How Many Cities Are in the US?

By Staff WriterLast Updated December 10, 2023

According to a study of the United States census completed for Walk Score, approximately 20,000 cities or metropolitan areas are located in the United States. New York, Los Angeles and Chicago are the three largest cities in the country.

While there are 20,000 locations classified as cities in the United States, they vary greatly in size. Ten American cities have a population of over 1 million people (including the three mentioned above), 34 cities have a population of more than 500,000 (including Detroit, Austin, San Francisco and Boston), and many more have smaller populations.