Most Populous ZIP Codes in the U.S. 2026: Top 100 Census ZCTAs
Most Populous U.S. Census ZCTAs in the 2026 Data Snapshot
ZCTA 77494 is the most populous U.S. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Area in this 2026 snapshot, with a 2020–2024 American Community Survey estimate of 140,157 residents. ZCTA 08701 ranks second with 139,149, followed by ZCTA 77449 with 130,028.
For Census population statistics, ZIP Codes are represented by ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, or ZCTAs. This ranking uses the U.S. Census Bureau 2020–2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates released on January 29, 2026. The values are official published population estimates for the 2024 ACS vintage, not projected 2026 populations.
Metric: total population. Unit: people. Direction: higher population ranks higher. Coverage: Top 100 eligible ZCTAs in the 50 states and District of Columbia, with Puerto Rico excluded before ranking. Data status: 100 official_value, 0 calculated_value, 0 official_forecast and 0 modeled_projection.
Rank #1 by the official ACS 2020–2024 five-year population point estimate.
ZCTA 92509 occupies rank 100 in the confirmed ranking universe.
Exactly 100 confirmed Census ZCTAs ranked from the raw population value.
Single numeric source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-Year Estimates.
What this ZIP Code population ranking measures
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are Census Bureau statistical geographies built to provide an areal representation of USPS five-digit ZIP Code service areas. A ZCTA code often matches a familiar ZIP Code, but ZCTAs and USPS delivery ZIP Codes are not identical geographic concepts.
The population metric is the ACS total population point estimate from detailed table B01003. The ranking compares one consistent geography type and one consistent ACS vintage, then sorts the published population values from largest to smallest.
USPS delivery counts, PO Box activity, land area, population density and population growth are not part of the ranking.
2026 snapshot: the Census Bureau released the 2020–2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates on January 29, 2026. Population values on this page refer to that ACS five-year period and are not forecasts for calendar year 2026.
Top 10 most populous U.S. Census ZCTAs
ZCTA 77494 leads the ranking at 140,157 residents. The gap to second-ranked ZCTA 08701 is only 1,008 people, while all ten leading ZCTAs have published population estimates above 105,000.
Top 10 by ACS 2020–2024 five-year total population estimate
| Rank | ZCTA | Population | Source / Method Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 77494 | 140,157 | U.S. Census Bureau ACS · B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 2 | 08701 | 139,149 | U.S. Census Bureau ACS · B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 3 | 77449 | 130,028 | U.S. Census Bureau ACS · B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 4 | 78660 | 124,834 | U.S. Census Bureau ACS · B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 5 | 77433 | 116,550 | U.S. Census Bureau ACS · B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 6 | 77084 | 110,217 | U.S. Census Bureau ACS · B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 7 | 60629 | 108,324 | U.S. Census Bureau ACS · B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 8 | 11368 | 105,716 | U.S. Census Bureau ACS · B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 9 | 92336 | 105,517 | U.S. Census Bureau ACS · B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 10 | 11208 | 105,428 | U.S. Census Bureau ACS · B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
Rank is assigned from the raw Census population point estimate in descending order. No forecast, modeled projection or secondary-source value is substituted.
Chart: Top 20 most populous Census ZCTAs
Bar lengths are proportional to the same population values used in the ranking table, with ZCTA 77494 set to 100% width.
Methodology
The numeric source is the U.S. Census Bureau 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Detailed Tables. Total population is taken from table B01003. The ranking uses the published point estimate for each eligible ZCTA and sorts values from highest to lowest.
The Census Population Estimates Program does not publish ZCTA population estimates, so ACS 5-year estimates are used for this ZCTA-level ranking.
Metric and unit
Metric: total population estimate. Unit: people. Direction: descending. Rank 1 identifies the ZCTA with the largest published point estimate.
Data vintage
ACS period: 2020–2024. Census dataset vintage: 2024 ACS 5-year. Public release date: January 29, 2026.
Coverage
The ranking universe is Census ZCTAs in the 50 states and District of Columbia. Puerto Rico is excluded before rank assignment.
Value status
All 100 rows are official_value. The values are published Census estimates, not calculations, forecasts or projections created for this page.
Ranking rule
Raw B01003 population estimates are sorted descending. Display formatting adds comma separators only and does not alter the values or rank.
Uncertainty
ACS figures are survey estimates. Census publishes margins of error for ACS estimates, so very small differences between nearby point estimates should be interpreted with appropriate caution.
