U.S. City Rankings

Find the largest cities, the fastest population increases, lower survey rents and other measurable differences between U.S. places. Each ranking has a dedicated research page with the eligible universe, reference periods, source definitions, uncertainty and a downloadable table. The criteria measure a specific statistic; they do not declare a city the best place for everyone.

• Largest U.S. Cities by Population

  Rank U.S. cities and towns by July 2025 Census population. Explore the top 100, compare growth, filter all 19,483 places and download the results.

  19,483 numbered eligible places · July 1, 2025 · Leading exact-value row: New York city, New York ( 8,584,629).

• Fastest-Growing U.S. Cities by Population

  Find the fastest-growing U.S. cities with at least 20,000 residents. Compare percentage growth and added residents using Census Vintage 2025 estimates.

  1,946 numbered eligible places · July 1, 2024 to July 1, 2025 · Leading exact-value row: Celina city, Texas ( 24.6%).

• U.S. Cities with the Lowest Median Rent

  Compare U.S. cities with the lowest ACS median gross rent. See survey uncertainty, income context and rent definitions for places with 20,000+ residents.

  1,932 numbered eligible places · ACS 2020–2024, 2024 dollars · Leading exact-value row: Youngstown city, Ohio ( $728).

• U.S. Cities with the Lowest Median Home Values

  Rank cities by median owner-occupied home value using ACS 2020–2024. Compare household income, uncertainty and monthly ownership-cost limitations.

  1,926 numbered eligible places · ACS 2020–2024, 2024 dollars · Leading exact-value row: Flint city, Michigan ( $53,500).

• U.S. Cities with High Median Household Income

  Explore high-income U.S. cities with Census household medians, rent context and margins of error. Open-ended income estimates are identified separately.

  1,938 numbered eligible places · ACS 2020–2024, 2024 dollars · Leading exact-value row: Garden City village, New York ( $244,152). Four open-ended income medians of at least $250,000 are listed separately.

• U.S. Cities with the Most Residents Working from Home

  Compare work-from-home shares in U.S. cities with 50,000+ residents using ACS data. See worker counts, survey uncertainty and rent alongside each estimate.

  822 numbered eligible places · ACS 2020–2024 · Leading exact-value row: Sammamish city, Washington ( 38.8%).

How to choose a useful city ranking

Start with the decision you are making. Population is useful for comparing municipal scale; annual growth measures change within the same Census vintage. Median gross rent describes the middle of existing renters’ housing costs. Median owner-occupied home value describes the housing stock of owners. Household income and residents’ work arrangements supply different kinds of context. None of these measures prices a particular address or guarantees a job offer.

Every population figure here comes from the July 2025 Census PEP release. Housing, income and working-from-home estimates use the ACS 2020–2024 five-year window. The population cutoff on a housing ranking refers to 2025; it does not change the housing observation’s period. Source publication dates and reference dates are distinct.

Ranks, missing data and geographic coverage

Equal point estimates share a competition rank. Missing or suppressed figures never become zeros. Survey rankings identify open-ended medians and apply a documented precision rule before numbering exact estimates. A small difference in table position does not establish statistical significance; the detailed pages retain 90% margins of error.

The starting universe contains 19,483 Census PEP places. Cities, towns, villages, consolidated-government balances and named source exceptions retain their entity labels. Counties, metropolitan areas, neighborhoods, separate township records and most census-designated places are outside this universe. A rank is meaningful only alongside these coverage rules.

Use the city directory to combine criteria such as population, rent and income, or compare cities across several measures. The city research blog explores what these figures reveal and where they need further context. Read our methodology before citing a ranking.