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Urban Areas Facts

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Within About Geographic Areas

Urban Areas Facts

United States

  • 3,573: Total number of 2010 Census urban areas in the United States
    • 486: Number of urbanized areas (UAs)
    • 3,087: Number of urban clusters (UCs)

  • 249,253,271: Total urban population in the United States
    • 219,922,123: Urbanized area (UA) population
    • 29,331,148: Urban cluster (UC) population

  • 59,492,276: Total rural population in the United States
  • 80.7%: Percent of the U.S. population that is urban


Puerto Rico

  • 19 : Total number of 2010 Census urban areas in Puerto Rico
    • 11: Number of urbanized areas (UAs)
    • 8: Number of urban clusters (UCs)

  • 3,493,256: Total urban population in Puerto Rico
    • 3,379,977: Urbanized area (UA) population
    • 113,279: Urban cluster (UC) population

  • 232,533: Total rural population in Puerto Rico
  • 93.8%: Percent of the population in Puerto Rico that is urban

Island Areas

  • 9: Total number of 2010 Census urban areas in the Island Areas
    • 0: Number of urbanized areas (UAs)
    • 9: Number of urban clusters (UCs)

  • 347,487: Total urban population in the Island Areas
    • 0: Urbanized area (UA) population
    • 347,487: Urban cluster (UC) population

  • 27,678: Total rural population in the Island Areas
  • 92.6%: Percent of the Island Area population that is urban

  • Top 3 urbanized areas have not changed since the 1950 Census when urbanized areas were first delineated
Urbanized Area Population Land Area
(square miles)		 Density
New York--Newark, NY--NJ--CT 18,351,295 3,450.2 5,318.9
Los Angeles--Long Beach--Anaheim, CA 12,150,996 1,736.0 6,999.3
Chicago, IL--IN 8,608,208 2,442.7 3,524.0
Miami, FL 5,502,379 1,238.6 4,442.4
Philadelphia, PA--NJ--DE--MD 5,441,567 1,981.4 2,746.4
Dallas--Fort Worth--Arlington, TX 5,121,892 1,779.1 2,878.9
Houston, TX 4,944,332 1,660.0 2,978.5
Washington, DC--VA--MD 4,586,770 1,321.7 3,470.3
Atlanta, GA 4,515,419 2,645.4 1,706.9
Boston, MA--NH--RI 4,181,019 1,873.5 2,231.7

Top of Section

  • 9 of the 10 most densely populated urbanized areas are in the West
  • 7 of the 10 most densely populated urbanized areas are in California
  • 2,534.4 persons per square mile is the overall population density of the US urbanized areas
Urbanized Area Population Land Area
(square miles)		 Density
Los Angeles--Long Beach--Anaheim, CA 12,150,996 1,736.0 6,999.3
San Francisco--Oakland, CA 3,281,212 523.6 6,266.4
San Jose, CA 1,664,496 286.0 5,820.3
Delano, CA 54,372 9.9 5,482.7
New York--Newark, NY--NJ--CT 18,351,295 3,450.2 5,318.9
Davis, CA 72,794 14.1 5,156.6
Lompoc, CA 51,509 10.7 4,815.7
Urban Honolulu, HI 802,459 170.2 4,715.6
Woodland, CA 55,513 12.2 4,550.8
Las Vegas--Henderson, NV 1,886,011 416.8 4,524.5

Top of Section

  • New York--Newark, NY--NJ--CT urbanized area: Most populous urban area with 18,351,295 people
  • Roswell, NM urban cluster: Most populous urban cluster with 49,727 people
  • Richgrove, CA urban cluster: Highest urban area and urban cluster population density with 10,016 persons per square mile
  • Los Angeles--Long Beach--Anaheim, CA urbanized area: Highest urbanized area population density with 6,999.3 persons per square mile
  • New York--Newark, NY--NJ--CT urbanized area: Largest land area at 3,450 square miles

Top of Section

  • Lake Rancho Viejo, CA urban cluster: Least populous urban area and urban cluster with 2,500 people (the minimum population for recognition as an urban area)
  • Pascagoula, MS urbanized area: Least populous urbanized area with 50,248 people
  • Centre, AL urban cluster: Lowest urban area and urban cluster population density with 363 persons per square mile
  • Hickory, NC urbanized area: Lowest urbanized area population density with 811.1 persons per square mile
  • Richgrove, CA urban cluster: Smallest land area at 0.29 square miles

Top of Section

  • Albany, OR
  • Arroyo Grande--Grover Beach, CA
  • Beckley, WV
  • Bloomsburg--Berwick, PA
  • Cape Girardeau, MO--IL
  • Carbondale, IL
  • Cartersville, GA
  • Casa Grande, AZ
  • Chambersburg, PA
  • Conway, AR
  • Daphne--Fairhope, AL
  • Delano, CA
  • East Stroudsburg, PA--NJ
  • Grand Island, NE
  • Grants Pass, OR
  • Hammond, LA
  • Homosassa Springs--Beverly Hills--Citrus Springs, FL
  • Hanover, PA
  • Hilton Head Island, SC
  • Kahului, HI
  • Lake Havasu City, AZ
  • Lexington Park--California--Chesapeake Ranch Estates, MD
  • Los Lunas, NM
  • Manhattan, KS
  • Mankato, MN
  • Midland, MI
  • New Bern, NC
  • San Marcos, TX
  • Sebring--Avon Park, FL
  • Sierra Vista, AZ
  • Staunton--Waynesboro, VA
  • Walla Walla, WA--OR
  • Watertown, NY
  • West Bend, WI
  • Williamsburg, VA
  • Woodland, CA

Top of Section

Urban Areas

  • 80.7%: Percent of the US population living within urban areas
  • 93.8%: Percent of the population in Puerto Rico living within urban areas
  • 92.6%: Percent of the Island Area population that is urban
  • 12.1%: Urban population growth between 2000 and 2010.
    • 9.7%: U.S. total population growth between 2000 and 2010

Urbanized Areas

 

  • 486: Number of urbanized areas
  • 16: Number of urbanized areas with populations of 2,500,000 or more
  • 41: Number of urbanized areas with populations of 1,000,000 or more
  • 179: Number of urbanized areas with populations of 200,000 or more
  • 36: Number of new urbanized areas
  • 2,534.4 persons per square mile: Overall urbanized area population density in the U.S.
  • 71.2%: Percent of U.S. population living within urbanized areas
  • 90.7%: Percent of population in Puerto Rico living within urbanized areas

 

Urban, Urbanized Area, Urban Cluster, and Rural Population, 2010 and 2000: United States

Area Number of 2010
Urban Areas		 Population Percentage of Total Population
2010 2000 2010 2000
United States 3,573 308,745,538 281,421,906

Urban
249,253,271 222,360,539 80.7% 79.0%
Urbanized Areas 486 219,922,123 192,323,824 71.2% 68.3%
Urban Clusters 3,087 29,331,148 30,036,715 9.5% 10.7%
Rural
59,492,267 59,061,367 19.3% 21.0%

Urban, Urbanized Area, Urban Cluster, and Rural Population, 2010 and 2000: Puerto Rico

Area Number of 2010
Urban Areas		 Population Percentage of Total Population
2010 2000 2010 2000
Puerto Rico 19 3,725,789 3,808,610    
Urban   3,493,256 3,590,994 93.8% 94.3%
Urbanized Areas 11 3,379,977 3,476,691 90.7% 91.3%
Urban Clusters 8 113,279 114,303 3.0% 3.0%
Rural   232,533 217,616 6.2% 5.6%

Page Last Revised - October 8, 2021
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