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20 Biggest U.S. Cities by Decade

Can you guess the 20 biggest American cities for every census year from 1790 to 2010?
According to biggestuscities.com and Wikipedia
Cities marked with (†) no longer exist!
Quiz by Gassu
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Last updated: October 30, 2022
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First submittedFebruary 13, 2017
Times taken2,911
Average score60.0%
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2020
8,772,978
New York City
3,889,834
Los Angeles
2,741,730
Chicago
2,300,027
Houston
1,611,345
Phoenix
1,601,005
Philadelphia
1,438,227
San Antonio
1,385,394
San Diego
1,303,234
Dallas
1,010,908
San Jose
963,121
Austin
950,463
Jacksonville
922,592
Fort Worth
905,860
Columbus
887,382
Indianapolis
876,747
Charlotte
870,014
San Francisco
738,172
Seattle
717,630
Denver
690,093
Washington, D.C.
 
 
2010
8,175,133
New York City
3,792,621
Los Angeles
2,695,598
Chicago
2,099,451
Houston
1,526,006
Philadelphia
1,445,632
Phoenix
1,327,407
San Antonio
1,307,402
San Diego
1,197,816
Dallas
945,942
San Jose
821,784
Jacksonville
820,445
Indianapolis
805,235
San Francisco
790,390
Austin
787,033
Columbus
741,206
Fort Worth
731,424
Charlotte
713,777
Detroit
649,121
El Paso
646,889
Memphis
 
 
2000
8,015,348
New York City
3,703,921
Los Angeles
2,895,671
Chicago
1,977,811
Houston
1,513,800
Philadelphia
1,326,997
Phoenix
1,226,804
San Diego
1,190,731
Dallas
1,163,825
San Antonio
945,297
Detroit
903,540
San Jose
782,254
Indianapolis
777,360
San Francisco
736,583
Jacksonville
715,971
Columbus
690,186
Memphis
672,241
Austin
648,654
Baltimore
597,049
Milwaukee
590,433
Boston
 
 
1990
7,322,564
New York City
3,485,499
Los Angeles
2,783,660
Chicago
1,697,873
Houston
1,585,577
Philadelphia
1,111,031
San Diego
1,027,946
Detroit
1,006,646
Dallas
997,434
San Antonio
988,983
Phoenix
783,324
San Jose
736,014
Baltimore
731,726
Indianapolis
723,959
San Francisco
636,323
Columbus
635,042
Jacksonville
628,300
Milwaukee
618,894
Memphis
606,900
Washington, D.C.
574,289
Boston
 
 
1980
7,071,639
New York City
3,005,072
Chicago
2,966,850
Los Angeles
1,688,210
Philadelphia
1,595,138
Houston
1,203,339
Detroit
904,078
Dallas
875,538
San Diego
789,704
Phoenix
786,775
Baltimore
785,880
San Antonio
700,807
Indianapolis
678,974
San Francisco
646,356
Memphis
638,333
Washington, D.C.
636,212
Milwaukee
629,442
San Jose
573,822
Cleveland
564,871
Columbus
562,994
Boston
 
 
1970
7,894,862
New York City
3,366,957
Chicago
2,816,061
Los Angeles
1,948,609
Philadelphia
1,511,482
Detroit
1,232,802
Houston
905,759
Baltimore
844,401
Dallas
756,510
Washington, D.C.
750,903
Cleveland
744,624
Indianapolis
717,099
Milwaukee
715,674
San Francisco
696,769
San Diego
654,153
San Antonio
641,071
Boston
623,530
Memphis
622,236
St. Louis
593,471
New Orleans
581,562
Phoenix
 
 
1960
7,781,984
New York City
3,550,404
Chicago
2,479,015
Los Angeles
2,002,512
Philadelphia
1,670,144
Detroit
939,024
Baltimore
938,219
Houston
876,050
Cleveland
763,956
Washington, D.C.
750,026
St. Louis
741,324
Milwaukee
740,316
San Francisco
697,197
Boston
679,684
Dallas
627,525
New Orleans
604,332
Pittsburgh
587,718
San Antonio
573,224
San Diego
557,087
Seattle
532,759
Buffalo
 
 
1950
7,891,957
New York City
3,620,962
Chicago
2,071,605
Philadelphia
1,970,358
Los Angeles
1,849,568
Detroit
949,708
Baltimore
914,808
Cleveland
856,796
St. Louis
802,178
Washington, D.C.
801,444
Boston
775,357
San Francisco
676,806
Pittsburgh
637,392
Milwaukee
596,163
Houston
580,132
Buffalo
570,445
New Orleans
521,718
Minneapolis
503,998
Cincinnati
467,591
Seattle
456,622
Kansas City
1940
7,454,995
New York City
3,396,808
Chicago
1,931,334
Philadelphia
1,623,452
Detroit
1,504,277
Los Angeles
878,336
Cleveland
859,100
Baltimore
816,048
St. Louis
770,816
Boston
671,659
Pittsburgh
663,091
Washington, D.C.
634,536
San Francisco
587,472
Milwaukee
575,901
Buffalo
494,537
New Orleans
492,370
Minneapolis
455,610
Cincinnati
429,760
Newark
399,178
Kansas City
386,972
Indianapolis
 
