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Top Cities in Mexico by population

Mexico is a largely urban country, with nearly 79% of its population living in urban areas and only about 21% in rural regions. Over 130 urban areas have populations above 100,000, and 10 cities exceed one million residents. Mexico City is the largest city with 9.2 million inhabitants, followed by Tijuana (1.8M) and Ecatepec (1.6M). The State of Mexico and Jalisco each have two cities in the top 10, highlighting the concentration of population in highly urbanized regions.

Source: Censo de Población y Vivienda 2020

Key Insight

Nearly half of Mexico’s population lives in its top 55 metropolitan areas, showing the country’s strong urban concentration.

Also read about: Population of Mexico

List of Top Cities in Mexico

More than 136 cities in Mexico have populations above 100,000, while 10 cities have over one million residents. The State of Mexico leads with 17 cities in the top 100, followed by Nuevo León (8 cities) and Tamaulipas (7 cities).

Below is a snapshot of the top 10 most populous cities:

RankCityState2020 Population
1Mexico CityMexico City9,209,944
2TijuanaBaja California1,810,645
3EcatepecState of Mexico1,643,623
4LeónGuanajuato1,579,803
5PueblaPuebla1,542,232
6Ciudad JuárezChihuahua1,501,551
7GuadalajaraJalisco1,385,621
8ZapopanJalisco1,257,547
9MonterreyNuevo León1,142,952
10Ciudad NezahualcóyotlState of Mexico1,072,676

Source: Censo de Población y Vivienda 2020

Top Cities Overview

  • Mexico City is by far the largest city and the country’s political, economic, and cultural hub.

  • Tijuana and Ecatepec are the second and third largest, reflecting both border and urban expansion.

  • Jalisco and the State of Mexico each have two cities in the top 10, showing urban concentration in specific states.

Urban Distribution Highlights

  • 26 cities have populations over 500,000.

  • Over 130 urban areas have populations above 100,000.

  • Northern, central, and coastal states have the highest urban concentrations.

Cities by Population Range (Highlights)

  • Cities above 1 million: 10

  • Cities 500,000–1 million: 16

  • Cities 100,000–500,000: 110+

This structure helps readers quickly understand urban distribution without scrolling through the full 100-city table.

Top States by Number of Cities in Top 100

StateNumber of Cities in Top 100
State of Mexico17
Nuevo León8
Tamaulipas7
Jalisco6
Guanajuato5

Source: Censo de Población y Vivienda 2020

Full List of Top 100 Cities

 Let’s have a look at the List of the Top 100 cities in Mexico.

