Random US City Generator
The random US city generator picks one of 100 large US cities, each with a 1 in 100 chance, and shows its state. Choose a state or leave it on all states, then press the button.
Updated
Click the button to generate a random US city
How the random US city generator picks a city
The page holds a list of 100 large US cities with their states. Leave the filter on all states and each city has the same chance, 1 in 100, whatever its population.
Choose a state and the draw is limited to that state's cities on the list. The menu shows only the 33 states, plus the District of Columbia, that have a city on the list. California has 16 and Texas 13, while 11 states and DC have one each.
Each pick is an unbiased draw from the browser's cryptographic random generator, as described in how our randomness works.
State codes and population figures
The result shows the city with its two-letter state code and the full state name. The codes are the state abbreviations in USPS Publication 28.
Population figures from an earlier version were removed because they had no source and no date. For current numbers, the Census Bureau publishes yearly population estimates for US cities and towns.
For cities outside the United States, use the random city generator. For a full made-up street address, the random address generator uses invented towns instead of real ones.
Questions about the random US city generator
Which states have the most cities on the list?
California with 16, Texas with 13, Arizona with 7 and Florida with 6. With the filter on all states, a Californian city comes up about one press in six (16 in 100).
Why are some states missing from the menu?
The menu lists only the 33 states, plus the District of Columbia, that have at least one city on the list. For any of the 50 states, use the random state generator.
Does a bigger city have a better chance?
No. New York and Baton Rouge each have the same 1 in 100 chance. The list holds large cities, but the draw ignores population.
Sources
- USPS Publication 28, Appendix B: state abbreviations — the two-letter state codes shown with each city (checked October 16, 2026)
- US Census Bureau: City and Town Population Totals — yearly population estimates for US cities and towns (checked October 16, 2026)