largest city in Texas?
Houston is the largest city in Texas with 2,435,715 residents, placing Texas fourth in the table behind New York, California, and Illinois.
What is the largest city in Florida?
Jacksonville is the largest city in Florida with 1,038,787 residents. Florida ranks seventh in the table, and Jacksonville is the smallest of the seven state-leading cities above 1 million.

Methodology

City populations use 2020 U.S. Census city-proper totals, not metropolitan or combined statistical area figures.

Sources

Information is cross-referenced with official state archives.
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