The 50 Largest Metro Areas in the U.S. by Population

The United States has 393 metropolitan areas, but population is heavily concentrated at the top. The 10 largest metros are home to about 87 million people, roughly a quarter of everyone in the country, and the top 50 hold more than half.

A metropolitan area is a core city plus the surrounding counties tied to it by commuting, so these numbers are larger than city populations. New York City proper has about 8 million residents; the New York metro area has nearly 20 million.

Largest metro

19,756,722

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ

Top 10 combined

86,973,712

residents

Top 50 combined

183,806,531

residents

U.S. metro areas

393

metropolitan areas

Population, 15 Largest Metro Areas

What the List Shows

New York is in a class of its own. At 19,756,722 people, the New York-Newark-Jersey City metro is about 50% larger than #2 Los Angeles (13,012,469) and more than twice the size of #3 Chicago (9,359,555).

Texas and Florida Claim the Most Spots

Texas has four metros in the top 50: Dallas-Fort Worth (#4), Houston (#5), San Antonio (#24) and Austin (#28). Florida has four: Miami (#9), Tampa (#18), Orlando (#22) and Jacksonville (#40). California leads overall with seven, from Los Angeles at #2 down to Fresno at #49.

Big Does Not Always Mean Wealthy

Among the 10 largest, the Washington, D.C. metro has the highest median household income at $123,896, while Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach has the lowest at $73,481. Further down the list, San Jose (#37) is far smaller than its neighbors but posts a median income of $157,444, the highest of any U.S. metro area.

The youngest large metros are in Texas and Utah. Houston (35.3) and Dallas-Fort Worth (35.5) are the youngest in the top 10, and Salt Lake City (#47) has a median age of just 33.7. The oldest in the top 50 is San Juan, Puerto Rico (44.0), followed by Pittsburgh (42.8).

All 50 Ranked

Select a metro area to see its zip codes, or a column heading to sort.

Rank	Metro area	Population	Median income	Median age
1	New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	19,756,722	$97,334	39.4
2	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	13,012,469	$93,525	38.2
3	Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	9,359,555	$88,850	38.4
4	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	7,807,555	$87,155	35.5
5	Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX	7,274,714	$80,458	35.3
6	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	6,263,796	$123,896	37.9
7	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	6,241,882	$89,273	39.1
8	Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	6,176,937	$86,338	37.0
9	Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	6,138,876	$73,481	41.9
10	Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	4,941,206	$84,703	37.7
11	Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	4,917,661	$112,484	39.3
12	San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	4,653,593	$133,780	40.0
13	Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	4,637,725	$86,031	35.6
14	Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	4,367,620	$75,123	40.2
15	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	4,021,467	$112,594	37.4
16	Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	3,693,351	$98,180	37.8
17	San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	3,282,782	$102,285	37.1
18	Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL	3,240,469	$71,254	42.2
19	Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO	2,977,085	$102,339	37.2
20	Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD	2,839,409	$97,300	38.9
21	St. Louis, MO-IL	2,809,414	$78,225	39.8
22	Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL	2,721,022	$75,611	38.3
23	Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC	2,712,818	$80,201	37.9
24	San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX	2,612,802	$74,297	35.7
25	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA	2,510,529	$94,573	39.1
26	Pittsburgh, PA	2,443,921	$73,942	42.8
27	Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	2,406,563	$93,986	38.3
28	Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX	2,357,497	$97,638	35.9
29	Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV	2,293,764	$73,845	38.3
30	Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN	2,255,257	$79,490	38.2
31	Kansas City, MO-KS	2,202,006	$81,927	37.8
32	Cleveland, OH	2,171,978	$68,507	41.6
33	Columbus, OH	2,151,847	$79,847	36.6
34	Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN	2,106,327	$77,065	36.7
35	San Juan-Bayamón-Caguas, PR	2,063,795	$27,966	44.0
36	Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN	2,043,713	$82,499	36.8
37	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	1,969,353	$157,444	37.8
38	Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC	1,782,590	$80,533	37.2
39	Providence-Warwick, RI-MA	1,673,807	$85,646	40.6
40	Jacksonville, FL	1,645,707	$77,013	39.1
41	Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI	1,566,361	$76,404	38.5
42	Raleigh-Cary, NC	1,449,594	$96,066	37.5
43	Oklahoma City, OK	1,445,122	$70,499	35.8
44	Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN	1,361,847	$71,737	39.3
45	Memphis, TN-MS-AR	1,341,606	$64,743	36.7
46	Richmond, VA	1,327,321	$84,405	38.7
47	Salt Lake City-Murray, UT	1,261,337	$95,045	33.7
48	Birmingham, AL	1,181,432	$69,627	39.0
49	Fresno, CA	1,170,942	$71,897	33.4
50	Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY	1,161,385	$70,572	40.7

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the largest metro area in the United States?

The New York-Newark-Jersey City metro area, with 19,756,722 residents.

How many people live in the top 10 U.S. metro areas?

About 87 million people, roughly a quarter of the U.S. population.

What is the difference between a city and a metro area?

A city is a single municipality. A metro area includes the core city plus surrounding counties linked to it by commuting, so it is usually much larger.

How We Ranked These

We ranked all 393 U.S. metropolitan statistical areas by total population from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Micropolitan areas are not included.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Select any metro area to see its zip codes.