rank 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000
1 New York
(7,891,957)		 New York
(7,781,984)		 New York
(7,894,862)		 New York
(7,071,639)		 New York
(7,322,564)		 New York
(8,008,278)
2

Chicago
(3,620,962)

Chicago
(3,550,404)

Chicago
(3,366,957)

Chicago
(3,005,078)

Los Angeles
(3,485,498)		 Los Angeles
(3,694,820)
3 Philadelphia
(2,071,605) 		Los Angeles
(2,479,105)		 Los Angeles
(2,816,061)		 Los Angeles
(2,966,848)		 Chicago
(2,783,726) 		Chicago
(2,896,016)
4 Los Angeles
(1,970,358)		 Philadelphia
(2,002,512) 		Philadelphia
(1,950,098) 		Philadelphia
(1,688,210) 		Houston
(1,630,553)		 Houston
(1,953,631)
5 Detroit
(2,000,398) 		Detroit
(1,670,000) 		Detroit
(1,511,482) 		Houston
(1,595,167)		 Philadelphia
(1,585,577)		 Philadelphia
(1,517,550)
6

Baltimore
(949,708)

Baltimore
(939,024)

Houston
(1,232,802)

Detroit
(1,203,339)

San Diego
(1,110,549)		 Phoenix
(1,321,045)
7 Cleveland
(914,808) 		Houston
(938,219)		 Baltimore
(905,759)		 Dallas
(904,074)

Detroit
(1,027,974)

San Diego
(1,223,400)
8

St. Louis
(856,796)

 Cleveland
(876,000) 		Dallas
(844,401)		 San Diego
(875,538)		 Dallas
(1,006,877)

Dallas
(1,188,580)
9 Washington, DC
(802,178)

Washington, DC
(763,956)

Washington, DC
(756,510)

Phoenix
(789,704)		 Phoenix
(983,403)		 San Antonio
(1,144,646)
10 Boston
(800,000)		 St. Louis
(750,026)		 Cleveland
(750,903)		 Baltimore
(786,775)		 San Antonio
(935,933) 		Detroit
(951,270)
11

San Francisco
(775,357)

San Francisco
(740,316) 		Indianapolis
(774,624) 		San Antonio
(685,809) 		San Jose
(782,248) 		San Jose
(894,943)
12 Pittsburgh
(676,806) 		Milwaukee
(741,324) 		Milwaukee
(717,099)		 Indianapolis
(700,719) 		Baltimore
(736,014)		 Indianapolis
(781,870)
13 Milwaukee
(632,392) 		Boston
(697,197)		 San Francisco
(715,674) 		San Francisco
(678,974) 		Indianapolis
(731,327) 		San Francisco
(776,733)
14 Houston
(596,163)		 Dallas
(679,684)		 San Diego
(696,769)		 Memphis
(646,356)		 San Francisco
(723,959) 		Jacksonville
(735,617)
15 Buffalo
(580,132) 		New Orleans
(627,525) 		San Antonio
(654,153) 		Washington, DC
(638,333) 		Jacksonville
(635,230)		 Columbus
(711,470)
16 New Orleans
(570,445) 		Pittsburgh
(604,332) 		Boston
(641,071)		 Milwaukee
(636,212)		 Columbus
(652,910)		 Austin
(656, 562)
17 Minneapolis
(521,718) 		San Antonio
(581,718) 		Memphis
(623,530)		 San Jose
(629,442) 		Milwaukee
(628,088)		 Baltimore
(651,154)
18 Cincinatti
(503,998) 		San Diego
(573,224)		 St. Louis
(622,236)		 Cleveland
(573,822)		 Memphis
(610,337)		 Memphis
(650,100)
19 Seattle
(468,000) 		Seattle
(557,087) 		New Orleans
(593,471)

Columbus
(564,866)

 Washington, DC
(606,900)

Milwaukee
(596,974)
20 Kansas City, MO
(457,000) 		Buffalo
(532,759)

Phoenix
(581,562)

Boston
(562,904)

Boston
(574,283)

 Boston
(589,141)