1990
By 1990, trends had continued that started during the 1970s: Western and southern cities continued to grow in size and population, and northeastern cities generally lost population.
| Rank | City | State | Population | Notes |
| 1 | New York | New York | 7,322,564 | New York City gained population during the 1980s after heavy losses in the 1970s. |
| 2 | Los Angeles | California | 3,485,398 | Los Angeles becomes the nation's second largest city. |
| 3 | Chicago | Illinois | 2,783,726 | |
| 4 | Houston | Texas | 1,630,553 | Houston jumps just slightly ahead of Philadelphia, becoming the nation's fourth largest city. |
| 5 | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | 1,585,577 | |
| 6 | San Diego | California | 1,110,549 | San Diego is the 2nd California city to pass the 1 million mark. |
| 7 | Detroit | Michigan | 1,027,974 | |
| 8 | Dallas | Texas | 1,006,877 | Dallas is the 2nd city in Texas to pass the 1 million mark. |
| 9 | Phoenix | Arizona | 983,403 | |
| 10 | San Antonio | Texas | 935,933 | First appearance in top 10. |
Read more about this topic: Largest Cities In The United States By Population By Decade