Where does the Houston region rank among the largest metropolitan areas in the country?

HOUSTON – In a recent report published by the U.S. Census Bureau, the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land metropolitan area saw nearly 90,000 people added from 2018-2019.

The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington area jumped over the Houston region at the No. 4 spot for the 2018-2019 time period. The Dallas region has about 500,000 more people than the Houston region.

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The New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago regions remain at No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 respectively.

For more on how this estimate is presented, click here.

What is the difference between regional and city rankings?

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, regional and metropolitan areas, which covers areas within a large city such as New York City and Los Angeles, includes population numbers that include rural and suburban areas.

For example, the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land area encompasses the entire Houston area that includes areas within The Woodlands and Sugar Land and surrounding areas.

City population rankings measure the amount of residents in a single city, not counting unincorporated areas. Houston’s population, for example, does not count the areas of Bellaire, West University and Pasadena.

Houston remains as the fourth largest city in the U.S., with a potential to jump over Chicago in city population rankings according to a study by William Frey, senior fellow of the Brookings Institution.

U.S. metropolitan regions with population growth (July 2018 vs. July 2019)

  • New York-Newark-New Jersey: 19,216,182 (-60,462)
  • Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim: 13,214,799 (-35,080)
  • Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: 9,458,529 (-25,619)
  • Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: 7,573,136 (+117,380)
  • Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land: 7,066,141 (+89,994)
  • Washington-Arlington-Alexandria: 6,280,487 (+32,646)
  • Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach: 6,166,488 (+22,651)
  • Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington: 6,102,434 (+11,226)
  • Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta: 6,020,364 (+75,061)
  • Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler: 4,948,203 (+98,994)