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World Measure
The population almanac240 countries · 31,365 cities · UN WPP 2024
City profile · United States · North America

San Diego

California · United States
City population
1,404,452
#11
in United States
#2
in California
#356
worldwide
WashingtonSan Diego
32.716, -117.165 · 3,653 km from Washington
City population
1,404,452
Within the city boundary, not a metro area
Rank in United States
#11
of 3,112 cities of 15,000+
World rank
#356
of 31,365 cities listed
Share of United States
0.4%
of the national population

About San Diego

The city accounts for 0.4% of the United States population, ranking 11th among American cities. Chula Vista, 11 km away, is the nearest major neighbour at 265,757 people; four other cities between 4 km and 14 km away have populations ranging from 24,812 to 61,060. The city sits 3,653 km from Washington and 20 m above sea level.

This summary is AI-generated from the figures on this page. The figures themselves come from the sources cited beside each value.

Position in United States
#11of 3,112
LargestSmallest
Position in California
#2of 396
LargestSmallest

Key Facts

Country
United States
Region
California
Rank in region
#2of 396
Distance to capital
3,653 km
to Washington
Elevation
20 m
Time zone
America/Los_Angeles
Coordinates
32.716, -117.165
Record updated
2025-06-25
Entry edited, not measured

City population, GeoNames. GeoNames publishes no year for its population figures, so “record updated” is when the entry was last edited — not the date the population was measured.

Nearby Cities

All 3,112 in United States

Closest listed cities by great-circle distance from the city centre.

7KMNational City61K people11KMChula Vista266K people14KMLa Mesa60K people15KMImperial Beach27K people16KMLa Presa34K people

Compared with the World's Largest Cities

City-proper population against the fifteen largest cities in the dataset.

  1. Shanghai24.9M
  2. Beijing19M
  3. Shenzhen17.5M
  4. Guangzhou16.1M
  5. Kinshasa16M
  6. Istanbul15.7M
  7. Lagos15.4M
  8. Ho Chi Minh City14M
  9. Chengdu13.6M
  10. Lahore13M
  11. Mumbai12.7M
  12. São Paulo12.4M
  13. Mexico City12.3M
  14. Karachi11.6M
  15. Tianjin11.1M
  16. San Diego1.4M
City-proper figures only. Administrative boundaries differ between countries, so these are not directly comparable to metropolitan-area estimates.
San Diego compared with the fifteen largest cities
NameCity population
Shanghai24.9M
Beijing19M
Shenzhen17.5M
Guangzhou16.1M
Kinshasa16M
Istanbul15.7M
Lagos15.4M
Ho Chi Minh City14M
Chengdu13.6M
Lahore13M
Mumbai12.7M
São Paulo12.4M
Mexico City12.3M
Karachi11.6M
Tianjin11.1M
San Diego1.4M

San Diego Population FAQ

What is the population of San Diego?

San Diego has a city population of 1,404,452. That is the population within the city's own boundary, not its wider metropolitan area. City population, GeoNames.

Where is San Diego?

San Diego is in California, United States, 3,653 km from the capital, Washington. Its coordinates are 32.716, -117.165.

How big is San Diego compared with other cities in United States?

It is the 11th largest of the 3,112 cities of 15,000 or more listed in United States, holding 0.4% of the national population.

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