US cities by employed residents

New York, NY had the highest employed residents of 1680 cities in 2020, at 3.58 million. Paradise, CA had the lowest, at 1,179. The median was 21,341. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Highest3,581,380New York, NY

Lowest1,179Paradise, CA

Median21,3411680 cities

Top 40 cities, 2020

persons. Source: BLS, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: employment (measure 05), annual average. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

Rank	Cities	2020 persons	Change on 2019
1	New York, NY	3,581,380	-12.8%
2	Los Angeles, CA	1,754,256	-11.2%
3	Chicago, IL	1,249,038	-9.2%
4	Houston, TX	1,047,434	-6.2%
5	Phoenix, AZ	791,161	-2.4%
6	Philadelphia, PA	692,852	-6.5%
7	San Diego, CA	633,589	-8.6%
8	San Antonio, TX	629,042	-4.8%
9	Dallas, TX	620,759	-4.8%
10	Austin, TX	529,669	-3.7%
11	San Jose, CA	488,894	-7.4%
12	San Francisco, CA	476,420	-9.8%
13	Columbus, OH	450,489	-4.7%
14	Charlotte, NC	436,405	-6%
15	Jacksonville, FL	432,904	-4.7%
16	Seattle, WA	427,781	-6.2%
17	Fort Worth, TX	426,702	-2.6%
18	Indianapolis, IN	413,458	-5.6%
19	Denver, CO	397,022	-4.7%
20	Boston, MA	353,999	-9.6%
21	Portland, OR	349,650	-4.3%
22	Oklahoma City, OK	319,862	-3.3%
23	El Paso, TX	278,282	-4.2%
24	Memphis, TN	268,303	-6.1%
25	Baltimore, MD	265,925	-7.7%
26	Albuquerque, NM	260,714	-5.3%
27	Las Vegas, NV	260,684	-14.3%
28	Milwaukee, WI	254,042	-4.6%
29	Kansas City, MO	251,024	-4.8%
30	Atlanta, GA	249,468	-4.8%
31	Omaha, NE	247,656	-2.5%
32	Tucson, AZ	243,902	-3.8%
33	Mesa, AZ	241,191	-2%
34	Minneapolis, MN	238,731	-2.7%
35	Raleigh, NC	235,453	-7.2%
36	Sacramento, CA	231,765	-5.9%
37	Colorado Springs, CO	227,816	-3%
38	Virginia Beach, VA	213,813	-5.7%
39	Fresno, CA	213,014	-5.8%
40	Long Beach, CA	211,442	-11.7%
41	Detroit, MI	211,252	-10.9%
42	Oakland, CA	210,034	-8.2%
43	Miami, FL	206,957	-11.3%
44	Aurora, CO	191,173	-5.4%
45	Arlington, TX	189,153	-4.7%
46	Tulsa, OK	186,508	-4.1%
47	Wichita, KS	186,393	-4.2%
48	Tampa, FL	183,827	-3.9%
49	Bakersfield, CA	162,836	-5%
50	New Orleans, LA	160,167	-9.2%
51	St. Paul, MN	158,563	-4%
52	Lexington, KY	157,576	-4.7%
53	Anaheim, CA	156,979	-9.3%
54	Lincoln, NE	155,590	-2.1%
55	Madison, WI	154,349	-3.1%
56	Orlando, FL	151,702	-10.5%
57	St. Louis, MO	149,503	-6.5%
58	Pittsburgh, PA	149,381	-6.5%
59	Chandler, AZ	146,087	-2.2%
60	Cincinnati, OH	144,384	-5.7%
61	Jersey City, NJ	144,071	-8%
62	Cleveland, OH	143,808	-10.9%
63	Plano, TX	143,566	-3.4%
64	Irvine, CA	139,520	-7.9%
65	Durham, NC	139,516	-5%
66	Riverside, CA	139,395	-5.4%
67	Santa Ana, CA	139,360	-8.9%
68	Gilbert, AZ	135,588	-2.3%
69	Anchorage, AK	134,901	-4.3%
70	Corpus Christi, TX	133,383	-6.5%
71	Greensboro, NC	130,754	-8.5%
72	St. Petersburg, FL	129,089	-4.6%
73	Reno, NV	128,450	-7.3%
74	Henderson, NV	127,413	-13.3%
75	Boise City, ID	126,739	-1.9%
76	Irving, TX	125,815	-4.3%
77	Stockton, CA	123,919	-4.6%
78	Scottsdale, AZ	121,690	-2.2%
79	Fort Wayne, IN	120,523	-6.1%
80	Newark, NJ	119,968	-7.3%
81	Lubbock, TX	119,682	-3.6%
82	Garland, TX	115,515	-5.1%
83	Richmond, VA	115,393	-5.7%
84	Chula Vista, CA	114,381	-8.1%
85	Glendale, AZ	113,494	-2.7%
86	Salt Lake City, UT	113,365	-0.3%
87	Chesapeake, VA	111,676	-5.3%
88	Buffalo, NY	111,451	-6.5%
89	Toledo, OH	111,197	-8.1%
90	Des Moines, IA	107,989	-8.1%
91	Fremont, CA	107,095	-8.8%
92	Sioux Falls, SD	106,348	-0.5%
93	Overland Park, KS	106,183	-2%
94	Spokane, WA	105,175	-3.6%
95	Tempe, AZ	104,914	-1.2%
96	Winston-Salem, NC	104,543	-7.5%
97	Tacoma, WA	104,258	-6.8%
98	North Las Vegas, NV	103,209	-13.1%
99	Huntsville, AL	102,868	-1.6%
100	Santa Clarita, CA	101,814	-11.5%
101	Norfolk, VA	99,167	-6.5%
102	Frisco, TX	98,797	-0.2%
103	Tallahassee, FL	98,579	-4.6%
104	Grand Rapids, MI	98,338	-6.8%
105	Hialeah, FL	97,534	-12.6%
106	Baton Rouge, LA	96,921	-6.1%
107	Laredo, TX	96,403	-6%
108	McKinney, TX	95,709	-0.2%
109	Yonkers, NY	94,894	-6.5%
110	Worcester, MA	93,651	-9.6%
111	Huntington Beach, CA	93,647	-9.7%
112	Alexandria, VA	92,477	-6.2%
113	Little Rock, AR	92,169	-4.5%
114	Amarillo, TX	91,919	-3%
115	Fort Collins, CO	91,383	-5.5%
116	Grand Prairie, TX	90,762	-4.3%
