List of the most populous counties in the United States

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, 2025.[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 sorted according to both the 2020 official enumeration and 2025 vintage population estimates by the United States Census Bureau (USCB).

Rank County State Land area April 1,
2020
census
 July 1,
2025
estimates
 Mid-2020 to
mid-2025 change 		County seat
km2[5] mi2[6] absolute %
1 Los Angeles California 10,509.87 4,057.88 10,014,009 9,694,934 −319,075 −3.2 Los Angeles
2 Cook Illinois 2,448.38 945.33 5,275,541 5,194,625 −80,916 −1.5 Chicago
3 Harris Texas 4,411.99 1,703.48 4,731,145 5,045,026 313,881 6.6 Houston
4 Maricopa Arizona 23,828.26 9,200.14 4,420,568 4,689,558 268,990 6.1 Phoenix
5 San Diego California 10,895.12 4,206.63 3,298,634 3,282,248 −16,386 −0.5 San Diego
6 Orange California 2,047.56 790.57 3,186,989 3,149,507 −37,482 −1.2 Santa Ana
7 Miami-Dade Florida 4,915.06 1,897.72 2,701,767 2,802,029 100,262 3.7 Miami
8 Dallas Texas 2,256.60 871.28 2,613,539 2,661,397 47,858 1.8 Dallas
9 Kings New York 183.41 70.82 2,736,074 2,653,963 −82,111 −3.0 Brooklyn, NYC
10 Riverside California 18,664.70 7,206.48 2,418,185 2,544,916 126,731 5.2 Riverside
11 Clark Nevada 20,438.71 7,891.43 2,265,461 2,407,226 141,765 6.3 Las Vegas
12 Queens New York 281.10 108.53 2,405,464 2,358,182 −47,282 −2.0 Queens, NYC
13 King Washington 5,479.29 2,115.57 2,269,675 2,344,939 75,264 3.3 Seattle
14 Tarrant Texas 2,236.74 863.61 2,110,640 2,248,466 137,826 6.5 Fort Worth
15 San Bernardino California 51,947.23 20,056.94 2,181,654 2,224,091 42,437 1.9 San Bernardino
16 Bexar Texas 3,211.12 1,239.82 2,009,324 2,160,088 150,764 7.5 San Antonio
17 Broward Florida 3,133.33 1,209.79 1,944,375 2,013,317 68,942 3.5 Fort Lauderdale
18 Santa Clara California 3,341.34 1,290.10 1,936,259 1,914,391 −21,868 −1.1 San Jose
19 Wayne Michigan 1,585.28 612.08 1,793,561 1,769,038 −24,523 −1.4 Detroit
20 Middlesex Massachusetts 2,118.14 817.82 1,632,002 1,669,979 37,977 2.3 Lowell and Cambridge
21 New York New York 59.13 22.83 1,694,251 1,664,862 −29,389 −1.7 Manhattan, NYC
22 Alameda California 1,914.05 739.02 1,682,353 1,636,630 −45,723 −2.7 Oakland
23 Sacramento California 2,498.42 964.64 1,584,169 1,618,460 34,291 2.2 Sacramento
24 Palm Beach Florida 5,100.00 1,970.00 1,492,191 1,575,726 83,535 5.6 West Palm Beach
25 Philadelphia Pennsylvania 347.32 134.10 1,603,797 1,574,281 −29,516 −1.8 Philadelphia
26 Hillsborough Florida 2,642.34 1,020.21 1,459,762 1,574,115 114,353 7.8 Tampa
27 Suffolk New York 2,362.20 912.05 1,525,920 1,546,090 20,170 1.3 Riverhead
28 Orange Florida 2,339.87 903.43 1,429,908 1,528,002 98,094 6.9 Orlando
29 Bronx New York 109.03 42.10 1,472,654 1,406,332 −66,322 −4.5 Bronx, NYC
30 Nassau New York 737.41 284.72 1,395,774 1,398,939 3,165 0.2 Mineola
31 Travis Texas 2,564.61 990.20 1,290,188 1,389,670 99,482 7.7 Austin
