Cities in California by population
Los Angeles, CA had the highest population of 376 cities in 2020, at 3.9 million. Paradise, CA had the lowest, at 5,090. The median was 47,381 and the figure for California was 39.53 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.
Top 40 cities, 2020
Full ranking
Other periods
About this ranking
Resident population.
More on how it is measured
- Spain and the EU: 1 January, with Spanish figures from the official municipal register (Padrón).
- Norway: Statistics Norway, 1 January.
- Iceland and its municipalities: Statistics Iceland, 1 January.
- United States: Census Bureau population estimates for 1 July.
- United Kingdom regions and local authorities: Office for National Statistics estimates for 30 June.
- Other countries and the World: World Bank mid-year estimates, which count all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.
- UN World Population Prospects estimates for 1 July cover the years before 1960 and the areas the World Bank does not publish, such as Taiwan.
The World Bank series exists for every country, so use it (through compare) to rank countries on one basis.
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. Census Bureau. Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.Citation styles
APA 7
U.S. Census Bureau. (2026). Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals) (Cities in California by population, 2020) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/
MLA 9
Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals), Cities in California by population, 2020. U.S. Census Bureau, 14 May 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/population/california-cities?period=2020. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.
Chicago (author-date)
U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals). Cities in California by population, 2020. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/population/california-cities?period=2020.
Harvard
U.S. Census Bureau (2026) Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals), Cities in California by population, 2020 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/population/california-cities?period=2020 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_california_by_2020,
author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
title = {{Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals): Cities in California by population, 2020}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Data set},
url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/},
urldate = {2026-10-12},
note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/population/california-cities?period=2020. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY - DATA
AU - U.S. Census Bureau
TI - Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals): Cities in California by population, 2020
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/05/14
PB - U.S. Census Bureau
DB - Invokely
UR - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/
L2 - https://invokely.ai/rankings/population/california-cities?period=2020
Y2 - 2026/10/12
N1 - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/population/california-cities?period=2020.
N1 - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER -
Use this data in your AI agent
Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:
Rank Cities in California by population using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"population","level":"municipality","within":"California","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=population&level=municipality&within=California&limit=10Questions
Which city has the highest population?
Los Angeles, CA, with 3.9 million in 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Which city has the lowest population?
Paradise, CA, with 5,090 in 2020.
Where does this ranking come from?
Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals). Retrieved 2026-10-12.
Population: other rankings
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