List of the most populous counties in the United States

See also: List of the largest counties in the United States by area

A map of the counties and county equivalents of the United States. The 100 most populous counties are highlighted, with counties having more than one million residents in orange and counties having fewer than one million residents in green, based on the results of the April 1, 2020 United States census.

This is a list of the 100 most populous of the 3,144 counties in the United States based on the national decennial US census conducted on April 1, 2020, and vintage Census population estimates for July 1, 2024. ^[1]

Many of the counties on the list include major cities or metropolitan areas in all parts of the United States. Seven of the listed counties have consolidated city and county government, namely the City and County of Honolulu, Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee, City and County of Philadelphia, City and County of San Francisco, City of Jacksonville and Duval County, Indianapolis and Marion County, and City and County of Denver. ^{[2] [3] [4]} Kings County, Queens County, New York County, Bronx County, and Richmond County are coterminous with the respective boroughs of New York City; they fall under the jurisdiction of the combined Government of New York City. Independent cities are not counted.

Many of the most populous counties listed are in Southern California, Texas, and New York, and roughly correspond to several of the most populous cities or municipalities in the United States. Counties in the Western United States are typically larger by area and therefore often have higher absolute populations even with comparable population densities.

List

This list includes the most populous US counties and the District of Columbia sorted according to both the 2020 official enumeration and 2024 vintage population estimates by the United States Census Bureau (USCB).

