Municipal Size and Population Rankings (largest, Atlanta, Los Angeles, highest)

[Trafalgar Law]

New York:
- City Proper: 1st
- United States Urban Area: 1st
- United Nations Urban Area: 1st
- Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA): 1st
- Combined Statistical Area (CSA): 1st

Los Angeles:
- City Proper: 2nd
- United States Urban Area: 2nd
- United Nations Urban Area: 2nd
- Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA): 2nd
- Combined Statistical Area (CSA): 2nd

Chicago:
- City Proper: 3rd
- United States Urban Area: 3rd
- United Nations Urban Area: 3rd
- Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA): 3rd
- Combined Statistical Area (CSA): 3rd

Washington, D.C.:
- City Proper: 22nd
- United States Urban Area: 8th
- United Nations Urban Area: 10th
- Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA): 6th
- Combined Statistical Area (CSA): 4th

San Francisco:
- City Proper: 11th
- United States Urban Area: 13th
- United Nations Urban Area: 5th
- Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA): 11th
- Combined Statistical Area (CSA): 5th

Boston:
- City Proper: 23rd
- United States Urban Area: 10th
- United Nations Urban Area: 11th
- Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA): 10th
- Combined Statistical Area (CSA): 6th

Dallas:
- City Proper: 9th
- United States Urban Area: 6th
- United Nations Urban Area: 4th
- Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA): 4th
- Combined Statistical Area (CSA): 7th

Houston:
- City Proper: 4th
- United States Urban Area: 7th
- United Nations Urban Area: 6th
- Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA): 5th
- Combined Statistical Area (CSA): 9th

Miami:
- City Proper: 44th
- United States Urban Area: 4th
- United Nations Urban Area: 7th
- Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA): 8th
- Combined Statistical Area (CSA): 10th

Atlanta:
- City Proper: 39th
- United States Urban Area: 9th
- United Nations Urban Area: 9th
- Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA): 9th
- Combined Statistical Area (CSA): 11th

Philadelphia:
- City Proper: 5th
- United States Urban Area: 5th
- United Nations Urban Area: 8th
- Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA): 7th
- Combined Statistical Area (CSA): 8th

Noticeable difference between using large land area boundary city propers like Jacksonville and Oklahoma City as they are only large as city propers and not in any other measurement used for population purposes. Obviously that is not the same exact case with places that are top 10 in every facet.

Here are the reference sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o..._by_population

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...es_urban_areas

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o..._by_population

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...tistical_Areas

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combined_statistical_area

* United States urban area only updates once every 10 years. Everything else is annual.

[rnc2mbfl]

Originally Posted by Red John

New York:
- City Proper: 1st
- United States Urban Area: 1st
- United Nations Urban Area: 1st
- Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA): 1st
- Combined Statistical Area (CSA): 1st

Los Angeles:
- City Proper: 2nd
- United States Urban Area: 2nd
- United Nations Urban Area: 2nd
- Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA): 2nd
- Combined Statistical Area (CSA): 2nd

Chicago:
- City Proper: 3rd
- United States Urban Area: 3rd
- United Nations Urban Area: 3rd
- Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA): 3rd
- Combined Statistical Area (CSA): 3rd

Washington, D.C.:
- City Proper: 22nd
- United States Urban Area: 8th
- United Nations Urban Area: 10th
- Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA): 6th
- Combined Statistical Area (CSA): 4th

San Francisco:
- City Proper: 11th
- United States Urban Area: 13th
- United Nations Urban Area: 5th
- Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA): 11th
- Combined Statistical Area (CSA): 5th

Boston:
- City Proper: 23rd
- United States Urban Area: 10th
- United Nations Urban Area: 11th
- Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA): 10th
- Combined Statistical Area (CSA): 6th

Dallas:
- City Proper: 9th
- United States Urban Area: 6th
- United Nations Urban Area: 4th
- Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA): 4th
- Combined Statistical Area (CSA): 7th

Houston:
- City Proper: 4th
- United States Urban Area: 7th
- United Nations Urban Area: 6th (tied)
- Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA): 5th
- Combined Statistical Area (CSA): 9th

Miami:
- City Proper: 44th
- United States Urban Area: 4th
- United Nations Urban Area: 6th (tied)
- Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA): 8th
- Combined Statistical Area (CSA): 10th

Atlanta:
- City Proper: 39th
- United States Urban Area: 9th
- United Nations Urban Area: 9th
- Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA): 9th
- Combined Statistical Area (CSA): 11th

Philadelphia:
- City Proper: 5th
- United States Urban Area: 5th
- United Nations Urban Area: 8th
- Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA): 7th
- Combined Statistical Area (CSA): 8th

Noticeable difference between using large land area boundary city propers like Jacksonville and Oklahoma City as they are only large as city propers and not in any other measurement used for population purposes. Obviously that is not the same exact case with places that are top 10 in every facet.

Here are the reference sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o..._by_population

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...es_urban_areas

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o..._by_population

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...tistical_Areas

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combined_statistical_area

* United States urban area only updates once every 10 years. Everything else is annual.

Fixed it based on your link.

[Trafalgar Law]

Originally Posted by rnc2mbfl

Fixed it based on your link.

