In 2023, there were approximately ***** million people living in rural areas in the United States, while about ****** million people were living in urban areas. Within the provided time period, the number of people living in urban U.S. areas has increased significantly since totaling only ****** million in 1960.

In 2020, about 82.66 percent of the total population in the United States lived in cities and urban areas. As the United States was one of the earliest nations to industrialize, it has had a comparatively high rate of urbanization over the past two centuries. The urban population became larger than the rural population during the 1910s, and by the middle of the century it is expected that almost 90 percent of the population will live in an urban setting. Regional development of urbanization in the U.S. The United States began to urbanize on a larger scale in the 1830s, as technological advancements reduced the labor demand in agriculture, and as European migration began to rise. One major difference between early urbanization in the U.S. and other industrializing economies, such as the UK or Germany, was population distribution. Throughout the 1800s, the Northeastern U.S. became the most industrious and urban region of the country, as this was the main point of arrival for migrants. Disparities in industrialization and urbanization was a key contributor to the Union's victory in the Civil War, not only due to population sizes, but also through production capabilities and transport infrastructure. The Northeast's population reached an urban majority in the 1870s, whereas this did not occur in the South until the 1950s. As more people moved westward in the late 1800s, not only did their population growth increase, but the share of the urban population also rose, with an urban majority established in both the West and Midwest regions in the 1910s. The West would eventually become the most urbanized region in the 1960s, and over 90 percent of the West's population is urbanized today. Urbanization today New York City is the most populous city in the United States, with a population of 8.3 million, while California has the largest urban population of any state. California also has the highest urbanization rate, although the District of Columbia is considered 100 percent urban. Only four U.S. states still have a rural majority, these are Maine, Mississippi, Montana, and West Virginia.

United States US: Urban Population Growth data was reported at 0.952 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 0.968 % for 2016. United States US: Urban Population Growth data is updated yearly, averaging 1.152 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2.449 % in 1960 and a record low of 0.927 % in 1974. United States US: Urban Population Growth data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on the United Nations Population Division's World Urbanization Prospects: 2018 Revision.; Weighted average;

The average for 2024 based on 20 countries was 76.97 percent. The highest value was in Uruguay: 95.85 percent and the lowest value was in Guatemala: 53.54 percent. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2024. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

This dataset provides detailed information about the population of all the 300 US Cities for the years 2024 and 2020. It includes the annual population change, population density, and the area of all the US cities.

Actual value and historical data chart for United States Urban Population Growth Annual Percent

Actual value and historical data chart for United States Population In The Largest City Percent Of Urban Population

Historical dataset showing Central America urban population by year from N/A to N/A.

The statistic represents the urban population in the United States, sorted by state. In 2010, the urban population in Michigan amounted about **** percent of the total population.

Historical dataset showing North America urban population by year from 1960 to 2023.

This resource is a member of a series. The TIGER/Line shapefiles and related database files (.dbf) are an extract of selected geographic and cartographic information from the U.S. Census Bureau's Master Address File / Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (MAF/TIGER) System (MTS). The MTS represents a seamless national file with no overlaps or gaps between parts, however, each TIGER/Line shapefile is designed to stand alone as an independent data set, or they can be combined to cover the entire nation. After each decennial census, the Census Bureau delineates urban areas that represent densely developed territory, encompassing residential, commercial, and other nonresidential urban land uses. In general, this territory consists of areas of high population density and urban land use resulting in a representation of the urban footprint. There are 2,644 Urban Areas (UAs) in this data release with either a minimum population of 5,000 or a housing unit count of 2,000 units. Each urban area is identified by a five-character numeric census code that may contain leading zeros.

This bar chart displays urban population (people) by region using the aggregation sum in South America. The data is about countries.

Historical dataset showing U.S. urban population by year from 1960 to 2023.

This graph shows the distribution between urban and rural population in the federal states of the U.S. in 2010. In 2010, around 1.66 million people were living in rural regions in Florida.

United States US: People Using Basic Drinking Water Services: Urban: % of Urban Population data was reported at 99.769 % in 2015. This stayed constant from the previous number of 99.769 % for 2014. United States US: People Using Basic Drinking Water Services: Urban: % of Urban Population data is updated yearly, averaging 99.769 % from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2015, with 16 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 99.769 % in 2015 and a record low of 99.769 % in 2015. United States US: People Using Basic Drinking Water Services: Urban: % 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: Health Statistics. The percentage of people using at least basic water services. This indicator encompasses both people using basic water services as well as those using safely managed water services. Basic drinking water services is defined as drinking water from an improved source, provided collection time is not more than 30 minutes for a round trip. Improved water sources include piped water, boreholes or tubewells, protected dug wells, protected springs, and packaged or delivered water.; ; WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (washdata.org).; Weighted Average;

This horizontal bar chart displays urban population (people) by country full name using the aggregation sum in South America. The data is about countries per year.

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 line chart displays urban population (people) by date using the aggregation sum in Northern America. The data is about countries per year.

Actual value and historical data chart for United States Access To Electricity Urban Percent Of Urban Population

About this dataset

Context

This list ranks the 27808 cities in the United States by American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) population, as estimated by the United States Census Bureau. It also highlights population changes in each cities over the past five years.

Content

When available, the data consists of estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, including:

• 2019-2023 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
• 2018-2022 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
• 2017-2021 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
• 2016-2020 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
• 2015-2019 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

Variables / Data Columns

• Rank by Native American Population: This column displays the rank of cities in the United States by their American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) population, using the most recent ACS data available.
• cities: The cities for which the rank is shown in the previous column.
• Native American Population: The Native American population of the cities is shown in this column.
• % of Total cities Population: This shows what percentage of the total cities population identifies as Native American. Please note that the sum of all percentages may not equal one due to rounding of values.
• % of Total U.S. Native American Population: This tells us how much of the entire United States Native American population lives in that cities. Please note that the sum of all percentages may not equal one due to rounding of values.
• 5 Year Rank Trend: TThis column displays the rank trend across the last 5 years.

Good to know

Margin of Error

Data in the dataset are based on the estimates and are subject to sampling variability and thus a margin of error. Neilsberg Research recommends using caution when presening these estimates in your research.

Custom data

If you do need custom data for any of your research project, report or presentation, you can contact our research staff at research@neilsberg.com for a feasibility of a custom tabulation on a fee-for-service basis.

Inspiration

Neilsberg Research Team curates, analyze and publishes demographics and economic data from a variety of public and proprietary sources, each of which often includes multiple surveys and programs. The large majority of Neilsberg Research aggregated datasets and insights is made available for free download at https://www.neilsberg.com/research/.