what are the top 20 metro areas in the united states?

Based on the most recent official data from the U.S. Census Bureau (referring to Metropolitan Statistical Areas by population), here are the top 20 metro areas in the United States:

1. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
2. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
3. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI
4. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
5. Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
6. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
7. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
8. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL
9. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA
10. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
11. Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ
12. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
13. San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA
14. Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
15. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
16. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
17. San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
18. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
19. Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO
20. Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD

These rankings reflect population estimates as of the latest completed census-based reporting. If you would like to know the specific population figures for these areas or have questions about how these metropolitan boundaries are defined, feel free to ask.