17 states represented in this shortlist.
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Ranking
Largest U.S. Cities by 2025 Population
The largest U.S. places in the WhereToLive.us catalog, sorted by Census July 1, 2025 population estimate. Rankings are transparent research aids. Verify rent, wages, school programs, crime, commute, taxes, and neighborhood details before making a relocation decision.
New York, New York is first under this page's stated ordering.
Median transparent recent-grad fit score across the displayed cities.
$1,582 median rent among covered rows.
How to use this shortlist
The largest U.S. places in the WhereToLive.us catalog, sorted by Census July 1, 2025 population estimate. The order is a research screen, not a promise that the first city fits every household. Open a city profile, run the affordability calculator, and verify current housing, salary, neighborhood safety, school boundaries, taxes, insurance, and commute details before deciding.
| City | Catalog | Grad fit | Median rent | Median income | 2025 population | City unemployment | Growth | Jobs | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York, New York | #1 | 60/100 | $1,821 | $80,483 | 8,584,629 | 8.0% | -2.51% | competitive | rent stretched |
| Los Angeles, California | #2 | 66/100 | $1,933 | $81,939 | 3,869,089 | 8.2% | -0.78% | cautious | rent stretched |
| Chicago, Illinois | #3 | 66/100 | $1,440 | $77,902 | 2,731,585 | 8.0% | -0.61% | cautious | rent watch |
| Houston, Texas | #4 | 69/100 | $1,361 | $64,813 | 2,397,315 | 6.9% | +4.25% | cautious | rent stretched |
| Phoenix, Arizona | #5 | 72/100 | $1,582 | $81,332 | 1,665,481 | 5.0% | +3.55% | cautious | rent stretched |
| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | #6 | 60/100 | $1,397 | $61,953 | 1,574,281 | 8.1% | -1.84% | cautious | rent stretched |
| San Antonio, Texas | #7 | 80/100 | $1,324 | $65,056 | 1,548,422 | 6.2% | +8.03% | competitive | rent stretched |
| San Diego, California | #8 | 69/100 | $2,313 | $108,077 | 1,406,106 | 6.0% | +1.56% | cautious | rent stretched |
| Dallas, Texas | #9 | 71/100 | $1,472 | $70,518 | 1,329,491 | 4.9% | +1.93% | competitive | rent stretched |
| Fort Worth, Texas | #10 | 80/100 | $1,509 | $79,507 | 1,028,117 | 4.8% | +11.89% | cautious | rent watch |
| Jacksonville, Florida | #11 | 76/100 | $1,465 | $69,872 | 1,017,689 | 4.6% | +7.17% | competitive | rent stretched |
| Austin, Texas | #12 | 75/100 | $1,729 | $93,658 | 1,002,632 | 4.7% | +4.64% | cautious | rent watch |
| San Jose, California | #13 | 61/100 | $2,669 | $146,427 | 989,814 | 5.1% | -2.32% | cautious | rent watch |
| Charlotte, North Carolina | #14 | 81/100 | $1,612 | $82,068 | 964,784 | 4.6% | +10.30% | competitive | rent stretched |
| Columbus, Ohio | #15 | 71/100 | $1,295 | $66,082 | 938,396 | 5.1% | +3.55% | competitive | rent stretched |
| Indianapolis, Indiana | #16 | 70/100 | $1,156 | $66,219 | 901,116 | 5.1% | +1.52% | competitive | rent watch |
| San Francisco, California | #17 | 61/100 | $2,476 | $140,970 | 826,079 | 6.1% | -5.97% | cautious | rent watch |
| Seattle, Washington | #18 | 77/100 | $2,030 | $123,860 | 784,777 | 4.6% | +6.47% | cautious | rent watch |
| Denver, Colorado | #19 | 76/100 | $1,831 | $94,718 | 740,613 | 4.9% | +3.51% | competitive | rent stretched |
| Nashville, Tennessee | #20 | 74/100 | $1,586 | $77,371 | 721,074 | 4.5% | +4.59% | competitive | rent stretched |
| Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | #21 | 72/100 | $1,130 | $68,656 | 719,849 | 4.7% | +5.71% | cautious | rent watch |
| Washington, District of Columbia | #22 | 63/100 | $1,954 | $109,870 | 693,645 | 6.3% | +0.59% | cautious | rent watch |
| El Paso, Texas | #23 | 69/100 | $1,073 | $59,745 | 683,012 | 6.0% | +0.60% | competitive | rent watch |
| Las Vegas, Nevada | #24 | 66/100 | $1,563 | $73,877 | 679,817 | 7.4% | +5.27% | cautious | rent stretched |
| Boston, Massachusetts | #25 | 68/100 | $2,147 | $97,344 | 672,973 | 6.1% | -0.83% | competitive | rent stretched |