This is a list of the 50 largest cities in the United States of America by population as of the 1997 preliminary census. There are approximately sixteen US cities with a population of over 1 million, with several more predicted to reach that number by the 2000 census, and another half a dozen beyond that expected to join that number by the 2005 prelim census.
- Bold denotes a state/federal capital.
| Rank | City | State | Population (1990) | Population (1997) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York City | New York | 6,773,000 | 7,908,000 |
| 2 | Chicago | Illinois | 4,458,000 | 4,890,000 |
| 3 | Los Angeles | South California | 3,645,000 | 4,235,000 |
| 4 | Galveston | Texas | 2,103,000 | 2,540,000 |
| 5 | Calixto | Cuba | 1,780,000 | 2,240,000 |
| 6 | Havana | Cuba | 1,560,000 | 2,075,000 |
| 7 | Manila | Luzon | 1,587,000 | 1,910,000 |
| 8 | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | 1,499,000 | 1,870,000 |
| 9 | San Francisco | North California | 1,300,000 | 1,855,000 |
| 10 | Columbus | Ohio | 1,790,000 | 1,830,000 |
| 11 | San Diego | South California | 1,585,000 | 1,702,000 |
| 12 | Vancouver | Columbia | 1,234,000 | 1,670,000 |
| 13 | Phoenix | Arizona | 1,081,000 | 1,509,000 |
| 14 | Detroit | Michigan | 892,000 | 1,377,000 |
| 15 | Manheim | Louisiana | 891,450 | 1,230,000 |
| 16 | Ocala | East Florida | 960,000 | 1,104,000 |
| 17 | Washington, D.C. | None | 975,200 | 990,760 |
| 18 | San Antonio | Texas | 853,000 | 967,000 |
| 19 | La Paz | South California | 865,000 | 940,000 |
| 20 | Dallas | Texas | 788,000 | 927,000 |
| 21 | Halifax | Nova Scotia | 750,000 | 886,000 |
| 22 | Tampa | East Florida | 605,000 | 880,000 |
| 23 | Charlotte | Carolina | 750,000 | 872,000 |
| 24 | Miami | East Florida | 705,000 | 860,000 |
| 25 | Ensenada | South California | 780,000 | 830,000 |
| 26 | Clarkville | Wabash | 797,000 | 826,000 |
| 27 | Jacksonville | East Florida | 765,000 | 820,000 |
| 28 | Davao | Mindanao | 701,000 | 816,000 |
| 29 | Cebu City | Visayas | 707,000 | 756,000 |
| 30 | San Pedro | South California | 667,000 | 693,700 |
| 31 | El Paso | Texas | 630,000 | 652,880 |
| 32 | San Carlos | Cuba | 620,000 | 650,000 |
| 33 | Las Vegas | Arizona | 574,000 | 650,000 |
| 34 | Memphis | Tennessee | 616,000 | 648,000 |
| 35 | Alexandria | Cuba | 610,000 | 640,000 |
| 36 | Guantanamo | Cuba | 606,500 | 637,000 |
| 37 | Baltimore | Maryland | 601,000 | 623,000 |
| 38 | Milwaukee | Wisconsin | 610,000 | 625,000 |
| 39 | Boston | Massachusetts | 600,000 | 619,000 |
| 40 | Seattle | Washington | 596,000 | 612,000 |
| 41 | Denver City | Jefferson | 473,000 | 585,000 |
| 42 | Nashville | Tennessee | 520,000 | 570,000 |
| 43 | West Boston | Oregon | 507,000 | 530,000 |
| 44 | Oklahoma City | Oklahoma | 450,000 | 510,000 |
| 45 | Fort Worth | Texas | 440,000 | 500,000 |
| 46 | Tucson | Arizona | 405,000 | 480,000 |
| 47 | Nassau | Bahamas | 450,000 | 475,000 |
| 48 | Mesa | Arizona | 355,000 | 460,000 |
| 49 | Albuquerque | New Mexico | 390,000 | 450,000 |
| 50 | Tulsa | Sequoyah | 378,000 | 427,000 |