Cities Online started in the early 2000s as a set of city travel guides. We rebuilt it in 2026 around one idea: when you are deciding where to live or when to visit, you deserve the actual numbers, not a sales pitch.
Every one of the 546 places we cover (every US city of 75,000 or more people, plus popular smaller cities and large unincorporated suburbs such as Arlington, Virginia) has a page built from official sources: the Census Bureau for population, incomes, home values, rent and commutes; the Bureau of Economic Analysis for local price levels; NOAA for 30-year climate normals; and the Tax Foundation's 2026 tables for state taxes. You can compare any two cities, convert a salary or take the six-question quiz.
What we don't do. We don't invent reviews or ratings, and we don't take payment to rank a city or a business. If a number is on the page, the source and the year are on the page too. Residents can rate their city, add pros and cons and answer questions; a person reads every contribution before it appears, and a city's report card stays hidden until five residents have rated it. Meet the most helpful locals. See how we get our numbers.
Spot something wrong? Tell us. We fix data errors quickly.