I missed that they tied with the exact same population in 2016. Thanks. I also got the city proper for San Francisco wrong, it is really 13th and not 11th.

Anyhow, with the next decennial census now only 3.5 years away, figure its as great a time as any for preliminary predictions. [Time flies by fast]

New York:
- City Proper: 1st
- United States Urban Area: 1st
- United Nations Urban Area: 1st
- Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA): 1st
- Combined Statistical Area (CSA): 1st

Los Angeles:
- City Proper: 2nd
- United States Urban Area: 2nd
- United Nations Urban Area: 2nd
- Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA): 2nd
- Combined Statistical Area (CSA): 2nd

Chicago:
- City Proper: 3rd
- United States Urban Area: 3rd
- United Nations Urban Area: 3rd
- Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA): 3rd
- Combined Statistical Area (CSA): 4th

Washington, D.C.:
- City Proper: 20th
- United States Urban Area: 9th
- United Nations Urban Area: 10th
- Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA): 6th
- Combined Statistical Area (CSA): 3rd

San Francisco:
- City Proper: 16th
- United States Urban Area: 13th
- United Nations Urban Area: 7th
- Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA): 11th
- Combined Statistical Area (CSA): 5th

Boston:
- City Proper: 21st
- United States Urban Area: 11th
- United Nations Urban Area: 12th
- Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA): 12th
- Combined Statistical Area (CSA): 6th

Dallas:
- City Proper: 9th
- United States Urban Area: 4th
- United Nations Urban Area: 4th
- Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA): 4th
- Combined Statistical Area (CSA): 7th

Houston:
- City Proper: 4th
- United States Urban Area: 6th
- United Nations Urban Area: 5th
- Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA): 5th
- Combined Statistical Area (CSA): 8th

Miami:
- City Proper: 41st
- United States Urban Area: 5th
- United Nations Urban Area: 6th
- Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA): 7th
- Combined Statistical Area (CSA): 9th

Atlanta:
- City Proper: 35th
- United States Urban Area: 8th
- United Nations Urban Area: 9th
- Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA): 8th
- Combined Statistical Area (CSA): 11th

Philadelphia:
- City Proper: 7th
- United States Urban Area: 7th
- United Nations Urban Area: 8th
- Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA): 9th
- Combined Statistical Area (CSA): 10th

Going from 2010 to 2020, all of these places will post gains and not declines in every metric aside from "maybe" city propers (don't know and don't care about city propers). I think that within 2-3 years after the 2020 census, the Atlanta CSA will join the Top 10 for the first time. Also not all that positive with United States Urban Area since they don't have annual updates, theoretically 4th, 5th, and 6th could be any combination of Dallas, Miami, and Houston.

[rnc2mbfl]

Originally Posted by Red John

Miami:
- City Proper: 41st
- United States Urban Area: 5th
- United Nations Urban Area: 6th
- Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA): 7th
- Combined Statistical Area (CSA): 9th

I deleted my reply until I can recalculate.

[Trafalgar Law]

If I gambled, I feel pretty good about investing into the idea of Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Miami, and Atlanta all becoming megacities within (most of) our lifetimes by MSA, CSA, and the United Nations' Urban Area standards.

By CSA, there is also the inclusion of Washington DC-Baltimore and the San Francisco Bay Area as well as places on their way to crashing the 10 million people threshold in coming years to coming decades. Possibly Greater Boston CSA too, since it is growing by 40,000 to 50,000 people a year and is already over 8.15 million people. Same thing to a slightly lessor extent applying to Greater Philadelphia.

I feel pretty good about Miami's prospects. Not to sound insensitive or like a jerk, but usually the slowdowns and dysfunctions in Latin America, in particular South America, fuel a period of very high population growth for Southeast Florida in general. Even in the last two years as several countries in South America face economic uncertainties and challenges, the acceleration in immigration from South America has intensified in Miami. I'm not saying that I want South America to feel pain, I don't, but the current structuring as it is now would have Miami reaping immediate benefits from this situation. According to the United States census department and the United States bureau of labor statistics, both the population and job growth in Miami has increased in the last one year as compared to the previous three before that.

The United Nations had a study a few years ago where they concluded that the number of megacities in the world has tripled today as compared to 1990.

UN Report Finds the Number of Megacities Has Tripled Since 1990 | Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building

They're wrong. It's 5X (five fold) more. There are megacities in China, several dozens actually, that have eclipsed 10 million in metropolitan area or municipality that haven't been researched or looked into yet. The world today actually has an excess of over 50 megacities, each year multiple new ones being added to the fray.

[kidphilly]

though for many of thee it assumes the current growth rates stay similar, in mot cases in history that is not the case. The factors drawing population to many today can change as prices increase and job factors change, it will be interesting to see but am not sure will sustain the current growth

[Trafalgar Law]

Originally Posted by kidphilly

though for many of thee it assumes the current growth rates stay similar, in mot cases in history that is not the case. The factors drawing population to many today can change as prices increase and job factors change, it will be interesting to see but am not sure will sustain the current growth

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combined_statistical_area

By CSA all of Chicago, Washington DC-Baltimore, the San Francisco Bay Area, the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, Miami/Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Boston, Atlanta, and Philadelphia will be megacities by midcentury. In my view, at least.

