Description
With an estimated population in 2024 of 8,478,072[5][6] distributed over 300.46 square miles (778.2 km2),[4] the city is the most densely populated major city in the United States. New York City has more than double the population of Los Angeles, the nation's second-most populous city.[20] With more than 20.1 million people in its metropolitan statistical area[21] and 23.5 million in its combined statistical area as of 2020, New York City is one of the world's most populous megacities.[22] The city and its metropolitan area are the premier gateway for legal immigration to the United States. As many as 800 languages are spoken in New York City,[23] making it the most linguistically diverse city in the world. In 2021, the city was home to nearly 3.1 million residents born outside the United States,[20] the largest foreign-born population of any city in the world.[24]