 
 
1930
6,930,446
New York City
3,376,438
Chicago
1,950,961
Philadelphia
1,568,662
Detroit
1,238,048
Los Angeles
900,429
Cleveland
821,960
St. Louis
804,874
Baltimore
781,188
Boston
669,817
Pittsburgh
634,394
San Francisco
578,249
Milwaukee
573,076
Buffalo
486,869
Washington, D.C.
464,356
Minneapolis
458,762
New Orleans
451,160
Cincinnati
442,337
Newark
399,746
Kansas City
365,583
Seattle
 
 
 
1920
5,620,048
New York City
2,701,705
Chicago
1,823,779
Philadelphia
993,078
Detroit
796,841
Cleveland
772,897
St. Louis
748,060
Boston
733,826
Baltimore
588,343
Pittsburgh
576,673
Los Angeles
506,775
Buffalo
506,676
San Francisco
457,147
Milwaukee
437,571
Washington, D.C.
414,524
Newark
401,247
Cincinnati
387,219
New Orleans
380,582
Minneapolis
324,410
Kansas City
315,312
Seattle
 
 
 
1910
4,766,883
New York City
2,185,283
Chicago
1,549,008
Philadelphia
687,029
St. Louis
670,585
Boston
560,663
Cleveland
558,485
Baltimore
533,905
Pittsburgh
465,766
Detroit
423,715
Buffalo
416,912
San Francisco
373,857
Milwaukee
363,591
Cincinnati
347,469
Newark
339,075
New Orleans
331,069
Washington, D.C.
319,198
Los Angeles
301,408
Minneapolis
267,779
Jersey City
248,381
Kansas City
 
 
 
1900
3,437,202
New York City
1,698,575
Chicago
1,293,697
Philadelphia
575,238
St. Louis
560,892
Boston
508,957
Baltimore
381,768
Cleveland
352,387
Buffalo
342,782
San Francisco
325,902
Cincinnati
321,616
Pittsburgh
287,104
New Orleans
285,704
Detroit
285,315
Milwaukee
278,718
Washington, D.C.
246,070
Newark
206,433
Jersey City
204,731
Louisville
202,718
Minneapolis
175,597
Providence
 
 
 
1890
1,515,301
New York City
1,099,850
Chicago
1,046,964
Philadelphia
806,343
Brooklyn
(†)
451,770
St. Louis
448,477
Boston
434,439
Baltimore
298,997
San Francisco
296,908
Cincinnati
261,353
Cleveland
255,664
Buffalo
242,039
New Orleans
238,617
Pittsburgh
230,392
Washington, D.C.
205,876
Detroit
204,468
Milwaukee
181,830
Newark
164,738
Minneapolis
163,003
Jersey City
161,129
Louisville
 
 
 
1880
1,206,299
New York City
847,170
Philadelphia
566,663
Brooklyn
(†)
503,185
Chicago
362,839
Boston
350,518
St. Louis
332,313
Baltimore
255,139
Cincinnati
233,959
San Francisco
216,090
New Orleans
160,146
Cleveland
156,389
Pittsburgh
155,134
Buffalo
147,293
Washington, D.C.
136,508
Newark
123,758
Louisville
120,722
Jersey City
116,340
Detroit
115,587
Milwaukee
104,857
Providence
 
 
 
1870
942,292
New York City
674,022
Philadelphia
396,099
Brooklyn
(†)
310,864
St. Louis
298,977
Chicago
267,354
Baltimore
250,526
Boston
216,239
Cincinnati
191,418
New Orleans
149,473
San Francisco
117,714
Buffalo
109,199
Washington, D.C.
105,059
Newark
100,753
Louisville
92,829
Cleveland
86,076
Pittsburgh
82,546
Jersey City
79,577
Detroit
71,440
Milwaukee
69,422
Albany
1860
813,669
New York City
565,529
Philadelphia
266,661
Brooklyn
(†)
212,418
Baltimore
177,840
Boston
168,675
New Orleans
161,044
Cincinnati
160,773
St. Louis
112,172
Chicago
81,129
Buffalo
71,941
Newark
68,033
Louisville
62,367
Albany
61,122
Washington, D.C.
56,802
San Francisco
50,666
Providence
49,221
Pittsburgh
48,204
Rochester, N.Y.
45,619
Detroit
45,246
Milwaukee
 
 
 
1850
515,547
New York City
169,054
Baltimore
136,881
Boston
121,376
Philadelphia
116,375
New Orleans
115,435
Cincinnati
96,838
Brooklyn
(†)
77,860
St. Louis
58,894
Spring Garden
(†)
50,763
Albany
47,223
Northern Liberties
(†)
46,774
Kensington
(†)
46,601
Pittsburgh
43,194
Louisville
42,985
Charleston, S.C.
42,261
Buffalo
41,513
Providence
40,001
Washington, D.C.
38,894
Newark
38,799
Southwark
(†)
 