#CityState2020 Census
1Mexico CityMexico City9,209,944
2TijuanaBaja California1,810,645
3EcatepecState of Mexico1,643,623
4LeónGuanajuato1,579,803
5PueblaPuebla1,542,232
6Ciudad JuárezChihuahua1,501,551
7GuadalajaraJalisco1,385,621
8ZapopanJalisco1,257,547
9MonterreyNuevo León1,142,952
10Ciudad NezahualcóyotlState of Mexico1,072,676
11ChihuahuaChihuahua925,762
12MéridaYucatán921,771
13NaucalpanState of Mexico911,168
14CancúnQuintana Roo888,797
15SaltilloCoahuila864,431
16AguascalientesAguascalientes863,893
17HermosilloSonora855,563
18MexicaliBaja California854,186
19San Luis PotosíSan Luis Potosí845,941
20CuliacánSinaloa808,416
21QuerétaroQuerétaro794,789
22MoreliaMichoacán743,275
23ChimalhuacánState of Mexico703,215
24ReynosaTamaulipas691,557
25TorreónCoahuila690,193
26TlalnepantlaState of Mexico658,907
27AcapulcoGuerrero658,609
28TlaquepaqueJalisco650,123
29GuadalupeNuevo León635,862
30DurangoDurango616,068
31Tuxtla GutiérrezChiapas578,830
32VeracruzVeracruz537,963
33Ciudad ApodacaNuevo León536,436
34Ciudad López MateosState of Mexico523,065
35Cuautitlán IzcalliState of Mexico515,353
36MatamorosTamaulipas510,739
37General EscobedoNuevo León454,967
38IrapuatoGuanajuato452,090
39XalapaVeracruz443,063
40TonaláJalisco442,440
41MazatlánSinaloa441,975
42Nuevo LaredoTamaulipas416,055
43San Nicolás de los GarzaNuevo León412,199
44Ojo de AguaState of Mexico386,290
45XicoState of Mexico384,327
46CelayaGuanajuato378,143
47TepicNayarit371,387
48IxtapalucaState of Mexico368,585
49CuernavacaMorelos341,029
50VillahermosaTabasco340,060
51Ciudad VictoriaTamaulipas332,100
52EnsenadaBaja California330,652
53Ciudad ObregónSonora329,404
54Ciudad Nicolás RomeroState of Mexico323,545
55SoledadSan Luis Potosí310,192
56Ciudad Benito JuárezNuevo León308,285
57Playa del CarmenQuintana Roo304,942
58Santa CatarinaNuevo León304,052
59Gómez PalacioDurango301,742
60UruapanMichoacán299,523
61Los MochisSinaloa298,009
62PachucaHidalgo297,848
63TampicoTamaulipas297,373
64TehuacánPuebla293,825
65San Francisco CoacalcoState of Mexico293,245
66NogalesSonora261,137
67OaxacaOaxaca258,913
68La PazBaja California Sur250,141
69CampecheCampeche249,623
70MonclovaCoahuila237,169
71GarcíaNuevo León234,698
72ChilpancingoGuerrero225,728
73Puerto VallartaJalisco224,166
74TolucaState of Mexico910,608
75TapachulaChiapas217,550
76BuenavistaState of Mexico216,776
77CoatzacoalcosVeracruz212,540
78Ciudad MaderoTamaulipas205,933
79Cabo San LucasBaja California Sur202,694
80ChicoloapanState of Mexico193,532
81Ciudad del CarmenCampeche191,238
82San Cristóbal de las CasasChiapas183,509
83Poza RicaVeracruz180,057
84San Juan del RíoQuerétaro177,719
85San Luis Río ColoradoSonora176,685
86ChalcoState of Mexico174,704
87JiutepecMorelos174,629
88Piedras NegrasCoahuila173,959
89GuadalupeZacatecas170,029
90ChetumalQuintana Roo169,028
91MiramarTamaulipas161,820
92SalamancaGuanajuato160,682
93Ciudad AcuñaCoahuila160,225
94ManzanilloColima159,853
95San Pablo de las SalinasState of Mexico157,998
96CuautlaMorelos157,336
97ZamoraMichoacán154,546
98MinatitlánVeracruz149,162
99Villa de ÁlvarezColima147,496
100ColimaColima146,965

Source: US Census 2020

read about the List of Mexican states by population

Key Takeaways: Top Cities in Mexico

  • Mexico is highly urbanized, with nearly 79% of the population living in cities.

  • Mexico City is the largest by far, followed by Tijuana and Ecatepec.

  • Only 10 cities have populations above one million, while over 130 cities exceed 100,000 residents.

  • The State of Mexico, Jalisco, and Nuevo León dominate the top 100 cities in terms of numbers.

  • Urban growth continues to be concentrated in central, northern, and coastal regions.

United States Population
Top US states by population
Religion in United States
Top Cities in Mexico by Population (2026)

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About the Author & Data

USCanadaInfo is an independent informational website focused on demographics, population statistics, and ethnic trends in Canada and the United States. All information on this site is compiled from publicly available, official sources such as Statistics Canada, the U.S. Census Bureau, government publications, and reputable media outlets. Population figures, percentages, and projections are based on census data, historical trends, and immigration statistics. Content is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, immigration, or policy advice. While every effort is made to ensure accuracy, figures may change due to future census updates, revised estimates, or data corrections. about our methodology → https://uscanadainfo.com/methodology/

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