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

San Jose

California · United States
City population
997,368
#16
in United States
#3
in California
#555
worldwide
WashingtonSan Jose
37.339, -121.895 · 3,888 km from Washington
City population
997,368
Within the city boundary, not a metro area
Rank in United States
#16
of 3,112 cities of 15,000+
World rank
#555
of 31,365 cities listed
Share of United States
0.3%
of the national population

About San Jose

Nearly a million people live within the city proper, making it the third-largest city in California and 16th in the United States. Several substantial cities cluster nearby: Santa Clara (126,215) lies 6 km away, Sunnyvale (155,805) at 13 km, and Milpitas (77,604) at 10 km, among others within similar range. The city sits 26 m above sea level, 3,888 km from Washington.

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
#16of 3,112
LargestSmallest
Position in California
#3of 396
LargestSmallest

Key Facts

Country
United States
Region
California
Rank in region
#3of 396
Distance to capital
3,888 km
to Washington
Elevation
26 m
Time zone
America/Los_Angeles
Coordinates
37.339, -121.895
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.

6KMSanta Clara126K people10KMMilpitas78K people12KMCupertino61K people13KMSunnyvale156K people17KMMountain View80K 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 Jose997K
City-proper figures only. Administrative boundaries differ between countries, so these are not directly comparable to metropolitan-area estimates.
San Jose 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 Jose997K

San Jose Population FAQ

What is the population of San Jose?

San Jose has a city population of 997,368. That is the population within the city's own boundary, not its wider metropolitan area. City population, GeoNames.

Where is San Jose?

San Jose is in California, United States, 3,888 km from the capital, Washington. Its coordinates are 37.339, -121.895.

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

It is the 16th largest of the 3,112 cities of 15,000 or more listed in United States, holding 0.3% of the national population.

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