Data / Rankings / Employed residents / US cities

US cities by employed residents

New York, NY had the highest employed residents of 1706 cities in 2024, at 4.13 million. Paradise, CA had the lowest, at 2,222. The median was 23,263. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest4,132,652New York, NY
Lowest2,222Paradise, CA
Median23,2631706 cities

Top 40 cities, 2024

New York, NY: 4,132,652 personsNew York, NY4,132,652Los Angeles, CA: 1,973,362 personsLos Angeles, CA1,973,362Chicago, IL: 1,414,293 personsChicago, IL1,414,293Houston, TX: 1,160,459 personsHouston, TX1,160,459Phoenix, AZ: 884,299 personsPhoenix, AZ884,299Philadelphia, PA: 749,611 personsPhiladelphia, PA749,611San Antonio, TX: 721,336 personsSan Antonio, TX721,336San Diego, CA: 717,199 personsSan Diego, CA717,199Dallas, TX: 683,692 personsDallas, TX683,692Austin, TX: 624,646 personsAustin, TX624,646San Jose, CA: 511,102 personsSan Jose, CA511,102Fort Worth, TX: 507,014 personsFort Worth, TX507,014Charlotte, NC: 500,087 personsCharlotte, NC500,087Columbus, OH: 489,879 personsColumbus, OH489,879Seattle, WA: 489,123 personsSeattle, WA489,123San Francisco, CA: 488,700 personsSan Francisco, CA488,700Jacksonville, FL: 478,872 personsJacksonville, FL478,872Indianapolis, IN: 446,601 personsIndianapolis, IN446,601Denver, CO: 432,260 personsDenver, CO432,260Boston, MA: 390,264 personsBoston, MA390,264Oklahoma City, OK: 368,033 personsOklahoma City, OK368,033Portland, OR: 365,717 personsPortland, OR365,717Las Vegas, NV: 318,824 personsLas Vegas, NV318,824El Paso, TX: 315,609 personsEl Paso, TX315,609Albuquerque, NM: 285,644 personsAlbuquerque, NM285,644Atlanta, GA: 278,671 personsAtlanta, GA278,671Raleigh, NC: 278,654 personsRaleigh, NC278,654Kansas City, MO: 271,573 personsKansas City, MO271,573Baltimore, MD: 270,125 personsBaltimore, MD270,125Memphis, TN: 268,699 personsMemphis, TN268,699Mesa, AZ: 265,578 personsMesa, AZ265,578Miami, FL: 258,210 personsMiami, FL258,210Milwaukee, WI: 257,509 personsMilwaukee, WI257,509Tucson, AZ: 256,394 personsTucson, AZ256,394Sacramento, CA: 256,392 personsSacramento, CA256,392Colorado Springs, CO: 253,934 personsColorado Springs, CO253,934Omaha, NE: 252,504 personsOmaha, NE252,504Minneapolis, MN: 244,467 personsMinneapolis, MN244,467Detroit, MI: 240,448 personsDetroit, MI240,448Fresno, CA: 238,441 personsFresno, CA238,441New York, NY: 4,132,652 personsNew York, NY4,132,652Los Angeles, CA: 1,973,362 personsLos Angeles, CA1,973,362Chicago, IL: 1,414,293 personsChicago, IL1,414,293Houston, TX: 1,160,459 personsHouston, TX1,160,459Phoenix, AZ: 884,299 personsPhoenix, AZ884,299Philadelphia, PA: 749,611 personsPhiladelphia, PA749,611San Antonio, TX: 721,336 personsSan Antonio, TX721,336San Diego, CA: 717,199 personsSan Diego, CA717,199Dallas, TX: 683,692 personsDallas, TX683,692Austin, TX: 624,646 personsAustin, TX624,646San Jose, CA: 511,102 personsSan Jose, CA511,102Fort Worth, TX: 507,014 personsFort Worth, TX507,014Charlotte, NC: 500,087 personsCharlotte, NC500,087Columbus, OH: 489,879 personsColumbus, OH489,879Seattle, WA: 489,123 personsSeattle, WA489,123San Francisco, CA: 488,700 personsSan Francisco, CA488,700Jacksonville, FL: 478,872 personsJacksonville, FL478,872Indianapolis, IN: 446,601 personsIndianapolis, IN446,601Denver, CO: 432,260 personsDenver, CO432,260Boston, MA: 390,264 personsBoston, MA390,264Oklahoma City, OK: 368,033 