Sponsored message
Logged in as
Audience-funded nonprofit news
radio tower icon laist logo
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Subscribe
  • Listen Now Playing Listen

This archival content was originally written for and published on KPCC.org. Keep in mind that links and images may no longer work — and references may be outdated.

KPCC Archive

Census: LA is the nation's densest urban area, while New York ranks 5th

View of Los Angeles from Griffith Observatory.
View of Los Angeles from Griffith Observatory.
(
Slices of Light/Flickr
)

One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.

Listen 0:49
Census: LA is the nation's densest urban area, while New York ranks 5th
Census: LA is the nation's densest urban area, while New York ranks 5th

Feeling a little claustrophobic lately? Well, it’s not just you — newly released numbers from the Census Bureau say Angelenos are living in the nation's most densely-populated urban area.

New York still has the highest population, but at 7,000 people per square mile, the Los Angeles/Anaheim/Long Beach area takes the density prize.

Even when you throw in parts of New Jersey, the New York metropolitan area clocks in at fifth, with a little over 5,000 people per square mile.

In fact, 7 of the 10 most crowded urban centers in the U.S. are right here in California. Ninety-five percent of our state’s population lives in or near a city.

As California goes, so goes the country. Nationwide urban-dwelling has been inching steadily upward. Numbers now put almost 81 percent of us in cities, compared to 79 percent a decade ago.

One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.

You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.

If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief

Make your tax-deductible donation today