Share of population living in urban areas in United States
United States: Share of population living in urban areas was 74.0% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in urban areas in United States, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
United States recorded 74.0% for share of population living in urban areas in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas in United States peaked at 74.0% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 58.3%, in 1950.
United States ranks 118th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in urban areas in United States, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 58.3% | — |
| 1955 | 59.8% | +2.5% |
| 1960 | 61.4% | +2.7% |
| 1965 | 63.0% | +2.7% |
| 1970 | 64.1% | +1.7% |
| 1975 | 65.1% | +1.5% |
| 1980 | 65.8% | +1.1% |
| 1985 | 66.7% | +1.4% |
| 1990 | 67.7% | +1.5% |
| 1995 | 68.9% | +1.8% |
| 2000 | 70.2% | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 71.1% | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 72.0% | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 73.1% | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 74.0% | +1.3% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 74.0% is below the median for high income countries, which is 76.2%, 97% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 59.0% | 58.3% | 59.8% | 2 |
| 1960s | 62.2% | 61.4% | 63.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 64.6% | 64.1% | 65.1% | 2 |
| 1980s | 66.3% | 65.8% | 66.7% | 2 |
| 1990s | 68.3% | 67.7% | 68.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 70.7% | 70.2% | 71.1% | 2 |
| 2010s | 72.5% | 72.0% | 73.1% | 2 |
| 2020s | 74.0% | 74.0% | 74.0% | 1 |
Countries ranked near United States
More reference data data for United States
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 19.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 24.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 119.42 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 20.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 119.42 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 64.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 52.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 133.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 589.96 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 112.69 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in urban areas in United States?
- Share of population living in urban areas in United States was 74.0% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in urban areas recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 74.0% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 58.3% in 1950.
- How does United States rank for share of population living in urban areas?
- United States ranks 118th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in urban areas rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.