| City | Rank | 2026 Pop. ↓ | 2020 Pop. | Annual Change | Density (/mi²) | Area (mi²) | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lynn | 1 | 104,710 | 101,071 | 0.45% | 9,750 | 11 | City |
| Lawrence | 2 | 89,147 | 88,903 | -0.19% | 12,864 | 7 | City |
| Haverhill | 3 | 68,306 | 67,637 | -0.08% | 2,068 | 33 | City |
| Peabody | 4 | 55,927 | 54,396 | -0.05% | 3,444 | 16 | City |
| Salem | 5 | 45,345 | 43,675 | -0.08% | 5,467 | 8 | City |
| Beverly | 6 | 43,450 | 42,567 | 0.2% | 2,879 | 15 | City |
| Andover | 7 | 36,968 | 36,554 | -0.12% | 1,200 | 31 | Town |
| North Andover | 8 | 32,130 | 30,988 | -0.1% | 1,222 | 26 | Town |
| Gloucester | 9 | 30,710 | 29,746 | 0.27% | 1,172 | 26 | City |
| Danvers | 10 | 29,205 | 28,054 | -0.02% | 2,199 | 13 | Town |
| Saugus | 11 | 29,131 | 28,606 | -0.16% | 2,704 | 11 | Town |
| Marblehead | 12 | 20,568 | 20,397 | -0.07% | 4,697 | 4 | Town |
| Newburyport | 13 | 19,116 | 18,297 | -0.17% | 2,289 | 8 | City |
| Swampscott | 14 | 15,153 | 15,087 | -0.2% | 5,014 | 3 | Town |
| Ipswich | 15 | 14,118 | 13,767 | -0.09% | 440 | 32 | Town |
| Lynnfield | 16 | 13,296 | 12,980 | 0.17% | 1,349 | 10 | Town |
| Middleton | 17 | 9,802 | 9,626 | -0.94% | 729 | 13 | Town |
| Salisbury | 18 | 9,622 | 9,213 | 0.97% | 626 | 15 | Town |
| Boxford | 19 | 8,691 | 8,187 | 2.01% | 369 | 24 | Town |
| Georgetown | 20 | 8,580 | 8,464 | 0.03% | 667 | 13 | Town |
| Hamilton | 21 | 7,666 | 7,554 | -0.1% | 541 | 14 | Town |
| Groveland | 22 | 7,343 | 6,747 | 3.39% | 827 | 9 | Town |
| Rockport | 23 | 7,153 | 6,988 | 0.38% | 1,024 | 7 | Town |
| Newbury | 24 | 6,906 | 6,716 | 0.16% | 295 | 23 | Town |
| Merrimac | 25 | 6,810 | 6,718 | -0.12% | 801 | 8 | Town |
| Topsfield | 26 | 6,618 | 6,555 | -0.12% | 556 | 12 | Town |
| Rowley | 27 | 6,364 | 6,162 | 0.13% | 350 | 18 | Town |
| Manchester-by-the-Sea | 28 | 5,478 | 5,382 | 0.05% | 593 | 9 | Town |
| Wenham | 29 | 4,949 | 4,935 | -0.06% | 646 | 8 | Town |
| West Newbury | 30 | 4,728 | 4,504 | 0.4% | 352 | 13 | Town |
| Essex | 31 | 3,769 | 3,682 | -0.03% | 270 | 14 | Town |
| Nahant | 32 | 3,322 | 3,329 | -0.27% | 3,087 | 1 | Town |
Lynn is the largest city in Essex County, with a population of 104,710.
Nahant is the smallest city in Essex County, with a population of 3,322.
There are 32 cities in Essex County, Massachusetts.