This article features a listing of the top level professional minor league sports teams based in the United States. The minor leagues listed below also include six teams in Canada (one in the NBA G League, four in the American Hockey League, and two in the United Soccer League). Triple-A minor league baseball has two leagues in the International League and Pacific Coast League. The United States Soccer Federation has one top level league as of 2018 when the United Soccer League (USL) was promoted to a Division II status after a provisional year with two Division II leagues. The North American Soccer League (NASL) contested their loss of Division II sanctioning but lost the case and canceled the 2018 season. Officially, there is no top level minor league for American or Canadian football as most of its recruiting is done through college football, but the Arena Football League is often considered the top level minor league for gridiron football.
| Rank[lower-alpha 1] |
Metropolitan Area |
Triple-A Baseball |
Arena Football League |
NBA G League |
American Hockey League |
USSF Div. II |
| 1 | New York | | | Long Island Nets
Westchester Knicks | Bridgeport Sound Tigers | New York Red Bulls II (USL) |
| 2 | Greater Los Angeles | | | South Bay Lakers | | LA Galaxy II (USL)
Orange County Blues FC (USL) |
| 3 | Chicago | | | Windy City Bulls | Chicago Wolves | USL Chicago |
| 4 | Dallas–Fort Worth, Texas | | | Texas Legends | | |
| 6 | Washington, D.C. | | Washington Valor | Capital City Go-Go | | Loudoun United FC (USL) |
| 7 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | | Philadelphia Soul | Delaware Blue Coats | | |
| 9 | Atlanta, Georgia | Gwinnett Stripers (IL) | | College Park[lower-alpha 2] | | Atlanta United 2 (USL) |
| 11 | San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward | | | | | USL East Bay |
| 12 | Phoenix, Arizona | | | | | Phoenix Rising FC (USL) |
| 13 | Inland Empire | | | Agua Caliente Clippers | Ontario Reign | |
| 15 | Seattle, Washington | Tacoma Rainiers (PCL) | | | | Seattle Sounders FC 2 (USL) |
| 17 | San Diego, California | | | | San Diego Gulls | |
| 18 | Tampa Bay, Florida | | | | | Tampa Bay Rowdies (USL) |
| 20 | St. Louis, Missouri | | | | | Saint Louis FC (USL) |
| 21 | Baltimore, Maryland | | Baltimore Brigade | | | |
| 22 | Charlotte, North Carolina | Charlotte Knights (IL) | | | Charlotte Checkers | Charlotte Independence (USL) |
| 24 | San Antonio, Texas | San Antonio Missions (PCL)[lower-alpha 3] | | | San Antonio Rampage | San Antonio FC (USL) |
| 25 | Portland, Oregon | | | | | Portland Timbers 2 (USL) |
| 26 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | | | | | Pittsburgh Riverhounds (USL) |
| 27 | Sacramento, California | Sacramento River Cats (PCL) | | | | Sacramento Republic FC (USL) |
| 28 | Cincinnati | | | | | FC Cincinnati (USL)[lower-alpha 4] |
| 29 | Las Vegas, Nevada | Las Vegas 51s (PCL) | | | | Las Vegas Lights FC (USL) |
| 30 | Kansas City | | | | | Swope Park Rangers (USL) |
| 31 | Austin, Texas | Round Rock Express (PCL) | | Austin Spurs | Texas Stars | Austin Bold FC (USL) |
| 32 | Cleveland, Ohio | | | | Cleveland Monsters | |
| 33 | Columbus, Ohio | Columbus Clippers (IL) | | | | |
| 34 | Indianapolis, Indiana | Indianapolis Indians (IL) | | | | Indy Eleven (USL) |
| 35 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California | | | | San Jose Barracuda | |
| 36 | Nashville, Tennessee | Nashville Sounds (PCL) | | | | Nashville SC (USL) |
| 37 | Virginia Beach-Norfolk, Virginia | Norfolk Tides (IL) | | | | |
| 38 | Providence, Rhode Island | Pawtucket Red Sox (IL) | | | Providence Bruins | |
| 39 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | | | | Milwaukee Admirals | |
| 41 | Oklahoma City | Oklahoma City Dodgers (PCL) | | Oklahoma City Blue | | OKC Energy FC (USL) |
| 42 | Memphis, Tennessee | Memphis Redbirds (PCL) | | Memphis Hustle | | Memphis 901 FC (USL) |