Census ZCTAs are used rather than USPS delivery ZIP Codes because ZCTAs are the Census geographic units for which ACS statistics are tabulated. A ZCTA may not correspond perfectly to a USPS delivery area, and not every USPS ZIP Code has a matching ZCTA.
This metric does not measure population density, number of addresses, households, postal delivery volume, land area, population growth or daytime population.
Main ranking: Top 100 most populous Census ZCTAs
Search for a ZCTA, filter by population band or data status, change the sort order or switch between the Top 10, Top 20 and full Top 100.
Top 100 ZCTAs by ACS 2020–2024 five-year total population estimate
| Rank | ZCTA | Population | Source / Method Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 77494 | 140,157 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 2 | 08701 | 139,149 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 3 | 77449 | 130,028 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 4 | 78660 | 124,834 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 5 | 77433 | 116,550 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 6 | 77084 | 110,217 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 7 | 60629 | 108,324 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 8 | 11368 | 105,716 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 9 | 92336 | 105,517 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 10 | 11208 | 105,428 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 11 | 37013 | 105,212 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 12 | 78130 | 104,009 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 13 | 79936 | 102,991 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 14 | 11385 | 101,704 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 15 | 30044 | 101,475 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 16 | 34787 | 101,441 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 17 | 94565 | 100,488 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 18 | 90011 | 100,113 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 19 | 90650 | 99,900 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 20 | 78641 | 99,865 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 21 | 79938 | 99,621 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 22 | 11373 | 98,403 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 23 | 77573 | 98,109 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 24 | 91331 | 97,608 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 25 | 92335 | 97,511 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 26 | 75052 | 97,278 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 27 | 10467 | 96,421 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 28 | 77429 | 96,334 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 29 | 78245 | 96,015 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 30 | 11226 | 95,144 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 31 | 90044 | 94,830 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 32 | 11219 | 94,196 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 33 | 10314 | 93,915 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 34 | 90250 | 93,826 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 35 | 85142 | 93,700 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 36 | 91342 | 93,301 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 37 | 11207 | 93,198 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 38 | 10025 | 93,065 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 39 | 11206 | 93,020 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 40 | 90201 | 92,763 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 41 | 90805 | 92,402 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 42 | 77479 | 92,221 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 43 | 60618 | 91,901 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 44 | 11221 | 91,588 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 45 | 90280 | 91,365 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 46 | 77584 | 91,065 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 47 | 73099 | 91,014 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 48 | 11220 | 90,652 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 49 | 78613 | 89,956 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 50 | 92683 | 89,833 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 51 | 75035 | 89,682 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 52 | 78542 | 89,401 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 53 | 11214 | 89,397 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 54 | 60632 | 89,107 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 55 | 11212 | 89,020 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 56 | 92345 | 88,706 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 57 | 78666 | 88,583 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 58 | 92503 | 88,395 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 59 | 84043 | 88,390 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 60 | 77407 | 88,319 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 61 | 30024 | 88,067 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 62 | 11236 | 88,051 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 63 | 30043 | 87,929 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 64 | 37042 | 87,652 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 65 | 10456 | 87,533 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 66 | 78521 | 87,380 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 67 | 99301 | 87,044 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 68 | 11230 | 86,978 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 69 | 34953 | 86,875 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 70 | 79928 | 86,599 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 71 | 93722 | 86,110 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 72 | 93307 | 85,945 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 73 | 91911 | 85,542 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 74 | 77379 | 85,190 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 75 | 75217 | 85,028 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 76 | 75126 | 84,799 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 77 | 60647 | 84,749 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 78 | 92376 | 84,394 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 79 | 60639 | 84,240 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 80 | 77459 | 84,221 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 81 | 93727 | 84,107 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 82 | 95747 | 83,902 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 83 | 96706 | 83,692 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 84 | 95823 | 83,607 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 85 | 92804 | 83,537 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 86 | 11234 | 83,187 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 87 | 27587 | 82,886 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 88 | 95076 | 82,806 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 89 | 60804 | 82,797 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 90 | 76063 | 82,625 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 91 | 30040 | 82,532 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 92 | 92704 | 82,120 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 93 | 11233 | 81,822 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 94 | 28027 | 81,772 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 95 | 11377 | 81,690 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 96 | 22193 | 81,588 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 97 | 76028 | 81,549 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 98 | 27610 | 81,419 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 99 | 60623 | 81,277 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
| 100 | 92509 | 81,182 | ACS B01003 · 2020–2024 5-year · target vintage 2024 · official_value. |
Numeric source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-Year Detailed Table B01003. Secondary ranking websites are not used as substitute numeric sources.
