The United States of America is the location of New York.
New York is a state in the northeastern United States , and is the 27th-most extensive , fourth-most populous , and seventh-most densely populated U.S. state . With an estimated population of 8.55 million in 2015 , New York City is the most populous city in the United States and the premier gateway for legal immigration to the United States . The City of New York , often called New York City or simply New York , is the most populous city in the United States . With an estimated 2016 population of 8,537,673 distributed over a land area of about 302.6 sqmi , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the United States . United States . The capital is Washington , D.C. , and the largest city is New York City ; nine other major metropolitan areas -- each with at least 4.5 million inhabitants and the largest having more than 13 million people -- are Los Angeles , Chicago , Dallas , Houston , Philadelphia , Miami , Atlanta , Boston , and San Francisco .