personsOklahoma City, OK368,033Portland, OR: 365,717 personsPortland, OR365,717Las Vegas, NV: 318,824 personsLas Vegas, NV318,824El Paso, TX: 315,609 personsEl Paso, TX315,609Albuquerque, NM: 285,644 personsAlbuquerque, NM285,644Atlanta, GA: 278,671 personsAtlanta, GA278,671Raleigh, NC: 278,654 personsRaleigh, NC278,654Kansas City, MO: 271,573 personsKansas City, MO271,573Baltimore, MD: 270,125 personsBaltimore, MD270,125Memphis, TN: 268,699 personsMemphis, TN268,699Mesa, AZ: 265,578 personsMesa, AZ265,578Miami, FL: 258,210 personsMiami, FL258,210Milwaukee, WI: 257,509 personsMilwaukee, WI257,509Tucson, AZ: 256,394 personsTucson, AZ256,394Sacramento, CA: 256,392 personsSacramento, CA256,392Colorado Springs, CO: 253,934 personsColorado Springs, CO253,934Omaha, NE: 252,504 personsOmaha, NE252,504Minneapolis, MN: 244,467 personsMinneapolis, MN244,467Detroit, MI: 240,448 personsDetroit, MI240,448Fresno, CA: 238,441 personsFresno, CA238,441
persons. Source: BLS, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: employment (measure 05), annual average. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2024
persons		Change on 2023
1New York, NY4,132,652+2.1%
2Los Angeles, CA1,973,362+0.6%
3Chicago, IL1,414,293+1.7%
4Houston, TX1,160,459+1.8%
5Phoenix, AZ884,299+1.4%
6Philadelphia, PA749,611+0.3%
7San Antonio, TX721,336+2.3%
8San Diego, CA717,199+0.8%
9Dallas, TX683,692+0.5%
10Austin, TX624,646+1.3%
11San Jose, CA511,102-0.6%
12Fort Worth, TX507,014+2.9%
13Charlotte, NC500,087+0.5%
14Columbus, OH489,879+1.6%
15Seattle, WA489,123+0.1%
16San Francisco, CA488,700-2.4%
17Jacksonville, FL478,872-0.1%
18Indianapolis, IN446,601+1.1%
19Denver, CO432,2600%
20Boston, MA390,264+2.4%
21Oklahoma City, OK368,033+2.1%
22Portland, OR365,717-0.3%
23Las Vegas, NV318,824+2.1%
24El Paso, TX315,609+3.5%
25Albuquerque, NM285,644+0.5%
26Atlanta, GA278,671+1.1%
27Raleigh, NC278,654+0.8%
28Kansas City, MO271,573+1.2%
29Baltimore, MD270,125+0.6%
30Memphis, TN268,699-0.4%
31Mesa, AZ265,578+1%
32Miami, FL258,210+1.6%
33Milwaukee, WI257,509-0.5%
34Tucson, AZ256,394-0.4%
35Sacramento, CA256,392+1.3%
36Colorado Springs, CO253,934+0.4%
37Omaha, NE252,504+0.5%
38Minneapolis, MN244,467-0.3%
39Detroit, MI240,448+0.3%
40Fresno, CA238,441+1.5%
41Long Beach, CA231,393-0.4%
42Virginia Beach, VA228,418-0.2%
43Oakland, CA227,629-0.2%
44Aurora, CO213,243+0.3%
45Arlington, TX210,802+1.2%
46Tampa, FL208,425-0.3%
47Tulsa, OK201,865+1.1%
48Wichita, KS197,921+0.6%
49Orlando, FL182,817+0.1%
50Bakersfield, CA181,176+0.6%
51Anaheim, CA170,891+0.5%
52Lexington, KY169,399+1.6%
53Jersey City, NJ168,424+0.8%
54Madison, WI167,432+1.3%
55New Orleans, LA166,766-1.3%
56Lincoln, NE164,990+1%
57Durham, NC164,614+1.6%
58Henderson, NV163,318+3.5%
59St. Paul, MN161,328-0%
60Pittsburgh, PA160,443+1.2%
61Chandler, AZ159,530+0.3%
62Plano, TX159,000-0.3%
63Irvine, CA157,881+1.1%
64Cleveland, OH157,393+1.3%
65Cincinnati, OH156,610+0.3%
66Gilbert, AZ156,560+1.1%
67Riverside, CA155,896+0.7%
68Santa Ana, CA155,067+1.1%
69St. Louis, MO148,996-1.1%
70Corpus Christi, TX146,145+1.5%
71St. Petersburg, FL145,676-0.6%
72Reno, NV145,572+1.2%
73Anchorage, AK143,527+0.3%
74Greensboro, NC143,234+0.5%
75Irving, TX136,7800%
76North Las Vegas, NV135,586+2.8%
77Lubbock, TX135,576+2.5%
78Boise City, ID135,304+1.2%
79Stockton, CA134,666+0.6%
80Scottsdale, AZ133,424+0.7%
81Salt Lake City, UT132,785+2.3%
82Fort Wayne, IN131,404+0.8%
