Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in United States of America
United States of America: Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas was 88.17 million people in 2020. ▲ Rising
Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in United States of America, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in United States of America is 88.17 million people, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in United States of America peaked at 88.17 million people in 2020 and was at its lowest, 64.28 million people, in 1950.
That places United States of America 3rd out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in United States of America, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 64.28 million people | — |
| 1955 | 66.85 million people | +4.0% |
| 1960 | 69.63 million people | +4.1% |
| 1965 | 72.31 million people | +3.9% |
| 1970 | 74.53 million people | +3.1% |
| 1975 | 76.51 million people | +2.7% |
| 1980 | 78.62 million people | +2.8% |
| 1985 | 80.46 million people | +2.3% |
| 1990 | 81.82 million people | +1.7% |
| 1995 | 83.37 million people | +1.9% |
| 2000 | 83.75 million people | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 85.38 million people | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 87.12 million people | +2.0% |
| 2015 | 87.75 million people | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 88.17 million people | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 65.57 million people | 64.28 million people | 66.85 million people | 2 |
| 1960s | 70.97 million people | 69.63 million people | 72.31 million people | 2 |
| 1970s | 75.52 million people | 74.53 million people | 76.51 million people | 2 |
| 1980s | 79.54 million people | 78.62 million people | 80.46 million people | 2 |
| 1990s | 82.60 million people | 81.82 million people | 83.37 million people | 2 |
| 2000s | 84.56 million people | 83.75 million people | 85.38 million people | 2 |
| 2010s | 87.43 million people | 87.12 million people | 87.75 million people | 2 |
| 2020s | 88.17 million people | 88.17 million people | 88.17 million people | 1 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
More population data for United States of America
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.0241 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.1369 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -2.8 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.1369 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development 0.1% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 19.91 million people (2100)
- Population density 46.05 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth 0.1% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate 0.1565 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.4762 Percent per annum (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in United States of America?
- Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in United States of America was 88.17 million people in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 88.17 million people in 2020.
- What is the lowest number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 64.28 million people in 1950.
- How does United States of America rank for number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas?
- United States of America ranks 3rd out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States of America data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated number of people living in rural areas. Rural areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.