117	Fontana, CA	90,322	-4.5%
118	Vancouver, WA	90,312	-4.6%
119	Rochester, NY	89,833	-5.6%
120	Knoxville, TN	89,819	-3.9%
121	Port St. Lucie, FL	88,980	-2.6%
122	Fort Lauderdale, FL	88,316	-7.3%
123	Mobile, AL	88,023	-4.2%
124	Oxnard, CA	87,823	-7.6%
125	San Bernardino, CA	87,771	-5.1%
126	Peoria, AZ	87,721	-1.8%
127	Providence, RI	86,795	-6.5%
128	Birmingham, AL	86,771	-4.8%
129	Modesto, CA	86,584	-4.9%
130	Moreno Valley, CA	86,182	-5.1%
131	Cape Coral, FL	85,576	-4.6%
132	Aurora, IL	85,360	-9.6%
133	Cary, NC	84,731	-5.6%
134	Chattanooga, TN	84,205	-5.2%
135	Glendale, CA	83,706	-11.8%
136	Santa Rosa, CA	82,784	-9.8%
137	Akron, OH	82,735	-6.6%
138	Lakewood, CO	82,306	-5.2%
139	Montgomery, AL	81,958	-4.9%
140	Eugene, OR	81,820	-3.9%
141	Newport News, VA	81,205	-6.1%
142	Sunnyvale, CA	80,721	-7.1%
143	Columbus, GA	79,766	-3.5%
144	Pembroke Pines, FL	79,517	-7.7%
145	Murfreesboro, TN	79,441	-4.5%
146	Rancho Cucamonga, CA	79,244	-5.2%
147	Springfield, MO	79,210	-4%
148	Ontario, CA	78,130	-4.4%
149	Salem, OR	77,735	-1.8%
150	Oceanside, CA	76,933	-9.2%
151	Hayward, CA	76,147	-9.1%
152	Charleston, SC	75,780	-4.1%
153	Bellevue, WA	75,251	-8.3%
154	Elk Grove, CA	75,241	-5.4%
155	Garden Grove, CA	75,221	-9.5%
156	Hollywood, FL	74,517	-8.2%
157	Olathe, KS	74,111	-2.2%
158	Carrollton, TX	73,486	-3.5%
159	Thornton, CO	72,688	-5.1%
160	Shreveport, LA	72,389	-6.5%
161	Corona, CA	72,098	-4.9%
162	Fargo, ND	71,571	-2.5%
163	Stamford, CT	71,522	-6.9%
164	Cedar Rapids, IA	70,794	-7.5%
165	Fayetteville, NC	70,772	-6.4%
166	Salinas, CA	70,568	-8.3%
167	Brownsville, TX	70,388	-2.1%
168	Kansas City, KS	70,107	-3.3%
169	Mesquite, TX	70,062	-6%
170	Denton, TX	69,737	-1.2%
171	Miramar, FL	68,879	-8.2%
172	Naperville, IL	68,189	-9.2%
173	Santa Clara, CA	67,888	-3%
174	Lewisville, TX	67,837	-2.5%
175	West Valley City, UT	67,795	-3%
176	Joliet, IL	67,410	-9.3%
177	Pasadena, CA	67,392	-11.4%
178	Bridgeport, CT	67,328	-8.8%
179	Savannah, GA	66,147	-5.9%
180	Roseville, CA	66,122	-4.7%
181	Arvada, CO	65,892	-5.9%
182	Escondido, CA	65,709	-9%
183	Clarksville, TN	65,630	-4.2%
184	Cambridge, MA	65,237	-8.3%
185	Gainesville, FL	64,804	-4.9%
186	Orange, CA	64,793	-9.9%
187	Kent, WA	64,613	-8.1%
188	Rochester, MN	64,517	-0.1%
189	Torrance, CA	64,270	-11.9%
190	Coral Springs, FL	63,626	-8.3%
191	Westminster, CO	63,602	-5.9%
192	Palmdale, CA	63,184	-11.8%
193	Manchester, NH	63,157	-6.5%
194	Columbia, MO	63,012	-4.5%
195	Pomona, CA	62,959	-11.7%
196	Provo, UT	62,723	-2%
197	Ann Arbor, MI	62,551	-6.4%
198	Fullerton, CA	62,510	-9.6%
199	Paterson, NJ	61,817	-8.3%
200	Norman, OK	61,404	-3.7%
201	Surprise, AZ	61,217	+0.4%
202	Round Rock, TX	60,971	-2.1%
203	Waco, TX	60,837	-1.4%
204	Pasadena, TX	60,835	-7.2%
205	Richardson, TX	60,815	-5.1%
206	West Jordan, UT	60,709	-2%
207	Jackson, MS	60,518	-6.9%
208	Macon, GA	60,464	-4.3%
209	New Haven, CT	60,455	-7%
210	Simi Valley, CA	60,273	-7.8%
211	Meridian, ID	60,050	+3.8%
212	Sandy Springs, GA	59,997	-5.4%
213	Hampton, VA	59,919	-5.6%
214	Midland, TX	59,909	-12.5%
215	Springfield, MA	59,802	-9%
216	Columbia, SC	59,756	-3.2%
217	Lancaster, CA	59,638	-11.4%
218	Rockford, IL	59,547	-9.4%
219	Warren, MI	59,501	-11.2%
220	McAllen, TX	59,423	-3.3%
221	Elizabeth, NJ	59,313	-8.2%
222	Costa Mesa, CA	58,469	-9.7%
223	Topeka, KS	58,440	-2%
224	Pearland, TX	58,358	-5.6%
225	Visalia, CA	58,312	-4.3%
226	Syracuse, NY	58,021	-5.5%
227	Concord, CA	57,858	-9.1%
227	Sterling Heights, MI	57,858	-11.1%
229	Billings, MT	57,726	-2%
230	Berkeley, CA	57,633	-9.2%
231	Thousand Oaks, CA	56,957	-8%
232	Boulder, CO	56,660	-5.7%
233	College Station, TX	56,494	-3.1%
234	Hillsboro, OR	56,124	-2.6%
235	Killeen, TX	55,772	-2.1%
236	Lafayette, LA	55,330	-5%
237	West Palm Beach, FL	55,273	-6.9%
238	Lowell, MA	54,972	-8.2%
239	Renton, WA	54,677	-8.5%
240	Centennial, CO	54,645	-6.7%
241	Vallejo, CA	54,501	-8.7%
242	San Mateo, CA	54,458	-9.1%
243	Broken Arrow, OK	54,429	-3.3%
244	Independence, MO	54,425	-5%
245	Daly City, CA	54,242	-9.2%
246	Wilmington, NC	54,028	-6.6%
247	League City, TX	53,967	-5%
248	Dayton, OH	53,420	-5.9%
249	North Charleston, SC	53,197	-2.8%
250	Lansing, MI	53,097	-6.6%

