10 Largest US Cities by Decade

Largest US cities are well-established by now, but things haven’t always been exactly the same – this is why we present you with the list of 10 largest US cities by decade. Well, things haven’t exactly been the same in any spot but number 1, which is traditionally owned by New York ever since 1800’s.  If you are unsure which US cities are currently among the largest, take a look at our list of 21 biggest cities in the US by 2014 population as well.

It is clear why the east was always more populous and why most of largest US cities can be found in that part of the country. After all, modern America was populated from the east towards the west. With New York becoming the hub of the American expansion and taking the most populous city position from Philadelphia (which had taken the spot from Boston), Big Apple’s position was never truly threatened. However, Boston and Philadelphia alike have lost the race to other emerging American industrial cities with former of the two slipping entirely from the top 10 list.

By 1900’s, pattern by which cities will appear on the top 10 list was largely established. Changes were few and far in between since then, but every single decade had brought a few changes of its own, nevertheless. By gathering info from U.S. Census Bureau, we have been able to conjure up a list of 10 largest US cities by decade for the last 100 or so years, or 12 decades if you will. Some of the cities from initial few decades of the 19th century have been erased from the maps and absorbed into larger cities as their boroughs. Such were the fates of Brooklyn, Northern Liberties and Southwark, for instance. Every notable population shift (whether positive or negative) will be explained throughout the article.

1900

1. New York (NY) – population: 3,437,202
2. Chicago (IL) – population: 1,698,575
3. Philadelphia (PA) – population: 1,293,697
4. St. Louis (MO)- population: 575,238
5. Boston (MA) – population: 560,892
6. Baltimore (MD) – population: 508,957
7. Cleveland (OH) – population: 381,768
8. Buffalo (NY) – population: 352,387
9. San Francisco (CA) – population: 342,782
10. Cincinnati (OH) – population: 325,902

San Francisco has been the largest west coast city for a few consecutive decades by the start of the 20th century, but after the 1906 earthquake and fire, this is Fog City’s last appearance in the top 10. Cincinnati would also fall from the list, never to make it back.

1910

1. New York (NY) – population: 4,766,883
2. Chicago (IL) – population: 2,185,283
3. Philadelphia (PA) – population: 1,549,008
4. St. Louis (MO) – population: 687,029
5. Boston (MA) – population: 670,585
6. Cleveland (OH) – population: 560,663
7. Baltimore (MD) – population: 558,485
8. Pittsburgh (PA) – population: 533,905
9. Detroit (MI) – population: 465,766
10. Buffalo (NY) – population: 423,715

Nothing of note has happened after the census number 16 apart from some minor changes at the bottom of the list. New York has, however, grew in population number considerably thanks to the Interborough Rapid Transit system and its original underground New York City subway line.

1920

1. New York (NY) – population: 5,620,048
2. Chicago (IL) – population: 2,701,705
3. Philadelphia (PA) – population: 1,823,779
4. Detroit (MI) – population: 993,078
5. Cleveland (OH) – population: 796,841
6. St. Louis (MO) – population: 772,897
7. Boston (MA) – population: 748,060
8. Baltimore (MD) – population: 733,826
9. Pittsburgh (PA) – population: 588,343
10. Los Angeles (CA) – population: 576,673

Detroit has managed almost to double its population thanks to the growth of automobile industry that has chosen this city for its host. At the same time, this decade marks LA’s first appearance in the list of 10 largest US cities by decade, and City of Angels will only see a prominent rise from now on.

1930

1. New York (NY) – population: 6,930,446
2. Chicago (IL) – population: 3,376,438
3. Philadelphia (PA) – population: 1,950,961
4. Detroit (MI) – population: 1,568,662
5. Los Angeles (CA) – population: 1,238,048
6. Cleveland (OH) – population: 900,429
7. St. Louis (MO) – population: 821,960
8. Baltimore (MD) – population: 804,874
9. Boston (MA) – population: 781,188
10. Pittsburgh (PA) – population: 669,817

Detroit has now tripled its total population between the years 1910 and 1930, and Los Angeles has managed to double its population between 1920 and 1930 while also becoming the first west coast city with more than 1 million inhabitants. During the last 20 years, however, LA’s population has grown in size four times.

1940

1. New York (NY) – population: 7,457,995
2. Chicago (IL) – population: 3,396,808
3. Philadelphia (PA) – population: 1,931,334
4. Detroit (MI) – population: 1,623,452
5. Los Angeles (CA) – population: 1,504,277
6. Cleveland (OH) – population: 878,336
7. Baltimore (MD) – population: 859,100
8. St. Louis (MO) – population: 816,048
9. Boston (MA) – population: 770,816
10. Pittsburgh (PA) – population: 671,659

Things have remained more or less the same after the 1940 census with neither of the cities exhibiting exponential levels of growth like Detroit or Los Angeles used to 10 and 20 years ago respectively. However, few cities have seen their first ever drops in population which will only intensify after the next censuses – courtesy of World War II.

1950

1. New York (NY) – population: 7,891,957
2. Chicago (IL) – population: 3,620,962
3. Philadelphia (PA) – population: 2,071,605
4. Los Angeles (CA) – population: 1,970,358
5. Detroit (MI) – population: 1,849,568
6. Baltimore (MD) – population: 949,708
7. Cleveland (OH) – population: 914,808
8. St. Louis (MO) – population: 856,796
9. Washington (DC) – population: 802,178
10. Boston (MA) – population: 801,444

Excluding New York and Los Angeles, the population has pretty much peaked in every single city on the list, this census. From 1950, onward, people have started moving to the suburbs which has clearly impacted most cities’ population. However, metropolitan city areas have continued to grow or decline altogether.