83Newark, NJ130,844+1.1%
84Chula Vista, CA128,933+1%
85Garland, TX127,072+1.5%
86Glendale, AZ126,784+1.6%
87Richmond, VA126,145+0.3%
88Frisco, TX123,957+3.3%
89Chesapeake, VA123,1280%
90Tacoma, WA121,147+1.2%
91McKinney, TX119,250+5.1%
92Sioux Falls, SD117,500+2.3%
93Huntsville, AL117,429+2.5%
94Hialeah, FL117,099+1.1%
95Buffalo, NY117,080-1.2%
96Toledo, OH116,335-0.1%
97Tempe, AZ115,948+0.1%
98Overland Park, KS114,421+0.7%
99Fremont, CA114,266-0.9%
100Port St. Lucie, FL113,767+2.7%
101Santa Clarita, CA113,436-0.5%
102Des Moines, IA112,694-0.1%
103Winston-Salem, NC112,073-1%
104Tallahassee, FL111,694+1.1%
105Laredo, TX109,671+2.9%
106Spokane, WA107,217-1%
107Yonkers, NY106,570+0.1%
108Grand Rapids, MI106,402+0.3%
109Cape Coral, FL106,360+1.8%
110Worcester, MA105,616+2.1%
111Norfolk, VA104,134-0.5%
112Grand Prairie, TX104,086+1.7%
113Fontana, CA103,056+1.1%
114Baton Rouge, LA102,382+0.7%
115Little Rock, AR101,188+1.9%
116Amarillo, TX100,711+1.9%
117Fort Lauderdale, FL100,369-0.1%
118Huntington Beach, CA99,844-0.1%
119Alexandria, VA98,852+0.6%
120Peoria, AZ98,404+0.5%
121Knoxville, TN98,106+1.4%
122Cary, NC97,633-0.1%
123Fort Collins, CO97,271-0.6%
124San Bernardino, CA97,042+0.5%
125Moreno Valley, CA96,211+0.6%
126Providence, RI95,907+1.1%
127Vancouver, WA95,854-1.2%
128Chattanooga, TN95,512+3.1%
129Oxnard, CA95,093+1.1%
130Murfreesboro, TN93,853+1.5%
131Modesto, CA93,788+0.6%
132Aurora, IL93,601+0.8%
133Rochester, NY92,537-1%
134Mobile, AL91,442+0.7%
135Pembroke Pines, FL90,808+1.1%
136Glendale, CA90,666-0.4%
137Birmingham, AL90,3680%
138Ontario, CA90,008+1.4%
139Denton, TX88,707+4%
140Lakewood, CO88,429-0.7%
141Eugene, OR88,357+0.7%
142Santa Rosa, CA88,089-0.2%
143Rancho Cucamonga, CA87,569+0.8%
144Akron, OH87,253+0.2%
145Charleston, SC86,613+1.4%
146Salem, OR86,568+1.5%
147Sunnyvale, CA86,272-0.2%
148Newport News, VA86,264-0.5%
149Montgomery, AL86,262+1.3%
150Elk Grove, CA84,523+1.8%
151Hollywood, FL84,510-0.2%
152Oceanside, CA84,3240%
153Springfield, MO83,840+0.2%
154Bellevue, WA82,984-0.7%
155Garden Grove, CA82,623+1.3%
156Olathe, KS81,989+1.2%
157Brownsville, TX81,003+1.9%
158Corona, CA80,678+0.7%
159Carrollton, TX80,636+0.8%
160Thornton, CO80,299-0.2%
161Miramar, FL79,909-0.1%
162Hayward, CA79,887-0.5%
163Naperville, IL79,856+2.2%
164Stamford, CT79,041+1.3%
165Lewisville, TX78,906+0.9%
166Columbus, GA78,900-1.6%
167Fargo, ND78,831+1%
168Roseville, CA78,810+2.8%
169Round Rock, TX78,430+4%
170Joliet, IL77,268+1.2%
171Surprise, AZ76,530+5.7%
172Fayetteville, NC76,261-1%
173Midland, TX76,258+4.3%
174Mesquite, TX76,077+0.5%
175Salinas, CA75,777+0.9%
176Pasadena, CA74,964+0.9%
177Clarksville, TN74,929+3.5%
178Shreveport, LA74,666-1.8%
179Santa Clara, CA74,377-0.7%
180Bridgeport, CT74,367+1.3%
181Meridian, ID74,364+3.8%
182Kansas City, KS73,897+1.4%
183Coral Springs, FL72,745+0.7%
184Escondido, CA72,273+0.1%
185Savannah, GA72,248+0.9%
186West Valley City, UT72,200-0.1%
187Cambridge, MA71,786+2.1%
188Cedar Rapids, IA71,546-1.2%
189Orange, CA70,182-0.2%
190Paterson, NJ70,159+0.5%
191Gainesville, FL70,060-1.1%
192Kent, WA70,054-0.9%
193Pomona, CA69,685+0.5%
194Torrance, CA69,220-0.6%
195Arvada, CO69,120-0.9%
196Norman, OK69,119+1.5%
197McAllen, TX68,754+2.3%
198Palmdale, CA68,705-0.2%
199Waco, TX68,368+2%
200New Haven, CT67,680+1.4%
201Westminster, CO67,368-1%
202College Station, TX67,321+3%
203Ann Arbor, MI67,227+0.2%
204Rochester, MN66,882+1.2%
