Cities Lookup is a simple tool for looking up city data. It returns the city name, population, and more.
Try it — live request, no key required
No key required to try it. Get a key to use it in your app.
{
"status": "ok",
"error": null,
"data": {
// Cities Lookup response payload
}
}
About the Cities Lookup API
Cities Lookup works by retrieving city data from various reliable sources and providing it in a structured format. The city database is updated regularly to ensure accurate and up-to-date information.
What people use it for
- Business Intelligence
- Use the Cities Lookup API to get city data for business intelligence purposes. Analyze population trends, demographics, and economic indicators for different cities
- Market Research
- Conduct market research by using the Cities Lookup API to get city data. Use the data to identify target markets, consumer preferences, and competitive landscapes
- Location-based Services
- Develop location-based services by using the Cities Lookup API to get city data. Use the data to provide personalized recommendations, local information, and geolocation services
- Urban Planning
- Plan urban development projects by using the Cities Lookup API to get city data. Use the data to assess infrastructure needs, land use patterns, and environmental impacts
Ways to call it
One endpoint, many ways in — REST with JSON, XML, YAML and CSV, plus GraphQL and an MCP interface for AI agents.
- JSON
- Default REST response
- XML
- Markup format
- YAML
- Human-readable
- CSV
- Tabular export
- GraphQL
- Query language
- MCP
- For AI agents
Other ways to use Cities Lookup
Same data, same APIVerve account, same credit balance — one key works on all of them.
What does the Cities Lookup API do?
How do I authenticate Cities Lookup API requests?
How much does the Cities Lookup API cost?
How fast is the Cities Lookup API?
What response formats does the Cities Lookup API support?
What HTTP method does the Cities Lookup API use?
Request parameters — GET /v1/citieslookup
Sent in the query string. Premium parameters are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them. Anything not listed here is dropped rather than passed through.
Required
| Parameter | Type | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
cityRequired | string | San Francisco | The city name for which you want to get the data (e.g., New York) |
Optional
| Parameter | Type | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
limitOptionalPremium | integer | 5 | Limit number of cities that match your search criteria default 1 · range 1-20 |
curl "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/citieslookup?city=San%20Francisco&limit=5" \
-H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"Authentication
Send your key in the x-api-key header. That is the only auth step — no token exchange, and no per-endpoint scope to configure.
| Header | When | Value |
|---|---|---|
x-api-keyRequired | Every request | Your API key. Header names are case-insensitive, so X-API-Key is the same header. |
AuthorizationAlternate | Instead of the above | Bearer <key> — for clients that only expose bearer auth. Resolves to the same account and the same billing. |
A 401 means the key is missing, invalid or expired. A 403 means the key is valid but not permitted here — blocked by a key restriction or an IP allow-list. Running out of credits is a 429.
Response — GET /v1/citieslookup
Every APIVerve endpoint returns the same three top-level keys, so one response handler covers your whole integration: status, error and data. Only data changes shape.
{
"status": "ok",
"error": null,
"data": {
"search": "San Francisco",
"foundCities": [
{
"name": "San Francisco",
"altName": "",
"country": "US",
"countryName": "United States",
"featureCode": "PPLA2",
"population": 874961,
"populationCategory": "major",
"loc": {
"type": "Point",
"coordinates": [
-122.4194,
37.7749
]
}
}
]
}
}
Response fields
Paths are relative to data. Premium fields are absent rather than zeroed on plans that do not include them, so check for presence instead of comparing to 0.
| Field | Type | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
search | string | "San Francisco" | The search query used to find cities |
foundCities | array[1] | Array of city objects matching the search criteria | |
name | string | "San Francisco" | Official city name |
altName | string | "" | Alternative city name or alias if available |
country | string | "US" | Two-letter ISO country code (e.g., US) |
countryName | string | "United States" | Full country name (e.g., United States) |
featureCode | string | "PPLA2" | Geonames feature code for city classification type |
population | number | 874961 | City population count derived from latest census |
populationCategory | string | "major" | City size classification based on population ranges |
loc | object | {...} | |
type | string | "Point" | GeoJSON geometry type (always Point) |
coordinatesPremium | array | [-122.4194, ...] | GeoJSON coordinates as [longitude, latitude] pair |
Response headers
Every response carries your balance, so your own code always knows where it stands without polling anything. All four are exposed to browsers through CORS.