Rank	County	State	Land area		April 1, 2020 census	July 1, 2024 estimates	Mid-2020 to mid-2024 change		County seat
			km2 [5]	mi2 [6]			absolute	%
1	Los Angeles	California	10,509.87	4,057.88	10,014,009	9,757,179	−256,830	−2.6	Los Angeles
2	Cook	Illinois	2,448.38	945.33	5,275,541	5,182,617	−92,924	−1.8	Chicago
3	Harris	Texas	4,411.99	1,703.48	4,731,145	5,009,302	278,157	5.9	Houston
4	Maricopa	Arizona	23,828.26	9,200.14	4,420,568	4,673,096	252,528	5.7	Phoenix
5	San Diego	California	10,895.12	4,206.63	3,298,634	3,298,799	165	0.0	San Diego
6	Orange		2,047.56	790.57	3,186,989	3,170,435	−16,554	−0.5	Santa Ana
7	Miami-Dade	Florida	4,915.06	1,897.72	2,701,767	2,838,461	136,694	5.1	Miami
8	Dallas	Texas	2,256.60	871.28	2,613,539	2,656,028	42,489	1.6	Dallas
9	Kings	New York	183.41	70.82	2,736,074	2,617,631	−118,443	−4.3	Brooklyn, NYC
10	Riverside	California	18,664.70	7,206.48	2,418,185	2,529,933	111,748	4.6	Riverside
11	Clark	Nevada	20,438.71	7,891.43	2,265,461	2,398,871	133,410	5.9	Las Vegas
12	King	Washington	5,479.29	2,115.57	2,269,675	2,340,211	70,536	3.1	Seattle
13	Queens	New York	281.10	108.53	2,405,464	2,316,841	−88,623	−3.7	Queens, NYC
14	Tarrant	Texas	2,236.74	863.61	2,110,640	2,230,708	120,068	5.7	Fort Worth
15	San Bernardino	California	51,947.23	20,056.94	2,181,654	2,214,281	32,627	1.5	San Bernardino
16	Bexar	Texas	3,211.12	1,239.82	2,009,324	2,127,737	118,413	5.9	San Antonio
17	Broward	Florida	3,133.33	1,209.79	1,944,375	2,037,472	93,097	4.8	Fort Lauderdale
18	Santa Clara	California	3,341.34	1,290.10	1,936,259	1,926,325	−36,049	−1.9	San Jose
19	Wayne	Michigan	1,585.28	612.08	1,793,561	1,771,063	−22,498	−1.3	Detroit
20	Middlesex	Massachusetts	2,118.14	817.82	1,632,002	1,668,956	36,954	2.3	Lowell and Cambridge
21	New York	New York	59.13	22.83	1,694,251	1,660,664	−33,587	−2.0	Manhattan, NYC
22	Alameda	California	1,914.05	739.02	1,682,353	1,649,060	−33,293	−2.0	Oakland
23	Sacramento		2,498.42	964.64	1,584,169	1,611,231	27,062	1.7	Sacramento
24	Palm Beach	Florida	5,100.00	1,970.00	1,492,191	1,582,055	89,864	6.0	West Palm Beach
25	Hillsborough		2,642.34	1,020.21	1,459,762	1,581,426	121,664	8.3	Tampa
26	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania	347.32	134.10	1,603,797	1,573,916	−29,881	−1.9	Philadelphia
27	Suffolk	New York	2,362.20	912.05	1,525,920	1,535,909	9,989	0.7	Riverhead
28	Orange	Florida	2,339.87	903.43	1,429,908	1,533,646	103,738	7.3	Orlando
29	Nassau	New York	737.41	284.72	1,395,774	1,392,438	−3,336	−0.2	Mineola
30	Bronx		109.03	42.10	1,472,654	1,384,724	−87,930	−6.0	Bronx, NYC
31	Travis	Texas	2,564.61	990.20	1,290,188	1,363,767	73,579	5.7	Austin
32	Franklin	Ohio	1,378.36	532.19	1,323,807	1,356,303	32,496	2.5	Columbus
33	Oakland	Michigan	2,247.24	867.66	1,274,395	1,296,888	22,493	1.8	Pontiac
34	Hennepin	Minnesota	1,433.79	553.59	1,281,565	1,273,334	−8,231	−0.6	Minneapolis
35	Collin	Texas	2,178.76	841.22	1,064,465	1,254,658	190,193	17.9	McKinney
36	Cuyahoga	Ohio	1,184.12	457.19	1,264,817	1,240,594	−24,223	−1.9	Cleveland
37	Wake	North Carolina	2,163.21	835.22	1,129,410	1,232,444	103,034	9.1	Raleigh
38	Allegheny	Pennsylvania	1,890.88	730.07	1,250,578	1,231,814	−18,764	−1.5	Pittsburgh
39	Salt Lake	Utah	1,922.50	742.28	1,185,238	1,216,274	31,036	2.6	Salt Lake City
40	Mecklenburg	North Carolina	1,356.75	523.84	1,115,482	1,206,285	90,803	8.1	Charlotte
41	Contra Costa	California	1,854.27	715.94	1,165,927	1,172,607	6,680	0.6	Martinez
42	Fairfax	Virginia	1,012.60	390.97	1,150,309	1,160,925	10,616	0.9	Fairfax
43	Fulton	Georgia	1,363.98	526.63	1,066,710	1,090,354	23,644	2.2	Atlanta
44	Montgomery	Maryland	1,272.34	491.25	1,062,061	1,082,273	20,212	1.9	Rockville
45	Pima	Arizona	23,794.31	9,187.04	1,043,433	1,080,149	36,716	3.5	Tucson
46	Duval	Florida	1,974.07	762.19	995,567	1,055,159	59,592	6.0	Jacksonville
47	Denton	Texas	2,275.13	878.43	906,422	1,045,120	138,698	15.3	Denton
48	Fresno	California	15,431.13	5,957.99	1,008,654	1,024,125	15,471	1.5	Fresno
49	Westchester	New York	1,114.98	430.50	1,004,457	1,006,447	1,990	0.2	White Plains
50	Gwinnett	Georgia	1,114.69	430.38	957,062	1,003,869	46,807	4.9	Lawrenceville
51	Honolulu	Hawaii	1,555.92	600.74	1,016,508	998,747	−17,761	−1.7	Honolulu
52	St. Louis	Missouri	1,315.20	507.80	1,004,125	992,929	−11,196	−1.1	Clayton
53	Capitol	Connecticut	2,660.80	1,027.34	976,248	991,508	15,260	1.6	Hartford
54	Marion	Indiana	1,026.41	396.30	977,203	981,628	4,425	0.5	Indianapolis
55	Bergen	New Jersey	603.49	233.01	955,732	978,641	22,909	2.4	Hackensack
56	Prince George's	Maryland	1,250.16	482.69	967,201	966,629	−572	−0.1	Upper Marlboro
57	Pinellas	Florida	709.14	273.80	959,107	965,870	6,763	0.7	Clearwater
58	Fort Bend	Texas	2,292	885	822,779	958,434	135,655	16.5	Richmond
59	Erie	New York	2,700.56	1,042.69	954,236	950,602	−3,634	−0.4	Buffalo
60	Pierce	Washington	4,324.01	1,669.51	921,130	941,170	20,040	2.2	Tacoma
61	DuPage	Illinois	848.22	327.50	932,877	937,142	4,265	0.5	Wheaton
62	Milwaukee	Wisconsin	625.23	241.40	939,489	924,740	−14,749	−1.6	Milwaukee
63	Kern	California	21,061.57	8,131.92	909,235	922,529	13,294	1.5	Bakersfield
64	Hidalgo	Texas	4,068.52	1,570.87	870,781	914,820	44,039	5.1	Edinburg
65	Shelby	Tennessee	1,976.61	763.17	929,744	910,530	−19,214	−2.1	Memphis
66	Middlesex	New Jersey	800.08	308.91	863,162	890,119	26,957	3.1	New Brunswick
67	Macomb	Michigan	1,241.18	479.22	881,217	886,175	4,958	0.6	Mount Clemens
68	Essex	New Jersey	326.89	126.21	863,728	881,527	17,799	2.1	Newark
69	Worcester	Massachusetts	3,912.88	1,510.77	862,111	881,248	19,137	2.2	Worcester
70	Montgomery	Pennsylvania	1,251.07	483.04	856,553	879,190	22,637	2.6	Norristown
71	El Paso	Texas	2,622.86	1,012.69	865,657	875,784	10,127	1.2	El Paso
72	Snohomish	Washington	5,406.01	2,087.27	827,957	864,113	36,156	4.4	Everett
73	Lee	Florida	2,031.88	784.51	760,822	860,959	100,137	13.2	Fort Myers
74	Polk		4,660	1,798	725,046	852,878	127,832	17.6	Bartow
75	Baltimore	Maryland	1,549.59	598.30	854,535	852,425	−2,110	−0.2	Towson
76	Hamilton	Ohio	1,051.30	405.91	830,639	837,359	6,720	0.8	Cincinnati
77	Ventura	California	4,773.69	1,843.13	843,843	835,427	−8,416	−1.0	Ventura
78	San Francisco		121.40	46.87	873,965	827,526	−46,439	−5.3	San Francisco
79	Essex	Massachusetts	1,275.73	492.56	809,829	823,938	14,109	1.7	Salem and Lawrence
80	Oklahoma	Oklahoma	1,835.83	708.82	796,292	816,490	20,198	2.5	Oklahoma City
81	San Joaquin	California	3,603.51	1,391.32	779,233	816,108	36,875	4.7	Stockton
82	Multnomah	Oregon	1,117.05	431.30	815,428	795,897	−19,531	−2.4	Portland
83	Jefferson	Kentucky	985.27	380.42	782,969	793,881	10,912	1.4	Louisville
84	Suffolk	Massachusetts	150.62	58.15	797,936	793,144	−4,792	−0.6	Boston
85	Cobb	Georgia	879.43	339.55	766,149	787,538	21,389	2.8	Marietta
86	DeKalb		693.03	267.58	764,382	770,307	5,925	0.8	Decatur
87	El Paso	Colorado	5,508.39	2,126.80	730,395	752,772	22,377	3.1	Colorado Springs
88	Monroe	New York	1,702.15	657.21	759,443	752,202	−7,241	−1.0	Rochester
89	Montgomery	Texas	2,699.23	1,042.18	620,443	749,613	129,170	20.8	Conroe
90	Utah	Utah	5,188.91	2,003.45	659,399	747,234	87,835	13.3	Provo
91	San Mateo	California	1,161.37	448.41	764,442	742,893	−21,549	−2.8	Redwood City
92	Norfolk	Massachusetts	1,025.91	396.11	725,981	740,754	14,773	2.0	Dedham
93	Hudson	New Jersey	119.63	46.19	724,854	736,185	11,331	1.6	Jersey City
94	Davidson	Tennessee	1,305.44	504.03	715,884	729,505	13,621	1.9	Nashville
95	Denver	Colorado	401.36	154.97	715,522	729,019	13,497	1.9	Denver
96	Williamson	Texas	2,889.99	1,115.83	609,017	727,480	118,463	19.5	Georgetown
97	Jackson	Missouri	1,565.55	604.46	717,204	727,362	10,158	1.4	Independence and Kansas City
98	Lake	Illinois	1,149.10	443.67	714,342	718,604	4,262	0.6	Waukegan
99	Will		2,167.58	836.91	696,355	708,583	12,228	1.8	Joliet
100	District of Columbia		177.0	68.34	689,545	702,250	12,705	1.8	N/A

