2000
The 2000 census was the most detailed to date. The Census Bureau provides a list of all cities with populations over 100,000.
| Rank | City | State | Population | Notes |
| 1 | New York | New York | 8,008,278 | Surpasses 8 million for the first time |
| 2 | Los Angeles | California | 3,694,820 | Los Angeles surpasses Chicago's peak population, but growth is noticeably slower than previous decades. |
| 3 | Chicago | Illinois | 2,896,016 | Chicago gained population during the 1990s. |
| 4 | Houston | Texas | 1,953,631 | |
| 5 | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | 1,517,550 | |
| 6 | Phoenix | Arizona | 1,321,045 | First city in Arizona to surpass 1 million. |
| 7 | San Diego | California | 1,223,400 | |
| 8 | Dallas | Texas | 1,188,580 | |
| 9 | San Antonio | Texas | 1,144,646 | San Antonio is the 3rd city in Texas to surpass the 1 million mark. |
| 10 | Detroit | Michigan | 951,270 | Detroit's last appearance in the top 10, ranked #18 in 2010 census. |
Read more about this topic: Largest Cities In The United States By Population By Decade