Biggest Cities in New York - 1940 Census Data

Rank	City	1940 Population	Growth Rate (Annual)
1	New York	7,454,995	0.7%
2	Buffalo	575,901	0.0%
3	Rochester	324,975	-0.1%
4	Syracuse	205,967	-0.2%
5	Yonkers	142,598	0.6%
6	Albany	130,577	0.2%
7	Utica	100,518	-0.1%

In 1940, the largest city in New York was New York, with a population of 7,454,995. The second largest city is Buffalo, with a population of 575,901.