40 cities
| City | Rank | 2026 Pop. ↓ | 2020 Pop. | Annual Change | Density | Area (mi²) | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lynn | 1 | 106,731 | 101,073 | 1.54% | 9,939 | 11 | City |
| Lynn | 2 | 104,697 | 101,073 | 0.58% | 9,749 | 11 | City |
| Lawrence | 3 | 90,498 | 88,878 | 0.65% | 13,059 | 7 | City |
| Lawrence | 4 | 89,559 | 88,878 | 0.13% | 12,923 | 7 | City |
| Haverhill | 5 | 69,187 | 67,636 | 0.65% | 2,094 | 33 | City |
| Haverhill | 6 | 68,618 | 67,636 | 0.24% | 2,077 | 33 | City |
| Peabody | 7 | 56,168 | 54,402 | 0.67% | 3,459 | 16 | City |
| Peabody | 8 | 55,926 | 54,402 | 0.46% | 3,444 | 16 | City |
| Salem | 9 | 46,680 | 43,670 | 1.09% | 5,628 | 8 | City |
| Salem | 10 | 46,279 | 43,670 | 0.65% | 5,580 | 8 | City |
| Beverly | 11 | 44,183 | 42,571 | 1.1% | 2,928 | 15 | City |
| Beverly | 12 | 43,549 | 42,571 | 0.38% | 2,886 | 15 | City |
| Andover | 13 | 37,365 | 36,552 | 0.59% | 1,213 | 31 | Town |
| North Andover | 14 | 32,539 | 30,992 | 0.62% | 1,238 | 26 | Town |
| Gloucester | 15 | 31,169 | 29,747 | 1.1% | 1,190 | 26 | City |
| Gloucester | 16 | 30,863 | 29,747 | 0.61% | 1,178 | 26 | City |
| Danvers | 17 | 29,634 | 28,053 | 1.79% | 2,232 | 13 | Town |
| Saugus | 18 | 29,365 | 28,605 | 0.58% | 2,725 | 11 | Town |
| Marblehead | 19 | 20,878 | 20,402 | 0.73% | 4,768 | 4 | Town |
| Newburyport | 20 | 19,803 | 18,300 | 1.64% | 2,372 | 8 | City |
| Newburyport | 21 | 19,594 | 18,300 | 1.11% | 2,347 | 8 | City |
| Swampscott | 22 | 16,122 | 15,085 | 1.46% | 5,335 | 3 | Town |
| Ipswich | 23 | 14,322 | 13,765 | 0.75% | 446 | 32 | Town |
| Lynnfield | 24 | 13,464 | 12,981 | 0.88% | 1,366 | 10 | Town |
| Middleton | 25 | 10,083 | 9,613 | 0.62% | 750 | 13 | Town |
| Salisbury | 26 | 9,611 | 9,216 | 1.03% | 625 | 15 | Town |
| Georgetown | 27 | 8,680 | 8,464 | 0.71% | 675 | 13 | Town |
| Boxford | 28 | 8,596 | 8,189 | 1.55% | 365 | 24 | Town |
| Hamilton | 29 | 7,774 | 7,558 | 0.67% | 548 | 14 | Town |
| Rockport | 30 | 7,207 | 6,988 | 0.81% | 1,031 | 7 | Town |
| Newbury | 31 | 7,012 | 6,717 | 0.95% | 300 | 23 | Town |
| Groveland | 32 | 6,977 | 6,746 | 0.93% | 786 | 9 | Town |
| Merrimac | 33 | 6,916 | 6,719 | 0.77% | 814 | 8 | Town |
| Topsfield | 34 | 6,696 | 6,555 | 0.57% | 563 | 12 | Town |
| Rowley | 35 | 6,332 | 6,159 | -0.02% | 348 | 18 | Town |
| Manchester-by-the-Sea | 36 | 5,545 | 5,385 | 0.71% | 601 | 9 | Town |
| Wenham | 37 | 4,989 | 4,934 | 0.44% | 651 | 8 | Town |
| West Newbury | 38 | 4,790 | 4,505 | 1.16% | 356 | 13 | Town |
| Essex | 39 | 3,842 | 3,678 | 1.08% | 275 | 14 | Town |
| Nahant | 40 | 3,374 | 3,331 | 0.54% | 3,136 | 1 | Town |
Lynn is the largest city in Essex County, with a population of 106,731.
Nahant is the smallest city in Essex County, with a population of 3,374.
There are 40 cities in Essex County, Massachusetts.