City status in the United States of America

In the [[United States of America]], the labeling of a population center as a [[city]] is left to the individual state governments. Within each state's constitution are provisions for local governance; thus the distinction, or lack thereof, between entities such as towns, cities, etc. can vary from state to state. Below is a table of each states' definition of what constitutes a city.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; border="1"
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! State !! Population !! Governance !! Other Requirements !! Comments
|-
! [[Alabama]]
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! [[Alaska]]
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! [[Arizona]]
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! [[Arkansas]]
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! [[California]]
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! [[Colorado]]
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! [[Connecticut]]
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! [[Delaware]]
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! [[Florida]]
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! [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]
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! [[Hawaii]]
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! [[Idaho]]
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! [[Illinois]]<ref>Illinois Constitution, Article VII, Section 6</ref>
| > 25,000 || Home rule || || Population centers meeting the population requirements are automatically classified as "home rule units"; those with smaller populations can vote by referendum to become "home rule units"
|-
! [[Indiana]]
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! [[Iowa]]<ref>Iowa Constitution, Article III, Section 38A</ref>
| N/A || Home rule || || Municipalities are granted home rule authority and power except that of taxation, which can only be conferred upon a municipality by the State Legislator
|-
! [[Kansas]]
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! [[Kentucky]]
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! [[Louisiana]]<ref> Louisiana Constitution, Article VI, Sections 5, 9A</ref>
| N/A || Home rule || Adoption of charter || Municipalities are grated home rule authority and power except that of defining and providing for the punishment of a felony, or enacting ordinances governing private or civil relationships
|-
! [[Maine]]
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! [[Maryland]]
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! [[Massachusetts]]<ref>Massachusetts Constitution, Article II, Section 2</ref>
| > 12,000 || || ||
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! [[Michigan]]<ref>Michigan Constitution, Article VII, Sections 18, 21, 22</ref>
| N/A || Home rule || Adoption of charter || Cities are differentiated from townships in their form of governance; townships are required to elect a supervisor, clerk, treasure, and at most four trustees whose powers and duties are provided by the State Legislature
|-
! [[Minnesota]]
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! [[Mississippi]]
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! [[Missouri]]
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! [[Montana]]
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! [[Nebraska]]
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! [[Nevada]]
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! [[New Hampshire]]
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! [[New Jersey]]
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! [[New Mexico]]<ref>New Mexico Constitution, Article X, Section 6D</ref>
| N/A || Home rule || Adoption of charter || Municipalities are granted home rule authority and power except that of governing civil relationships and of taxation, which can only be conferred upon a municipality by the State Legislator or through a majority vote in the municipality
|-
! [[New York]]
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! [[North Carolina]]
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! [[North DAKOTA]]
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! [[Ohio]]<ref>Ohio Constitution, Article XVIII, Sections 1, 3, 7</ref>
| > 5,000 || Home rule || ||
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! [[Oklahoma]]
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! [[Oregon]]
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! [[Pennsylvania]]
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! [[Rhode Island]]
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! [[South Carolina]]
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! [[South Dakota]]
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! [[Tennessee]]
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! [[Texas]]<ref>Texas Constitution, Article XI, Sections 4, 5</ref>
| > 5,000 || Home rule || Adoption of charter || It should be noted that population centers with less than 5,000 inhabitants can also be called cities; however, these cities may only be chartered by the State Legislature as opposed to a majority vote of the populace
|-
! [[Utah]]<ref>Utah Constitution, Article XI, Section 5</ref>
| N/A || Home rule || Adoption of charter ||
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! [[Vermont]]
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! [[Virginia]]
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! [[Washington]]
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! [[West Virginia]]<ref>West Virginia Constitution, Article XI, Section 39A</ref>
| > 2,000 || Home rule || Adoption of charter || It is of interest to note that the State Legislature may classify population centers, upon basis of population, into at least two but no more than five classes but no mention of what these classes are is made
|-
! [[Wisconsin]]
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! [[Wyoming]]
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|}

<references/>

[[Category:Cities in the United States]]