City Populations

Population

What makes people want to live in an area? Maybe they were born there. Maybe they moved because of work. Maybe the weather is nice, or there are many things to do there. The population of people can be different depending on the area in which they live.

There can be billions of people who live in a country. That’s a lot of people, but in other countries, cities, or towns, there can be only a few thousand or just a few hundred people that live there!

The population will continue to increase as it has for decades. So let’s compare the population density of places in the United States. How many people live in an area? And what are the characteristics of those people?

We’ve learned about the different regions of the U.S. Let’s take a closer look at some big cities within each region. New York City is located in the Northeast Region of the United States. The population is over 8 million people with a population density of 26,000 people living per square mile. New York City is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the U.S. People from all races and cultures call New York City home. As many as 800 languages are spoken in the city.

Moving to the Southeast Region of the U.S. is Miami, Florida. The population of Miami is 5.5 million people with a population density of over 12,000 people living per square mile. Miami is known as the “Capital of Latin America” due to the high Latin American population.

In the Midwest Region, Chicago, Illinois, is one of the most highly populated. More than half of the population of the state of Illinois lives in Chicago. There are about 3 million people living there with a population density of over 12,000 people per square mile. Chicago is ethnically diverse. White, African American, Hispanic, and Asian cultures are spread throughout the area.

The state of Texas is located in the Southwest Region of the U.S. Houston, Texas is the most populous city in Texas. There are around 2.3 million people living there with a population density of about 3,600 people living per square mile. Houston is ethnically diverse partly because of its many academic institutions where people come to study biomedical, energy, manufacturing, and aerospace industries.

Moving to the West, California is in the Northwest Region of the U.S. and has many cities that are densely populated. Los Angeles is the most populated city in California and the second most populated in the US, following New York City. There are 4 million people that live there--another extremely diverse area where white, African American, Hispanic, Asian, and other mixed-raced people call Los Angeles home. Almost 50% of the total population is Latino, or Hispanic.

Big cities tend to have the highest population of people. There’s more available. Whether it is businesses, schools, homes, recreation activities, or other things to do, people want easy access to things so they live in or near the big city.

Small towns have a lower population of people--people who want a quieter or simple lifestyle without the hussle and bussle of crowded streets, businesses, and neighborhoods.

The demographics can change from city to city depending on the location and resources available.

There are over 330 million people that call the United States home. That is only a fraction of how many people live around the world.

How does the city in which you live compare to the population of other cities in the U.S.?