32 Franklin Ohio 1,378.36 532.19 1,323,807 1,361,536 37,729 2.9 Columbus
33 Collin Texas 2,178.76 841.22 1,064,465 1,297,179 232,714 21.9 McKinney
34 Oakland Michigan 2,247.24 867.66 1,274,395 1,288,337 13,942 1.1 Pontiac
35 Hennepin Minnesota 1,433.79 553.59 1,281,565 1,284,784 3,219 0.3 Minneapolis
36 Wake North Carolina 2,163.21 835.22 1,129,410 1,257,235 127,825 11.3 Raleigh
37 Mecklenburg North Carolina 1,356.75 523.84 1,115,482 1,233,383 117,901 10.6 Charlotte
38 Cuyahoga Ohio 1,184.12 457.19 1,264,817 1,232,925 −31,892 −2.5 Cleveland
39 Allegheny Pennsylvania 1,890.88 730.07 1,250,578 1,225,035 −25,543 −2.0 Pittsburgh
40 Salt Lake Utah 1,922.50 742.28 1,185,238 1,220,916 35,678 3.0 Salt Lake City
41 Contra Costa California 1,854.27 715.94 1,165,927 1,170,070 4,143 0.4 Martinez
42 Fairfax Virginia 1,012.60 390.97 1,150,309 1,167,873 17,564 1.5 Fairfax
43 Fulton Georgia 1,363.98 526.63 1,066,710 1,098,791 32,081 3.0 Atlanta
44 Pima Arizona 23,794.31 9,187.04 1,043,433 1,074,685 31,252 3.0 Tucson
45 Montgomery Maryland 1,272.34 491.25 1,062,061 1,074,582 12,521 1.2 Rockville
46 Denton Texas 2,275.13 878.43 906,422 1,069,346 162,924 18.0 Denton
47 Duval Florida 1,974.07 762.19 995,567 1,062,963 67,396 6.8 Jacksonville
48 Fresno California 15,431.13 5,957.99 1,008,654 1,035,456 26,802 2.7 Fresno
49 Gwinnett Georgia 1,114.69 430.38 957,062 1,018,099 61,037 6.4 Lawrenceville
50 Westchester New York 1,114.98 430.50 1,004,457 1,015,743 11,286 1.1 White Plains
51 Capitol Connecticut 2,660.80 1,027.34 976,248 994,115 17,867 1.8 Hartford
52 Marion Indiana 1,026.41 396.30 977,203 992,196 14,993 1.5 Indianapolis
53 St. Louis Missouri 1,315.20 507.80 1,004,125 990,911 −13,214 −1.3 Clayton
54 Honolulu Hawaii 1,555.92 600.74 1,016,508 988,703 −27,805 −2.7 Honolulu
55 Bergen New Jersey 603.49 233.01 955,732 977,026 21,294 2.2 Hackensack
56 Fort Bend Texas 2,292 885 822,779 975,191 152,412 18.5 Richmond
57 Prince George's Maryland 1,250.16 482.69 967,201 970,374 3,173 0.3 Upper Marlboro
58 Pinellas Florida 709.14 273.80 959,107 948,563 −10,544 −1.1 Clearwater
59 Erie New York 2,700.56 1,042.69 954,236 946,741 −7,495 −0.8 Buffalo
60 Pierce Washington 4,324.01 1,669.51 921,130 946,288 25,158 2.7 Tacoma
61 DuPage Illinois 848.22 327.50 932,877 934,298 1,421 0.2 Wheaton
62 Kern California 21,061.57 8,131.92 909,235 927,068 17,833 2.0 Bakersfield
63 Milwaukee Wisconsin 625.23 241.40 939,489 924,216 −15,273 −1.6 Milwaukee
64 Hidalgo Texas 4,068.52 1,570.87 870,781 921,549 50,768 5.8 Edinburg
65 Shelby Tennessee 1,976.61 763.17 929,744 910,226 −19,518 −2.1 Memphis
66 Essex New Jersey 326.89 126.21 863,728 896,379 32,651 3.8 Newark
67 Worcester Massachusetts 3,912.88 1,510.77 862,111 888,502 26,391 3.1 Worcester
68 Macomb Michigan 1,241.18 479.22 881,217 886,221 5,004 0.6 Mount Clemens
69 Middlesex New Jersey 800.08 308.91 863,162 883,335 20,173 2.3 New Brunswick
70 El Paso Texas 2,622.86 1,012.69 865,657 877,858 12,201 1.4 El Paso