Insights from the Top 100
Key Insight
ZCTA 77494 leads ZCTA 08701 by only 1,008 people, making the top two point estimates much closer than the gap between second and third place.
Notable Pattern
Eighteen entries have population estimates of at least 100,000. Rank 19, ZCTA 90650, is the first entry below that threshold at 99,900.
Ranking Compression
The 10th-ranked ZCTA has 105,428 residents, only 24,246 more than the 100th-ranked ZCTA at 81,182.
Full Top 100 Range
The ranking spans 58,975 residents from first to 100th place. The leader's population estimate is about 72.6% larger than the Top 100 cutoff.
What this ranking means
This list compares the population scale of Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas. It should not be interpreted as a ranking of USPS delivery activity or as a ranking of cities, counties or metropolitan areas.
Nearby ranks can differ by relatively small amounts, while ACS values are estimates with published margins of error. The rank therefore describes the ordering of the published point estimates rather than proving that every small difference is statistically significant.
For comparisons using other Census geographies, use the dedicated StatRanker population rankings below rather than combining those values with ZCTA populations.
Download the Most Populous ZIP Codes in the U.S. 2026: Top 100 Census ZCTAs dataset
Most Populous ZIP Codes in the U.S. 2026: Top 100 Census ZCTAs
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Download Excel + CSV Data PackFAQ
What is the most populous ZIP Code area in the U.S. in this ranking?
ZCTA 77494 ranks first with a 2020–2024 ACS five-year population estimate of 140,157 people.
Are these 2026 population estimates?
No. This is a 2026 publication snapshot using the Census Bureau's 2020–2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates, released on January 29, 2026.
What is a Census ZCTA?
A ZIP Code Tabulation Area is a Census statistical geography designed to represent the general geographic distribution of USPS five-digit ZIP Code service areas for statistical analysis.
Is a ZCTA exactly the same as a USPS ZIP Code?
No. USPS ZIP Codes are mail-delivery constructs, while ZCTAs are Census statistical areas. Their five-digit identifiers often correspond, but the geographic concepts are different.
Are the population values directly published by the Census Bureau?
Yes. All 100 population values are official_value records from the ACS total population measure. StatRanker assigns the rank by sorting those published point estimates from largest to smallest.
Why use ACS rather than the Census Population Estimates Program?
The Census Population Estimates Program does not publish ZCTA population estimates. For ZCTA-level population comparisons, this ranking therefore uses the Census Bureau's ACS 5-year estimates.
Why can another ZIP population website show a different number?
Another source may use a different ACS vintage, a proprietary ZIP geography, a projection, USPS-oriented data or another population reference period. This page uses one Census ZCTA geography framework and one ACS five-year vintage throughout.
Are small differences between nearby ranks statistically significant?
Not necessarily. ACS estimates include margins of error. The ranking orders the published point estimates, but close values should not automatically be interpreted as statistically different populations.
Sources
U.S. Census Bureau — ACS Detailed Table B01003
Primary numeric source. B01003 is the ACS detailed table for total population used to rank every ZCTA on this page.
https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5Y2024.B01003?d=ACS+5-Year+Estimates+Detailed+Tables
U.S. Census Bureau — 2024 ACS 5-Year Release
Official release documentation confirming the January 29, 2026 publication of the 2020–2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates.
https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/news/data-releases/2024/release.html
U.S. Census Bureau — ZIP Code Tabulation Areas
Official definition of ZCTAs and explanation of how Census ZCTAs differ from USPS ZIP Codes.
https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/geography/guidance/geo-areas/zctas.html
U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 5-Year Data
Official Census documentation confirming ACS five-year data availability for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
https://www.census.gov/data/developers/data-sets/acs-5year.html
U.S. Census Bureau — Population Estimates Program
Official Census documentation for the Population Estimates Program and the geographies for which population estimates are produced; ZCTAs are not a PEP estimate geography.
U.S. Census Bureau — Comparing ACS Data
Official guidance explaining that ACS data are estimates and that Census publishes margins of error for interpreting reliability.
https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/guidance/comparing-acs-data.html
