This is a listing, by rank, of the population of the Metropolitan Areas of all the cities that have teams in the National Hockey League. All populations are from the 2021 Canadian Census and 2024 estimates of the United States Census.
Two metropolitan areas have more than one team. New York City (which includes Newark) has three - New York Rangers, New York Islanders, and the New Jersey Devils. Los Angeles has two - Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks.
As both countries use different methodology to compile Metropolitan area populations, they are listed separately. However, the Canadian CMA is similar to the American MSA for comparison purposes.
United States[]
The United States uses two systems to measure population in a region. The Metropolitan Statistical Area is the area encompassing a large city and the urban areas around it (for example Boston and the surrounding suburbs). The Combined Statistical Area is a combination of the adjacent Metropolitan Statistical Areas in a region (for example, Boston and the adjacent areas of Providence, Rhode Island, Worcester, Massachusetts, Manchester, New Hampshire).
| City/Region | MSA Population (2024 Est.) | MSA Rank | CSA Population (2024 Est.) | CSA Rank | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York City/Elmont, NY/Newark, NJ | 19,940,274 | 1st | 22,342,624 | 1st | |
| Los Angeles/Anaheim, CA | 12,927,614 | 2nd | 18,507,255 | 2nd | CSA includes the Riverside-San Bernardino, CA MSA. |
| Chicago, IL | 9,408,576 | 3rd | 9,941,597 | 4th | |
| Dallas, TX | 8,344,032 | 4th | 8,909,918 | 6th | |
| Sunrise, FL (Miami) | 6,457,988 | 6th | 7,309,740 | 11th | |
| Washington, D.C. | 6,436,489 | 7th | 10,237,545 | 3rd | CSA includes the Baltimore, MD MSA. |
| Philadelphia, PA | 6,330,422 | 9th | 7,490,896 | 9th | |
| Boston, MA | 5,025,517 | 11th | 8,493,824 | 7th | CSA includes the Manchester, NH, Providence, RI, and Worcester, MA MSAs. |
| Detroit, MI | 4,400,578 | 14th | 5,430,523 | 12th | CSA includes the Ann Arbor and Flint, MI MSAs. Including the Canadian CMA of Windsor, ON would bring the total CSA population to 5.85 million. |
| Seattle, WA | 4,145,494 | 15th | 5,105,721 | 14th | CSA includes the Olympia, WA MSA. |
| St. Paul, MN (Minneapolis) | 3,757,952 | 16th | 4,155,051 | 16th | |
| Tampa, FL | 3,424,560 | 17th | N/A | N/A | The Tampa Bay MSA is not part of a larger Combined Statistical Area. |
| Denver, CO | 3,052,498 | 19th | 3,752,505 | 17th | |
| St. Louis, MO | 2,811,927 | 23rd | 2,915,867 | 21st | |
| Pittsburgh, PA | 2,429,917 | 28th | 2,734,249 | 25th | |
| Las Vegas, NV | 2,398,871 | 29th | 2,454,861 | 30th | |
| Columbus, OH | 2,225,377 | 32nd | 2,693,133 | 27th | |
| Nashville, TN | 2,150,533 | 35th | 2,402,290 | 32nd | |
| San Jose, CA | 1,995,484 | 36th | 9,164,058 | 5th | The San Jose MSA is a component of the San Francisco Bay Area CSA. |
| Raleigh, NC | 1,562,009 | 41st | 2,439,501 | 31st | CSA includes the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC MSA. |
| Salt Lake City, UT | 1,300,762 | 46th | 2,879,037 | 22nd | CSA includes the Ogden and Provo, UT MSAs. |
| Buffalo, NY | 1,160,172 | 51st | 1,235,647 | 48th |
Canada[]
Canada uses one system to measure but has two classifications Census Metropolitan Area for larger metropolitan areas and Census Agglomeration for what tend to be smaller more isolated areas. All of the NHL cities are considered CMA's
| City/Region | CMA Population (2021 Census) | CMA Rank | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto, ON | 6,202,225 | 1st | The Greater Toronto Area is part of the larger Golden Horseshoe region. |
| Montreal, QC | 4,291,732 | 2nd | |
| Vancouver, BC | 2,642,825 | 3rd | |
| Ottawa, ON | 1,488,307 | 4th | The National Capital Region includes Gatineau, QC |
| Calgary, AB | 1,481,806 | 5th | |
| Edmonton, AB | 1,418,118 | 6th | |
| Winnipeg, MB | 834,678 | 8th |
Former NHL cities[]
These are cities which no longer host an NHL franchise, excluding teams who moved within their existing market (for example, the Lightning moving from St. Petersburg to Tampa) or cities which lost a team and subsequently regained a team either through expansion or relocation (for example, Minneapolis-St. Paul for expansion, and Denver and Winnipeg for relocation).
United States[]
| City/Region | MSA Population (2024 Est.) | MSA Rank | CSA Population (2024 Est.) | CSA Rank | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta, GA | 6,411,149 | 8th | 7,340,522 | 10th | Formerly home of the Flames (1972–80) and Thrashers (1999–2011). CSA includes the Athens and Gainsville, GA MSAs. |
| Phoenix, AZ | 5,186,958 | 10th | 5,241,031 | 13th | Formerly home of the Coyotes (1996–2024). |
| Kansas City, MO | 2,253,579 | 31st | 2,593,094 | 29th | Formerly home of the Scouts (1974–76). |
| Cleveland, OH | 2,171,877 | 34th | 3,750,887 | 18th | Formerly home of the Barons (1976–78). CSA includes the Akron and Canton, OH MSAs. |
| Hartford, CT | 1,169,048 | 50th | 2,702,390 | 26th | Formerly home of the Whalers (1979–97). CSA includes the New Haven and Waterbury, CT MSAs. |
| Greensboro, NC | 800,722 | 78th | 1,760,496 | 37th | Temporary home of the Hurricanes (1997–99) while Lenovo Center was under construction. CSA includes the Winston-Salem, NC MSA. |
Canada[]
| City/Region | CMA Population (2021 Census) | CMA Rank | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quebec City, QC | 839,311 | 7th | Formerly home of the Bulldogs (1919–20) and Nordiques (1979–95). |
| Hamilton, ON | 785,184 | 9th | Formerly home of the Tigers (1920–25). |