71 Montgomery Pennsylvania 1,251.07 483.04 856,553 877,643 21,090 2.5 Norristown
72 Lee Florida 2,031.88 784.51 760,822 875,607 114,785 15.1 Fort Myers
73 Polk Florida 4,660 1,798 725,046 874,790 149,744 20.7 Bartow
74 Snohomish Washington 5,406.01 2,087.27 827,957 870,656 42,699 5.2 Everett
75 Baltimore Maryland 1,549.59 598.30 854,535 847,650 −6,885 −0.8 Towson
76 Hamilton Ohio 1,051.30 405.91 830,639 838,418 7,779 0.9 Cincinnati
77 Ventura California 4,773.69 1,843.13 843,843 830,851 −12,992 −1.5 Ventura
78 Essex Massachusetts 1,275.73 492.56 809,829 826,653 16,824 2.1 Salem and Lawrence
79 San Francisco California 121.40 46.87 873,965 826,079 −47,886 −5.5 San Francisco
80 San Joaquin California 3,603.51 1,391.32 779,233 823,815 44,582 5.7 Stockton
81 Oklahoma Oklahoma 1,835.83 708.82 796,292 822,125 25,833 3.2 Oklahoma City
82 Multnomah Oregon 1,117.05 431.30 815,428 795,391 −20,037 −2.5 Portland
83 Jefferson Kentucky 985.27 380.42 782,969 795,222 12,253 1.6 Louisville
84 Cobb Georgia 879.43 339.55 766,149 793,345 27,196 3.5 Marietta
85 Suffolk Massachusetts 150.62 58.15 797,936 791,891 −6,045 −0.8 Boston
86 Montgomery Texas 2,699.23 1,042.18 620,443 781,194 160,751 25.9 Conroe
87 DeKalb Georgia 693.03 267.58 764,382 774,394 10,012 1.3 Decatur
88 Utah Utah 5,188.91 2,003.45 659,399 759,859 100,460 15.2 Provo
89 El Paso Colorado 5,508.39 2,126.80 730,395 757,040 26,645 3.6 Colorado Springs
90 Williamson Texas 2,889.99 1,115.83 609,017 752,827 143,810 23.6 Georgetown
91 Monroe New York 1,702.15 657.21 759,443 750,506 −8,937 −1.2 Rochester
92 Davidson Tennessee 1,305.44 504.03 715,884 745,904 30,020 4.2 Nashville
93 San Mateo California 1,161.37 448.41 764,442 743,568 −20,874 −2.7 Redwood City
94 Denver Colorado 401.36 154.97 715,522 740,613 25,091 3.5 Denver
95 Norfolk Massachusetts 1,025.91 396.11 725,981 739,749 13,768 1.9 Dedham
96 Hudson New Jersey 119.63 46.19 724,854 735,033 10,179 1.4 Jersey City
97 Jackson Missouri 1,565.55 604.46 717,204 732,994 15,790 2.2 Independence and Kansas City
98 Lake Illinois 1,149.10 443.67 714,342 719,339 4,997 0.7 Waukegan
99 Will Illinois 2,167.58 836.91 696,355 712,253 15,898 2.3 Joliet
100 Tulsa Oklahoma 1,476.94 570.25 669,279 698,782 29,503 4.4 Tulsa
  • Downtown Los Angeles, county seat of Los Angeles County, California, the most populous county in the United States
    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 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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    Riverside, California, the county seat of Riverside County, California, the tenth-most populous county in the United States

References

  1. ^ "Slow Growth Impacts Nation's Largest Counties Hardest". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 26, 2026.
  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).

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