Showing the top 250 of 1680. The Excel download has every row.

Other periods

About this ranking

Residents who did any work for pay or profit in the reference week, or were temporarily absent from a job, annual average.

How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: employment (measure 05), annual average. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU20-24. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: employment (measure 05), annual average (US cities by employed residents, 2020) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU20-24

MLA 9

Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: employment (measure 05), annual average, US cities by employed residents, 2020. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 30 Sept. 2026, https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU20-24. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employed-residents/us-cities?period=2020. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: employment (measure 05), annual average. US cities by employed residents, 2020. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU20-24. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employed-residents/us-cities?period=2020.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: employment (measure 05), annual average, US cities by employed residents, 2020 [Dataset]. Available at: https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU20-24, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/employed-residents/us-cities?period=2020 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{bureau_us_cities_by_employed_2020,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: employment (measure 05), annual average: US cities by employed residents, 2020}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU20-24},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employed-residents/us-cities?period=2020. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: employment (measure 05), annual average. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU20-24. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}

RIS

TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI  - Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: employment (measure 05), annual average: US cities by employed residents, 2020
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/30
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU20-24
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/employed-residents/us-cities?period=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employed-residents/us-cities?period=2020.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: employment (measure 05), annual average. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU20-24. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -

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Rank US cities by employed residents using official data, and cite the source.

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Questions

Which city has the highest employed residents?

New York, NY, with 3.58 million in 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which city has the lowest employed residents?

Paradise, CA, with 1,179 in 2020.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: employment (measure 05), annual average. Retrieved 2026-10-12. 26 cities have no value for 2020 and are not ranked.