A megacity is usually defined as a metropolitan area with a total population in excess of ten million people. A megacity can be a single metropolitan area or two or more metropolitan areas that converge. The terms conurbation, metropolis and metroplex are also applied to the latter.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megacity#cite_note-7

CSA fits into the definition.

Barring any natural catastrophe or cataclysmic events, all of these places will cross the 10 million threshold. With 35 years left until midcentury, the smallest CSA of the pack right now is Atlanta with a population in excess of 6.365 million people. Essentially only 3.635 million people off from the threshold overall with 35 years left to get past that marker. Not much left to go by Atlanta's own growth standards.

I think it is more likely that all of them become megacities. I actually feel pretty good about that prospect given how close all of them are and continue to inch closer to it by the year. In addition to Toronto as well, as far as North America goes. I think all of these places will cross the threshold by midcentury, even with a growth slowdown.

I can only speak for myself and the avenue to my logic is that essentially all of these places are closing in on the threshold now, all of them in the home stretch. Every single one of them has more than 6 million people, the grand majority of them over 7 million or in the process of being over 7 million within the next year or a few.

While events can still occur and growth rates can reverse or even decline; I think it would take a lot, like industries abandoning all of America for cheaper places across the planet, or natural disasters, or some sort of act of violence or something to stop any of these in their tracks.

Megacities are a normalizing trend. Each year there are more megacities than the year before and now we have an excess of 50 of them. From 1950 to 2050, America's number of megacities will have grown from 1 to 11, in my personal view. I can only speak for myself though. I think it will happen, all 11 plus also Toronto in the context of North America. I feel pretty good about that prospect panning out too actually.

[odurandina]

i'm repost this here.... as just a short inspection of 2011, and now tell us quite a bit about where the money is going, including who's adding the luxury units.... follow the money and you see the future. LA is the city that doesn't always show up in all the fancy statistics, but it's an economic T-Rex.

once again, the 2011 incomplete list...

Originally Posted by LINative

Manhattan - 359.3
Washington D.C. - 131.7
Chicago - 131.5
Toronto - 88.7
San Francisco - 83.2
Boston - 59.2
Atlanta - 56.9
Seattle - 52.5
Montreal - 49.4
Philadelphia - 41.5
Houston - 36.9
Denver - 25.7
Baltimore - 22.1
Phoenix - 19.9
San Diego - 10.2
San Jose - 7.5


and updated Q1 2016

office space Millions of sq ft

combined NYC metro - 523.4
Manhattan - 359.3
combined Cook County - n/a
Chicago - 159.0
combined Los Angeles + Downtown/Century City/Hollywood/Burbank/Glendale - n/a
Los Angeles Downtown (4 neighborhoods) - 33.2
combined Boston/Cambridge/Rt 128/495 Technology Belt - 221.6 (87.2 + 134.4)
Washington D.C. - 144.4
Rt 128/495 Boston Technology Belt - 134.4
combined Bay Area metro (S.F./Oak/San Jose) - 128.4
San Francisco - 90.5, East Bay/Oakland - 29.5, San Jose - 10.1
Boston/Cambridge - 87.2 (64.04 + 22.44)
combined South Florida metro - 79.8
Miami - 30.9, Ft Lauderdale - 27.0, West Palm Bch - 21.8
combined Houston metro -n/a
Houston - 43.0
*Seattle - 52.5 *updated only to 2011
Atlanta - 56.9
Pittsburg metro - 51.1
Minneapolis-St Paul metro - 45.9
combined Baltimore Metro - 45.2
Baltimore - 22.4
Dallas/Ft Worth metroplex - 42.7
Dallas - 32.0, Ft Worth 10.7
Philadelphia - 42.0
Denver - 35.0
Detroit - 33.9
Kansas City MO/KS metro - 33.5
Portland, OR - 24.8
Charlotte - 22.3
Milwaukee - 21.5
Phoenix - 20.2
Columbus - 19.8
Cleveland - 19.6
Cincinnati - 17.8
Jacksonville - 16.1
Raleigh/Durham metro - 12.28
Orlando - 12.27
Sacramento - 12.2
Nashville - 12.2
St Louis - 11.5
Indianapolis - 11.5
Richmond - 11.0
Hartford, CT - 10.7
Stamford, CT - 10.5
San Diego - 10.4
Tampa metro - 10.0
Austin - 9.6







Boston's skyline in ~4 years....



http://i1024.photobucket.com/albums/...psb3tc7qoi.jpg

[the resident09]

Originally Posted by KodeBlue

Baltimore and DC CSA is a tad meaningless as well. They don't function like the Bay Area.

Give it a rest bro, for one thread at least.

[NOLA101]

Originally Posted by KodeBlue

Baltimore and DC CSA is a tad meaningless as well. They don't function like the Bay Area.

The MSA and CSA calculations are done exactly the same for all metros. It's the exact same methodology.

Therefore, you can't pick and choose. You can either use the metric or not, but it can't be meaningless for one metro and not meaningless for another.