Gallery

• 
  Downtown Los Angeles, county seat of Los Angeles County, California, the most populous county in the United States
• 
  Downtown Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, the second-most populous county in the United States
• 
  Downtown Houston in Harris County, Texas, the third-most populous county in the United States
• 
  Phoenix, Arizona, county seat of the Maricopa County, Arizona, the nation's fourth-most populous county
• 
  Downtown San Diego, California. San Diego County is the fifth-most populous county in the United States
• 
  South Coast Metro district in Orange County, California,
  the sixth-most populous county in the United States
• 
  Downtown Miami in Miami-Dade County, the largest county in Florida and county seat of the seventh-most populous county in the United States
• 
  Uptown, Dallas with Downtown Dallas on the end, in Dallas County, Texas, the eighth-most populous county in the United States
• 
  Brooklyn in Kings County, New York, the ninth-most populous county in the United States
• 
  Riverside, California, the county seat of Riverside County, California, the tenth-most populous county in the United States

References

1. "Growth in Metro Areas Outpaced Nation". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 13, 2025.
2. "This Is Your City and County of Honolulu Government". City and County of Honolulu. Archived from the original on January 20, 2008. Retrieved January 23, 2008.
3. "City and County Organizational Chart". City and County of San Francisco. Archived from the original on February 3, 2008. Retrieved January 23, 2008.
4. "Active Colorado Municipalities as of January 26, 2010". Colorado Department of Local Affairs. Archived from the original on December 12, 2009. Retrieved January 26, 2010.
5. GeoHive - the United States of America - US States and Counties Archived April 30, 2012, at the Wayback Machine (attached Excel spreadsheet)
6. The area in square kilometers of the column to the left divided by 2.589988110336 (1.609344²).