State rankings

Largest City by State

New York has the highest Population (8,346,955), followed by California (3,869,891) and Illinois (2,765,636). Vermont has the lowest (44,275).

Population51 states · 2 metricsUpdated Mar 19, 2026Original page
2 sources
PopulationBetter directionWhether a higher or a lower value is better. A green arrow means higher is better, a red arrow means lower is better, and no arrow means neither.More in the glossary →
51 of 51 states
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Population

Darker means higher. Click a place to highlight it.

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All 51 ranked

Highest first.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one state; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median
487,506
Middle half 209.3K – 722.9K
Average
784,750
51 states
Highest
8,346,955
New York
Lowest
44,275
Vermont

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

51 states · # = rank by Population
#
1New YorkNew York8,346,955
2CaliforniaLos Angeles3,869,891
3IllinoisChicago city2,765,636
4TexasHouston2,435,715
5ArizonaPhoenix1,703,449
6PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia1,560,480
7FloridaJacksonville1,038,787
8North CarolinaCharlotte977,740
9OhioColumbus946,661
10IndianaIndianapolis893,619
11WashingtonSeattle801,192
12ColoradoDenver734,718
13OklahomaOklahoma City727,836
14District of ColumbiaWashington717,916
15TennesseeNashville712,581
16NevadaLas Vegas694,501
17MassachusettsBoston city691,168
18MichiganDetroit649,374
19KentuckyLouisville645,270
20OregonPortland627,040
21MarylandBaltimore560,812
22New MexicoAlbuquerque558,046
23WisconsinMilwaukee556,718
24GeorgiaAtlanta530,106
25MissouriKansas City520,000
26NebraskaOmaha487,506
27VirginiaVirginia Beach452,375
28MinnesotaMinneapolis427,499
29KansasWichita402,453
30LouisianaNew Orleans352,364
31HawaiiUrban Honolulu343,229
32New JerseyNewark city333,459
33AlaskaAnchorage288,947
34IdahoBoise City238,923
35AlabamaHuntsville237,413
36UtahSalt Lake City226,341
37South DakotaSioux Falls217,209
38IowaDes Moines212,759
39ArkansasLittle Rock205,857
40Rhode IslandProvidence196,657
41South CarolinaCharleston160,965
42ConnecticutBridgeport153,542
43North DakotaFargo141,434
44MississippiJackson135,671
45MontanaBillings123,608
46New HampshireManchester city117,774
47DelawareWilmington74,343
48MainePortland70,104
49WyomingCheyenne65,914
50West VirginiaCharleston45,403
51VermontBurlington44,275

What correlates with Population?

Pearson r against 2,096 other state metrics sharing at least 31 states. Ranks are read by standing: a better rank counts as higher, whether rank 1 is the best place on a list or the worst. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher Population tend to score higher on these (or rank better)

  1. Bar Exam TakersHardest Bar Exams by State
    r = +0.95 · very strong · n = 38
    Plot
  2. Sheltered HomelessHomeless Population by State
    r = +0.95 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot
  3. Homeless in Family UnitsHomeless Population by State
    r = +0.92 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot
  4. Highest Bracket (Joint)Tax Rates by State
    r = +0.92 · very strong · n = 32
    Plot
  5. Highest Bracket (Single)Tax Rates by State
    r = +0.92 · very strong · n = 32
    Plot
  6. Open Unclaimed Persons CasesMissing Persons by State
    r = +0.91 · very strong · n = 44
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Population tend to score lower on these (or rank worse)

  1. FTE Convictions RankMost Corrupt StatesA rank: rank 1 is the worst
    r = −0.51 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  2. % VeteransVeterans Unemployment Benefits by State
    r = −0.48 · moderate · n = 50
    Plot
  3. Married (Both Spouses Applying) (MWHCBSMarried)Medicaid Income Limits by State
    r = −0.47 · moderate · n = 46
    Plot
  4. OpportunityBest States to Live InA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = +0.46 · moderate · n = 49
    Plot
  5. State Freedom ScoreState Powers
    r = −0.44 · moderate · n = 50
    Plot
  6. Opportunity RankWorst States to Live inA rank: rank 1 is the worst
    r = −0.43 · moderate · n = 50
    Plot

Quick answers

Which state has the highest Population?
New York has the highest Population, at 8,346,955, followed by California (3,869,891) and Illinois (2,765,636).
Which state has the lowest Population?
Vermont has the lowest Population, at 44,275.
What is the median Population across US states?
The median is 487,506 across the 51 US states with data.
Where does this largest city by state data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Explore Census Data - US Census Bureau; US Cities by Population.