205Fullerton, CA66,869-0.1%
206Columbia, SC66,793+2.2%
207Columbia, MO66,327-0.6%
208West Palm Beach, FL65,594+0.1%
209Manchester, NH65,437+0.1%
210Simi Valley, CA65,388+1.1%
211West Jordan, UT65,326-0.1%
212Visalia, CA65,321+0.4%
213Richardson, TX65,244-0.6%
214Lancaster, CA65,147-0.1%
215Elizabeth, NJ65,054+0.2%
216Hampton, VA64,881-0.1%
217Warren, MI64,672-1.2%
218Palm Bay, FL64,306+2.5%
219Springfield, MA64,164+1.6%
220Provo, UT64,098-0.9%
221Pasadena, TX64,045+0.5%
222Pearland, TX63,863+0.7%
223Sterling Heights, MI63,689-1.1%
224North Charleston, SC63,499+4%
225Broken Arrow, OK63,230+3.4%
226Wilmington, NC63,138+0.2%
227Sandy Springs, GA62,831-1%
228Costa Mesa, CA62,370-0.2%
229Hillsboro, OR62,100+0.6%
230Rockford, IL61,800+0.4%
231Concord, CA61,650-0.4%
232Jackson, MS61,640+0.9%
233Odessa, TX61,473+3.7%
234Billings, MT61,353-0.2%
235Lowell, MA61,337+1.6%
236Topeka, KS60,952-0.1%
237Berkeley, CA60,865+0.1%
238Thousand Oaks, CA60,804+0.8%
239Nampa, ID60,677+2.7%
240Killeen, TX60,615+1.5%
241Macon, GA60,388-1%
242Syracuse, NY60,377-0.4%
243Davie, FL60,073+0.3%
244Abilene, TX60,056+3%
245Boulder, CO60,044-1.3%
246Quincy, MA59,695+2.2%
247New Braunfels, TX59,450+5.5%
248Lafayette, LA59,336-0.3%
249League City, TX59,330+1.4%
250Clovis, CA59,263+2.3%

Showing the top 250 of 1706. 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.

More on how it is measured
  • People aged 16 and over by place of residence, from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
  • Active-duty military personnel and people living in institutions are excluded.

United States cities only for now. Counts people where they live, whatever the place of work, and someone with two jobs counts once. BLS estimates cities by splitting county estimates with Census Bureau employment and population data and unemployment insurance claims, so city figures are less precise than state ones. BLS publishes cities of 25,000 or more, and smaller cities in New England.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the cities are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

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, 2024) [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, 2024. 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=2024. 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, 2024. 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=2024.

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, 2024 [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=2024 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_us_cities_by_employed_2024,
  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, 2024}},
  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=2024. 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, 2024
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=2024
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employed-residents/us-cities?period=2024.
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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Questions

Which city has the highest employed residents?

New York, NY, with 4.13 million in 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which city has the lowest employed residents?

Paradise, CA, with 2,222 in 2024.

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.

Employed residents: other rankings

US cities: more rankings