| 43 | Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina | Durham Bulls (IL) | | | | North Carolina FC (USL) |
| 44 | Louisville, Kentucky | Louisville Bats (IL) | | | | Louisville City FC (USL) |
| 45 | Richmond, Virginia | | | | | Richmond Kickers (USL)[lower-alpha 5] |
| 46 | New Orleans, Louisiana | New Orleans Baby Cakes (PCL) | | | | |
| 47 | Hartford, Connecticut | | | | Hartford Wolf Pack | Hartford Athletic (USL) |
| 48 | Salt Lake City, Utah | Salt Lake Bees (PCL) | | Salt Lake City Stars | | Real Monarchs (USL) |
| 49 | Birmingham, Alabama | | | | | Birmingham Legion FC (USL) |
| 50 | Buffalo, New York | Buffalo Bisons (IL) | | | | |
| 51 | Rochester, New York | Rochester Red Wings (IL) | | | Rochester Americans | |
| 52 | Grand Rapids, Michigan | | | Grand Rapids Drive | Grand Rapids Griffins | |
| 53 | Tucson, Arizona | | | | Tucson Roadrunners | |
| 55 | Tulsa, Oklahoma | | | | | Tulsa Roughnecks FC (USL) |
| 56 | Fresno, California | Fresno Grizzlies (PCL) | | | | Fresno FC (USL) |
| 59 | Omaha, Nebraska | Omaha Storm Chasers (PCL) | | | | |
| 60 | Albuquerque, New Mexico | Albuquerque Isotopes (PCL) | | | | USL New Mexico |
| 62 | Bakersfield, California | | | | Bakersfield Condors | |
| 63 | Capital District, New York | | Albany Empire | | | |
| 66 | McAllen, Texas | | | Rio Grande Valley Vipers | | Rio Grande Valley FC Toros (USL) |
| 68 | El Paso, Texas | El Paso Chihuahuas (PCL) | | | | El Paso USL |
| 69 | Lehigh Valley | Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs (IL) | | | Lehigh Valley Phantoms | Bethlehem Steel FC (USL) |
| 74 | Charleston, South Carolina | | | | | Charleston Battery (USL) |
| 75 | Greensboro, North Carolina | | | Greensboro Swarm | | |
| 77 | Stockton–Lodi, California | | | Stockton Kings | Stockton Heat | |
| 79 | Colorado Springs | | | | | Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC (USL) |
| 82 | Lakeland, Florida | | | Lakeland Magic | | |
| 84 | Syracuse, New York | Syracuse Chiefs (IL) | | | Syracuse Crunch | |
| 89 | Des Moines, Iowa | Iowa Cubs (PCL) | | Iowa Wolves | Iowa Wild | |
| 90 | Springfield, Massachusetts | | | | Springfield Thunderbirds | |
| 91 | Toledo, Ohio | Toledo Mud Hens (IL) | | | | |
| 96 | Harrisburg, Pennsylvania | | | | Hershey Bears | Penn FC (USL) |
| 99 | Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania | Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (IL) | | | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | |
| 104 | Portland, Maine | | | Maine Red Claws | | |
| 114 | Reno, Nevada | Reno Aces (PCL) | | | | Reno 1868 FC (USL) |
| 125 | Fort Wayne, Indiana | | | Fort Wayne Mad Ants | | |
| 134 | Canton, Ohio | | | Canton Charge | | |
| 150 | Fort Collins–Loveland, Colorado | | | | Colorado Eagles | |
| 151 | Rockford, Illinois | | | | Rockford IceHogs | |
| 164 | Utica, New York | | | | Utica Comets | |
| 172 | Erie, Pennsylvania | | | Erie BayHawks[lower-alpha 2] | | |
| 174 | Santa Cruz, California | | | Santa Cruz Warriors | | |
| 186 | Sioux Falls, South Dakota | | | Sioux Falls Skyforce | | |
| 189 | Binghamton, New York | | | | Binghamton Devils | |
| 198 | Prescott, Arizona | | | Northern Arizona Suns | | |
| 245 | Oshkosh, Wisconsin | | | Wisconsin Herd | | |
- ↑ As of 2016
- 1 2 After the 2018–19 season, the team currently playing as the Erie BayHawks will move to the Atlanta suburb of College Park, Georgia, most likely under a new name.
- ↑ The team that will play as the San Antonio Missions in 2019 and beyond had previously played in Colorado Springs, Colorado as the Colorado Springs Sky Sox.
- ↑ After the 2018 season, FC Cincinnati will cease USL operations. The team's ownership group has been awarded a Major League Soccer franchise that will start play under the FC Cincinnati name in 2019.
- ↑ After the 2018 season, the Richmond Kickers will voluntarily drop to USL League One, a new third-level league set to start play in 2019.