Of the most populous cities in the U.S., San Jose, California had the highest annual income requirement at ******* U.S. dollars annually for homeowners to have an affordable and comfortable life in 2024. This can be compared to Houston, Texas, where homeowners needed an annual income of ****** U.S. dollars in 2024.

Content

Data was pulled from a table in the following Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_cities_by_population I used Microsoft Excel's PowerQuery function to pull the table from Wikipedia. Lists each city, its rank (based on 2020 population), some data on its area, and population in both 2020 and 2010.

Banner image source: https://unsplash.com/photos/wh-7GeXxItI

This statistic shows the top 25 cities in the United States with the highest resident population as of July 1, 2022. There were about 8.34 million people living in New York City as of July 2022.

As of 2024, Austin was rated the city in the United States with the best smart city infrastructure, with an index score of ****. Seattle and New York City followed, with **** and ****, respectively. While Austin and Seattle are both in the top three of the best prepared U.S. cities for a smart city future , New York City ranked eighth, with a general index score of ****.

A dataset listing Illinois cities by population for 2024.

A dataset ranking the top metropolitan areas in the United States by nominal GDP for 2024, based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).

This layer presents the locations of major cities within the United States with populations of approximately 10,000 or more, state capitals, and the national capital. Major Cities are locations containing population totals from the 2020 Census. The points represent U.S. Census Places polygons sourced from U.S. Census Bureau 2020 TIGER FGDB (National Sub-State). Attribute fields include 2020 total population from the U.S. Census Public Law 94 data that symbolize the city points using these six classifications: Class Population Range 5 2,500 – 9,999 6 10,000 – 49,999 7 50,000 – 99,999 8 100,000 – 249,999 9 250,000 – 499,999 10 500,000 and over This ready-to-use layer can be used in ArcGIS Pro and in ArcGIS Online and its configurable apps, dashboards, StoryMaps, custom apps, and mobile apps. The data can also be exported for offline workflows. Cite the 'U.S. Census Bureau' when using this data.

As of 2024, Seattle was rated the best prepared city in the United States for a smart city future, with an index score of ****. Miami and Austin followed, with **** and ****, respectively. All the top three cities ranked best in their connectivity and infrastructure preparedness.

United States US: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data was reported at 7.020 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 7.065 % for 2016. United States US: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data is updated yearly, averaging 8.675 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 11.200 % in 1960 and a record low of 7.020 % in 2017. United States US: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Population in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.; ; United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects.; Weighted average;

A dataset listing Washington cities by population for 2024.

Satellite Imagery obtained from Sentinel2-L2A between 2017-2019

A dataset listing Florida cities by population for 2024.

A dataset listing Mississippi cities by population for 2024.

Where should we live in the next 10 years? Where should we settle down without relying on public transport? Which city should we move to without fearing losing our homes?

As weather patterns become more unpredictable with aggressive changes in temperatures, I collected some data below to see if there would be a city that could help assess our answers to the prior questions. I am curious to see if cities that typically have great infrastructure for walking, biking or public transit will be better prepared than those that are more typically car centric. Whichever you prefer, we can have a sense on where you might be migrating, and to which areas.

Here's how the data was collected:

1. Rhodium & ProPublica's combined work on counties risk factors against climate change across continental US (excludes Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico and Guam. Washington D.C, is excluded as it does not have a county.)
2. The available Walk Score of major cities that have a population above 100,000 represented. Cities like Delaware's Wilmington or Maine's Portland are not considered as it falls under a small-city definition
3. Maximum temperatures (for select cities): This dataset is collected from the UC Davis Department of Agricultural and Resource by Prof. Aaron Smith. I selected a monthly temporal unit and county spatial unit ranging from 2019 - 2024 July. This dataset is extracted based on the average of highest temperatures in each selected counties. I did not use the overall daily average as it can easily shadow the extremities of temperature fluctuations.

The columns have different rating systems. The counties have all major climate risks expected in the future, while corresponding cities in each county have walking, transit and biking scores to assess livability without cars.

Understanding County Climate Risks The counties were were represented on a 1- 10 scale, based on RCP 8.5 levels. Here are the following explanations (0 = lowest, 10 = highest)

1) Heat: Heat is one of the largest drivers changing the niche of human habitability. Rhodium Group researchers estimate that, between 2040 and 2060 extreme temperatures, many counties will face extremely high temperatures for half a year. The measure shows how many weeks per year will we anticipate temperatures to soar above 95 degrees. (0 = 0 weeks, 10 = 26 weeks).

2) Wet Bulb: Wet bulb temperatures occur when heat meets excessive humidity. This is commonplace across cities that have a urban island heat effects (dense concentration of pavements, less nature, higher chances of absorbing heat). That combination creates wet bulb temperatures, where 82 degrees can feel like southern Alabama on its hottest day, making it dangerous to work outdoors and for children to play school sports. As wet bulb temperatures increase even higher, so will the risk of heat stroke — and even death. The measure shows how many days will a county experience high wet bulb temperatures yearly, from 2040 to 2060. (0 = 0 days, 10 = 70 days)

3) Farm Crop Yield: With rising temperatures, it will become more difficult to grow food. Corn and soy are the most prevalent crops in the U.S. and the basis for livestock feed and other staple foods, and they have critical economic significance. Because of their broad regional spread, they offer the best proxy for predicting how farming will be affected by rising temperatures and changing water supplies. As corn and soy production gets more sensitive to heat than drought, the US will see a huge continental divide between cooler counties now having more ability to produce, while current warmer counties loosing all abilities to produce basic crops. The expected measure shows the percent decline yields from 2040 to 2060 (0 = -20.5% decline, 10 = 92% decline).

4) Sea Level Rise: As sea levels rise, the share of property submerged by high tides increases dramatically, affecting a small sliver of the nation's land but a disproportionate share of its population. The rating measures how much of property in the county will go below high tide from 2040 to 2060 (0 = 0%, 10 = 25%).

5) Very Large Fires: With heat and evermore prevalent drought, the likelihood that very large wildfires (ones that burn over 12,000 acres) will affect U.S. regions increases substantially, particularly in the West, Northwest and the Rocky Mountains. The rating calculates how many average number of large fires will we expect to see per year (0 = N/A, 10 = 2.45) from 2040 to 2071.

6) Economic Damages: Rising energy costs, lower labor productivity, poor crop yields and increasing cr...

A dataset listing Tennessee cities by population for 2024.

According to a report conducted in 2024, New York City was the smartest city, scoring a motion index of****. Additionally, Chicago ranked second with a score of ***** The idea behind smart cities first was analyzed by the US Community Analysis Bureau in the 1960s and 1970s. The concept has now evolved and analyzes various technologies' effects on urban living.

How many incorporated places are registered in the U.S.?

There were 19,502 incorporated places registered in the United States as of July 31, 2019. 16,410 had a population under 10,000 while, in contrast, only 10 cities had a population of one million or more.

Small-town America

Suffice it to say, almost nothing is more idealized in the American imagination than small-town America. When asked where they would prefer to live, 30 percent of Americans reported that they would prefer to live in a small town. Americans tend to prefer small-town living due to a perceived slower pace of life, close-knit communities, and a more affordable cost of living when compared to large cities.

An increasing population

Despite a preference for small-town life, metropolitan areas in the U.S. still see high population figures, with the New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago metro areas being the most populous in the country. Metro and state populations are projected to increase by 2040, so while some may move to small towns to escape city living, those small towns may become more crowded in the upcoming decades.

A dataset listing South Carolina cities by population for 2024.

A dataset listing Montana cities by population for 2024.

A dataset listing New Mexico cities by population for 2024.