Largest cities in the United States by population

Ballotpedia provides in-depth coverage of America's 100 largest cities based on official population figures provided by the United States Census Bureau. This list has been updated following the release of the 2020 census data. As of 2020, 64,537,560 individuals lived in these cities, accounting for 19.47% of the nation's total population.^[1]

This page includes information on mayors in the top 100 largest cities, including when they took office, when their current terms expire, and the cities' government types. It also contains population figures for municipalities.

Our coverage scope for local elections continues to grow, and you can use Ballotpedia's sample ballot tool to see what local elections we are covering in your area.

America's largest cities

See also: List of current mayors of the top 100 cities in the United States

The table below lists these 100 largest cities, their 2020 populations, their current mayors, when mayors took office, when current mayoral terms expire, and whether each city held municipal elections in 2022.

Although a majority of these cities hold nonpartisan elections, the table below states the partisan affiliation of most of their mayors. Ballotpedia determined the partisan affiliation of each mayor in one of three ways: by cross-checking multiple media outlets that identified someone as affiliated with one political party; by verifying that a mayor previously ran in a partisan election for another office; or by contacting the mayors directly.

The table also describes the types of government used by America's largest cities. Each type has a different distribution of power and responsibilities between the mayor and the city council. The types of government are:

• Strong mayor: The city council serves as the city's primary legislative body, and the mayor serves as the city's chief executive.
• Council-manager: An elected city council—which includes the mayor and serves as the city's primary legislative body—appoints a chief executive called a city manager to oversee day-to-day municipal operations and to implement the council's policy and legislative initiatives.
• City commission: A city council, composed of an elected mayor and a board of elected commissioners, serves as the city's primary legislative and administrative body.
• Hybrid: The city council serves as the city's primary legislative body, and the mayor serves as the city's chief executive. The mayor, however, appoints a city manager to oversee the city's day-to-day operations and to implement city policies.

What about Washington, DC?

For the purposes of our coverage, Ballotpedia treats Washington, D.C. as a state rather than as a city. The District of Columbia is the federal city, but not a city within any state. It is established by the Constitution as a separate District, within which was to be the offices of the federal government. Although it has a council that has many of the same powers as that of a city council, it has also been delegated by Congress some powers that would be more typical of a state legislature. Congress also has supreme authority over the district, which means it can review and overturn any acts of the council. Want to learn more about our nation's capital? Click here.

See also

Footnotes