1960

1. New York (NY) – population: 7,781,984
2. Chicago (IL) – population: 3,550,404
3. Los Angeles (CA) – population: 2,479,015
4. Philadelphia (PA) – population: 2,002,512
5. Detroit (MI) – population: 1,670,144
6. Baltimore (MD) – population: 939,024
7. Houston (TX) – population: 938,219
8. Cleveland (OH) – population: 876,050
9. Washington (DC) – population: 763,956
10. St. Louis (MO) – population: 750,026

After seeing Boston disappearing from the list last decade, St. Louis will fade from the list of 10 largest US cities by decade as well. Furthermore, all cities apart from LA and newcomer Houston have seen drops in population numbers between the years 1950 and 1960; even New York. 1960 census, however, is seen as a spark for the Sun Belt cities’ rise to prominence and aforementioned Houston is the first of many already established or soon-to-become over million inhabitants cities.

1970

1. New York (NY) – population: 7,894,862
2. Chicago (IL) – population: 3,366,957
3. Los Angeles (CA) – population: 2,816,061
4. Philadelphia (PA) – population: 1,948,609
5. Detroit (MI) – population: 1,511,482
6. Houston (TX) – population: 1,232,802
7. Baltimore (MD) – population: 905,759
8. Dallas (TX) – population: 844,401
9. Washington (DC) – population: 756,510
10. Cleveland (OH) – population: 750,903

After the 1970 census, both Washington and Cleveland will fall from grace, never to make the top 10 list again. Dallas, on the other hand represents Texas’ second city in the list after doubling its population in the last 20 years. Apart from the Texas duo, only New York and Los Angeles have seen their population grow in size.

1980

1. New York (NY) – population: 7,071,639
2. Chicago (IL) – population: 3,005,072
3. Los Angeles (CA) – population: 2,966,850
4. Philadelphia (PA) – population: 1,688,210
5. Houston (TX) – population: 1,595,138
6. Detroit (MI) – population: 1,203,339
7. Dallas (TX) – population: 904,078
8. San Diego (CA) – population: 875,538
9. Phoenix (AZ) – population: 789,704
10. Baltimore (MD) – population: 786,775

After this census, Baltimore will part from the list of 10 largest US cities by decade, never to return. Newcomers Phoenix and San Diego, on the other hand, will continue to grow. Note also that New York has lost almost a million people between the years 1970 and 1980. US economic stagnation has really hit country’s largest city hard and New York at the time was bailed out from bankruptcy by the federal government. The blackout of 1977 only serves as a reminder of how serious the situation was and how close things came to escalating into something even more serious.

1990

1. New York (NY) – population: 7,322,564
2. Los Angeles (CA) – population: 3,485,398
3. Chicago (IL) – population: 2,783,726
4. Houston (TX) – population: 1,630,553
5. Philadelphia (PA) – population: 1,585,577
6. San Diego (CA) – population: 1,110,549
7. Detroit (MI) – population: 1,027,974
8. Dallas (TX) – population: 1,006,877
9. Phoenix (AZ) – population: 983,403
10. San Antonio (TX) – population: 935,933

Dallas would become the second city in Texas to reach 1 million citizens mark, and Los Angeles will finally surpass Chicago and take number two spot on the top 10 list. At the same time, San Diego will become California’s second city with over million people and San Antonio will make its first appearance on the list as well; thus becoming the third city from Texas.

2000

1. New York (NY) – population: 8,008,278
2. Los Angeles (CA) – population: 3,694,820
3. Chicago (IL) – population: 2,896,016
4. Houston (TX) – population: 1,953,631
5. Philadelphia (PA) – population: 1,517,550
6. Phoenix (AZ) – population: 1,321,045
7. San Diego (CA) – population: 1,223,400
8. Dallas (TX) – population: 1,188,580
9. San Antonio (TX) – population: 1,144,646
10. Detroit (MI) – population: 951,270

As much as Phoenix has risen to prominence as America’s sixth largest city and first city from Arizona with more than 1 million inhabitants, Detroit has continued with its sharp decline and took one of the spots in top 10 list for the last time. At the same time, New York has breached the 8 million mark and fully recovered from the losses sustained during the seventies – not exactly “That Seventies Show” for the Big Apple, wasn’t it?

2010

1. New York (NY) – population: 8,175,133
2. Los Angeles (CA) – population: 3,792,621
3. Chicago (IL) – population: 2,695,598
4. Houston (TX) – population: 2,099,451 300
5. Philadelphia (PA) – population: 1,526,006
6. Phoenix (AZ) – population: 1,445,632 1400
7. San Antonio (TX) – population: 1,327,407 350
8. San Diego (CA) – population: 1,307,402 400
9. Dallas (TX) – population: 1,197,816 250
10. San Jose (CA) – population: 945,942

All cities from the list apart from mentioned Detroit and Chicago have gained population between the years 2000 and 2010 (even Philadelphia). Houston has become the first city in Texas with more than 2 million citizens and San Jose has made its first appearance to the top 10.

By looking at these 12 tables of 10 largest US cities by decade one can clearly see that population boom has shifted from the east coast to the west coast – especially to the Sun Belt cities of the south. In fact, all eastern cities with the exclusion of New York have suffered considerable losses in population ever since peaking after 1950 census. Cleveland, Detroit and St. Louis are leaders among them with losses of about 60 percent in the last 60 years. On the other hand, Dallas has expanded by around 250 percent, Houston has seen an increase of around 300 percent, San Antonia and San Diego have grown respectively by 350 and 400 percent and Phoenix has seen an increase of staggering 1,400 percent, growing from a city of 106,818 inhabitants to a metropolis of almost 1 and a half million inhabitants. These trends are likely to continue if something unforeseeable happens and we can expect Austin (TX) to make an appearance on the list after the 2020 census.