## Focus & What’s on this Page

Data sub-genre: population of incorporated places (cities/towns/boroughs/municipalities) in the U.S., with land area and population density to support simple comparisons.

## Core Dataset (Top 20 U.S. Cities)

City | State | 2024 Estimate | 2020 Census | Change | Land Area (mi²) | Density (per mi²)
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
New York | NY | 8,478,072 | 8,804,190 | −3.70% | 300.5 | 29,298
Los Angeles | CA | 3,878,704 | 3,898,747 | −0.51% | 469.5 | 8,304
Chicago | IL | 2,721,308 | 2,746,388 | −0.91% | 227.7 | 12,061
Houston | TX | 2,390,125 | 2,304,580 | +3.71% | 640.4 | 3,599
Phoenix | AZ | 1,673,164 | 1,608,139 | +4.04% | 518.0 | 3,105
Philadelphia | PA | 1,573,916 | 1,603,797 | −1.86% | 134.4 | 11,933
San Antonio | TX | 1,526,656 | 1,434,625 | +6.41% | 498.8 | 2,876
San Diego | CA | 1,384,482 | 1,386,932 | −0.18% | 325.9 | 4,234
Dallas | TX | 1,299,544 | 1,304,379 | −0.37% | 339.8 | 3,638
San Jose | CA | 971,233 | 1,013,240 | −4.19% | 176.6 | 5,360
Austin | TX | 969,207 | 961,855 | +0.76% | 305.1 | 3,233
Jacksonville | FL | 1,009,833 | 949,611 | +6.35% | 747.3 | 1,271
Fort Worth | TX | 979,212 | 918,915 | +6.56% | 351.6 | 2,693
Columbus | OH | 909,350 | 905,748 | +0.40% | 217.2 | 4,183
Charlotte | NC | 916,643 | 874,579 | +4.81% | 308.6 | 2,857
San Francisco | CA | 827,526 | 873,965 | −5.32% | 46.9 | 18,635
Indianapolis | IN | 870,431 | 887,642 | −1.94% | 361.6 | 2,406
Seattle | WA | 780,995 | 737,015 | +5.98% | 83.8 | 8,795
Denver | CO | 718,679 | 715,522 | +0.44% | 153.1 | 4,609
Washington | DC | 671,803 | 689,545 | −2.75% | 61.1 | 10,988

Figure 1. U.S. incorporated places (≥100,000 population) — selected top 20 with land area and density.

### Slice A — Most Dense (Top 5 here)

Compact cities among the largest by population.

City, State | Density (per mi²) | Land Area (mi²)
--- | --- | ---
New York, NY | 29,298 | 300.5
San Francisco, CA | 18,635 | 46.9
Chicago, IL | 12,061 | 227.7
Philadelphia, PA | 11,933 | 134.4
Washington, DC | 10,988 | 61.1

What stands out: these cities combine large populations with relatively small land areas (especially San Francisco and Washington), driving density far above most peers. In practice, that tends to correlate with high transit demand, vertical housing, and tighter land-use constraints.

Compare to the main table: cities like Los Angeles and Houston have huge populations but also very large land areas, which keeps density much lower. That structural difference helps explain why “big city” problems look different in New York vs. Los Angeles (subway vs. freeway cultures, infill vs. greenfield growth).

User takeaway: if your question is “Which large U.S. cities feel most urban/compact?”, start with this subset, then cross-reference their land areas in Figure 1 to contextualize why their density is so high.

### Slice B — Largest by Land Area (Top 5 here)

Spread-out cities with big footprints.

City, State | Land Area (mi²) | Density (per mi²)
--- | --- | ---
Jacksonville, FL | 747.3 | 1,271
Houston, TX | 640.4 | 3,599
Phoenix, AZ | 518.0 | 3,105
San Antonio, TX | 498.8 | 2,876
Dallas, TX | 339.8 | 3,638

What stands out: Jacksonville’s municipal boundary covers an exceptionally large area, keeping density low even as the population tops a million. Houston and Dallas also sprawl across hundreds of square miles, balancing sizable populations with car-oriented infrastructure.

Compare to compact peers: San Francisco’s dense footprint (only 46.9 mi²) concentrates people, jobs, and services, while cities in this slice distribute growth across a wider land base. That tends to increase average trip distances and road capacity needs, and it changes how parks, schools, and emergency services are sited.

User takeaway: if your question is “Which large U.S. cities are most spread out?”, this slice is a quick answer. Use Figure 1 to pull additional examples (e.g., Oklahoma City at 606.2 mi²) and explain how footprint size shapes density and everyday travel.

## Glossary

Incorporated place
  A city/town/borough/municipality with its own local government; figures reflect residents within city limits.
Consolidated city–county
  A combined jurisdiction of a city and county; counts can exclude portions inside other incorporated places.
City limits
  The boundary of a municipality; rankings here refer to populations within those limits (not metro totals).
Population estimate
  An annual official count of residents used for inter-year comparisons.
Population density
  Residents per square mile; calculated as population divided by land area.

Figure B. New York City skyline.

## AI Use Disclosure

Note: I used ChatGPT to assist with this assignment in the following ways:

- Suggested a color palette and accent color to improve readability and consistency.
- Helped generate the HTML table after I struggled with the conversion tool.
- Provided guidance to clean up spacing & sizing (CSS organization and minor layout tweaks).

This disclosure is provided per professor Dent's reminder to include notes about any AI use in assignment work.