| Header | What it carries |
|---|---|
x-api-remaining-credits | Credits left in the current cycle |
x-api-credits-used | Credits spent in the current cycle |
x-api-max-credits | The allowance for the cycle |
x-api-version | Version of the endpoint that answered |
Errors
Read the HTTP status first, then error for the specific reason. The body names the parameter that has to change.
| Status | Meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
400 | Input was rejected | Read error; it names the parameter that has to change. |
401 | Key missing or invalid | Check the header name and the key value. |
403 | Key valid, but not permitted here | A key restriction or an IP allow-list — never a bad key. |
429 | Rate limited, or out of credits | Read error to tell them apart, then back off or top up. |
What a call costs — 2 credits per call
Credits are shared across every APIVerve API — one balance, one key, one bill. Failed requests never count against it, so a rejected input costs nothing.
| Plan | Per month | Credits | Cities Lookup calls | Per 1,000 calls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | 200 | 100 | Free |
| Starter | $29.99 | 200,000 | 100,000 | $0.30 |
| Pro | $99.99 | 1,000,000 | 500,000 | $0.20 |
| Mega | $299.99 | 4,000,000 | 2,000,000 | $0.15 |
Calls are what the credits buy at this API's rate — spend them here, on any of the other APIs, or across both. Nothing is reserved per endpoint.
Call it from cURL — GET /v1/citieslookup
No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/citieslookup with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.
curl "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/citieslookup" \
-H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"Resources
Also published for
Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.
Call it from Node.js — GET /v1/citieslookup
Install the Node.js SDK, then call the Cities Lookup API with your key. The client wraps the same HTTPS request, so anything it returns is what the endpoint returns.
npm install @apiverve/citieslookupconst res = await fetch("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/citieslookup", {
headers: { "x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY" },
});
const { data } = await res.json();
console.log(data);Resources
Also published for
Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.
Call it from Python — GET /v1/citieslookup
Install the Python SDK, then call the Cities Lookup API with your key. The client wraps the same HTTPS request, so anything it returns is what the endpoint returns.
pip install apiverve-citieslookupimport requests
res = requests.get(
"https://api.apiverve.com/v1/citieslookup",
headers={"x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
)
print(res.json()["data"])Resources
Also published for
Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.
Call it from C# / .NET — GET /v1/citieslookup
Install the C# / .NET SDK, then call the Cities Lookup API with your key. The client wraps the same HTTPS request, so anything it returns is what the endpoint returns.
dotnet add package APIVerve.API.CitiesLookupusing var client = new HttpClient();
client.DefaultRequestHeaders.Add("x-api-key", "YOUR_API_KEY");
var json = await client.GetStringAsync("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/citieslookup");
Console.WriteLine(json);Resources
Also published for
Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.
Call it from Go — GET /v1/citieslookup
No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/citieslookup with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.
req, _ := http.NewRequest("GET", "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/citieslookup", nil)
req.Header.Set("x-api-key", "YOUR_API_KEY")
res, _ := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
defer res.Body.Close()
body, _ := io.ReadAll(res.Body)
fmt.Println(string(body))Resources
Also published for
Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.
Call it from PHP — GET /v1/citieslookup
No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/citieslookup with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.
$ch = curl_init("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/citieslookup");
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, ["x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"]);
$response = curl_exec($ch);
echo $response;Resources
Also published for
Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.
Call it from Ruby — GET /v1/citieslookup
No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/citieslookup with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.
require "net/http"
uri = URI("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/citieslookup")
req = Net::HTTP::Get.new(uri)
req["x-api-key"] = "YOUR_API_KEY"
res = Net::HTTP.start(uri.hostname, uri.port, use_ssl: true) { |h| h.request(req) }
puts res.bodyResources
Also published for
Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.
Zero-code embed — one snippet, no backend
Drop an interactive Cities Lookup form onto any page. The widget calls the API for you, so no key ever appears in your markup and there is nothing to deploy.
Changelog — Cities Lookup API
Every change to this endpoint, newest first. Breaking changes ship as a new version and the previous one keeps serving — response fields are added, never removed or retyped in place, so an integration written against v1 keeps working.
Entries are picked up from dated catalog snapshots, so the first one appears after the next snapshot that moves something. A period where nothing changed produces no entry — silence is a valid changelog for the Cities Lookup API.
Geography
- Cities Lookup
- Coordinates Are Sea
- Country Borders
- Country Boundaries
- Country Flags
- Country Languages
- Country Lookup
- County Data Lookup
- Distance Calculator
- Reverse Geocode
- State Boundaries
- USDA Hardiness Zone
- Zip Codes Lookup
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