Largest cities in the United States by population by decade

This entry tracks and ranks the population of the largest cities in the United States by decade, starting with the. For through, tables are taken from "Population of the 100 Largest Cities and Other Urban Places in the United States: 1790 to 1990." For year rankings, data from the 's tally of "Cities with 100,000 or More Population Ranked by Selected Subject" is used. For further research on year 2000 urban population, the County and City Data Book might be instructive.

1790
By, New York had overtaken Philadelphia as the largest city in the United States, a rank it continues to hold to this day. The source population numbers for this list come from the United States Census Bureau.

1800
Source data for population is available from the Census Bureau.

1810
A list of the 46 largest cities from the 1810 census is available from the Census Bureau and the source of this information.

1820
A list of the 61 largest cities from the 1820 census is available from the Census Bureau and the source of this information.

1830
Source data for population is available from the Census Bureau.

1840
Source data for population is available from the Census Bureau.

1850
By, the United States was in the midst of the. A list of the hundred largest cities from the 1850 census is available from the Census Bureau and the source of this information.

1860
was the eve of the. A list of the hundred largest cities is available from the Census Bureau. This was the the.

1870
A list of the hundred largest cities is available from the Census Bureau. This was the the.

1880
The Census bureau provides a list of the 100 largest cities in the United States during this year.

1890
The Census was the. The Census Bureau provides a list of the 100 largest cities in that year.

1900
The Census was the. The Census Bureau provides a list of the 100 largest cities in that year.

1910
The Census was the. The Census Bureau provides a list of the 100 largest cities in that year.

1920
The Census was the. The Census Bureau provides a list of the 100 largest cities in that year.

1930
The Census was the. The Census Bureau provides a list of the 100 largest cities in that year.

1940
The Census was the. The Census Bureau provides a list of the 100 largest cities in that year.

1950
was a watershed year for many cities in the United States. Many cities in the country peaked in population, and began a slow decline caused by suburbanization, increased crime rates, and so-called. Of the cities listed below, most have declined in population since 1950. New York and Los Angeles are exceptions.

The source document for these numbers is available from the United States Census Bureau.

1960
The Census was the. The Census Bureau provides a list of the 100 largest cities in that year.

1970
The Census was the. The Census Bureau provides a list of the 100 largest cities in that year.

1980
By, the trends towards suburbanization started in the 1950s continued. Population shifts towards the west and south began.

For a more complete ranking, see the source material from the Census Bureau.

1990
By, trends had continued that started during the. Northeastern cities largely depopulated, and western and southwestern cities began to grow in size.

2000
The census was the most detailed to date. The Census Bureau provides a list of all cities with populations over 100,000.

2005 Estimates
The United States has dozens of major cities, including 11 of the 55 of all types—with three "alpha" global cities:, , and.

The figures expressed below are for populations within city limits. A different ranking is evident when considering, although the top three would be unchanged. The ten largest cities, based on the  estimates, are as follows:

For a more extensive list of present population estimates see.