How Many Cities Are in the United States? The "Incorporated Place" Count

There is no single, universally agreed number because "city" is defined differently by each state (population thresholds, charter type, governance structure). The most authoritative baseline comes from the U.S. Census Bureau.

2020 Census: 19,495 Incorporated Places

The Census Bureau's Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) tallies incorporated places — legally established municipalities (cities, towns, villages, boroughs, municipalities) with active governments.

• Total incorporated places (2020): 19,495
• This includes:

1. Cities (typically larger, mayor-council or manager-council)
2. Towns (New England, NY, WI — often town-meeting governance; elsewhere, smaller municipalities)
3. Villages (Midwest, NY, NJ, etc. — smaller, often within towns/townships)
4. Boroughs (NJ, PA, CT, AK — distinct municipal class)
5. Other designations (e.g., "city and borough" in AK, "municipality" in some states)

Why the Number Is Fuzzy

• State definitions vary wildly: In Massachusetts, every municipality is a "city" or "town" (no unincorporated land). In Virginia, "cities" are independent of counties; "towns" are within counties. In Hawaii, only one incorporated place (Honolulu County/City consolidated).
• Census Designated Places (CDPs): 9,900+ unincorporated communities recognized for statistics — not legal cities.
• Consolidated governments: e.g., Nashville-Davidson, Indianapolis-Marion, Philadelphia — counted as one incorporated place.
• Inactive/dissolved: Some incorporated places lose population/government but remain on books.

Practical Takeaway

~19,500 incorporated municipalities is the standard working number. For "cities" in the colloquial sense (population >50k or >100k), the count drops to ~800 or ~300 respectively. Always clarify the definition for your use case.