 
 
1840
312,710
New York City
102,313
Baltimore
102,193
New Orleans
93,665
Philadelphia
93,383
Boston
46,338
Cincinnati
36,233
Brooklyn
(†)
34,474
Northern Liberties
(†)
33,721
Albany
29,261
Charleston, S.C.
27,849
Spring Garden
(†)
27,548
Southwark
(†)
23,364
Washington, D.C.
23,171
Providence
22,314
Kensington
(†)
21,210
Louisville
21,115
Pittsburgh
20,796
Lowell
20,191
Rochester, N.Y.
20,153
Richmond
 
 
 
1830
202,589
New York City
80,620
Baltimore
80,462
Philadelphia
61,392
Boston
46,082
New Orleans
30,289
Charleston, S.C.
28,872
Northern Liberties
(†)
24,831
Cincinnati
24,209
Albany
20,581
Southwark
(†)
18,826
Washington, D.C.
16,833
Providence
16,060
Richmond
13,895
Salem, Mass.
13,394
Kensington
(†)
12,598
Portland, Maine
12,568
Pittsburgh
12,406
Brooklyn
(†)
11,556
Troy, N.Y.
11,140
Spring Garden
(†)
 
 
 
1820
123,706
New York City
78,444
Baltimore
63,802
Philadelphia
43,298
Boston
27,176
New Orleans
24,780
Charleston, S.C.
19,678
Northern Liberties
(†)
14,713
Southwark
(†)
13,247
Washington, D.C.
12,731
Salem, Mass.
12,630
Albany
12,067
Richmond
11,767
Providence
9,642
Cincinnati
8,581
Portland, Maine
8,478
Norfolk
8,218
Alexandria, D.C.
7,513
Savannah
7,360
Georgetown
(†)
7,327
Portsmouth, N.H.
 
 
 
1810
96,373
New York City
53,722
Philadelphia
46,555
Baltimore
33,787
Boston
24,711
Charleston, S.C.
19,874
Northern Liberties
(†)
17,242
New Orleans
13,707
Southwark
(†)
12,613
Salem, Mass.
10,762
Albany
10,071
Providence
9,735
Richmond
9,193
Norfolk
8,208
Washington, D.C.
8,008
Newark
7,907
Newport, R.I.
7,634
Newburyport, Mass.
7,227
Alexandria, D.C.
7,169
Portland, Mass.
6,934
Portsmouth, N.H.
 
 
 
1800
60,515
New York City
41,220
Philadelphia
26,514
Baltimore
24,937
Boston
18,824
Charleston, S.C.
10,718
Northern Liberties
(†)
9,621
Southwark
(†)
9,457
Salem, Mass.
7,614
Providence
6,926
Norfolk
6,739
Newport, R.I.
5,946
Newburyport, Mass.
5,737
Richmond
5,617
Nantucket
5,339
Portsmouth, N.H.
5,313
Gloucester, Mass.
5,289
Albany
5,289
Schenectady
5,211
Marblehead, Mass.
5,150
New London, Conn.
 
 
 
1790
33,131
New York City
28,522
Philadelphia
18,320
Boston
16,359
Charleston, S.C.
13,503
Baltimore
11,942
Norwalk, Conn.
9,913
Northern Liberties
(†)
7,921
Salem, Mass.
6,716
Newport, R.I.
6,380
Providence
5,661
Marblehead, Mass.
5,661
Southwark
(†)
5,317
Gloucester, Mass.
4,837
Newburyport, Mass.
4,720
Portsmouth, N.H.
4,555
Sherburne, Mass.
4,526
Middleborough, Mass.
4,487
New Haven
4,131
South Kingstown, R.I.
3,804
Taunton, Mass.
+2
Level 89
Nov 27, 2020
I missed 7 which equals 19 answers; I'm not sure how many individual answers there are. Very interesting quiz.
+4
Level 77
Oct 15, 2022
I can't believe Atlanta is not on the list
+1
Level 82
Oct 15, 2022
it probably would be in 2010 except it's one of those cities with relatively small municipal limits and a sprawling metro area.
+3
Level 73
Oct 15, 2022
Pull up with the 2020, G
+1
Level 70
Oct 30, 2022
Done!
+1
Level 82
Oct 15, 2022
don't know what's up with the source, but I commented on the featured quiz that uses the same one.. Williamsburg should be in the top 10 in 1790.
+1
Level 82
Oct 15, 2022
Though... maybe not... in searching for a source to confirm this I've found some that claim it had a population over 5,000 and under 3,000 at the end of the colonial period. If the latter figures are true it must have been declining in population for over a century, which seems odd given that it was the capital of colonial Virginia for almost that whole stretch of time.