The Atlas

Municipalities in Isabela

A municipality is a local government made up of barangays, led by a mayor, a vice mayor and the Sangguniang Bayan, the municipal council.^[1] Only Congress can create one, by law, approved in a plebiscite. The law asks for an income of ₱2.5 million a year, 25,000 people and 50 km² of land.^[1]

A municipality that grows can become a component city by law, once it earns ₱100 million a year and has 100 km² of land or 150,000 people.^{[1, 2]}

Open Isabela

Municipalities in Isabela, at a glance

Municipalities: 34^[3]
People, 2024CensusA count of every person in the country, all on one day. The 2024 census counted people as they were on 1 July 2024.More in the glossary: 1,275,176^[4]
Land areaLand areaThe land inside the place's official boundary. A square kilometre is a square 1 km on each side, about the size of 140 football fields.More in the glossary: 11,357.71 km²^[5]; Each municipality's official area, added up.
Most people: Echague^[4]; Isabela; 91,320 people
Fewest people: Maconacon^[4]; Isabela; 4,252 people
Largest by landLand areaThe land inside the place's official boundary. A square kilometre is a square 1 km on each side, about the size of 140 football fields.More in the glossary: San Mariano^[5]; Isabela; 1,460.96 km²
Most crowdedPopulation densityHow crowded a place is on average: its people divided by its land area. 1,000 people per square kilometre is 10 people per hectare, a square of 100 by 100 metres.More in the glossary: Alicia^[5]; Isabela; 541 people per km²
Fastest growing, 10,000 people or moreGrowth a yearHow fast the number of people changed each year between two censuses. 1% a year means about 1 more person for every 100 people, each year.More in the glossary: Tumauini^[4]; Isabela; 2.10% a year, 2020 to 2024
Fewer people than in 2020Growth a yearHow fast the number of people changed each year between two censuses. 1% a year means about 1 more person for every 100 people, each year.More in the glossary: None of the 34^[4]; Every one had more people in 2024 than in 2020.

Island group: Luzon

Region: Cagayan Valley

Province: Isabela

Sort: Most people

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Each row is a municipality, with its 2024 census figures. Choose a column heading or a sort button to order the list, and choose it again to turn the order round. Narrow it with the menus.

34 municipalities, most people first.

Municipalities in Isabela, most people
Rank	Name	People, 2024	People per km²	Land area	Growth, 2020–2024
1	EchagueIsabela	91,320	141	648.38 km²	0.78% a year
2	TumauiniIsabela	77,153	164	471.68 km²	2.10% a year
3	AliciaIsabela	74,699	541	138.16 km²	0.27% a year
4	San MateoIsabela	67,433	279	242.10 km²	0.28% a year
5	RoxasIsabela	66,593	488	136.53 km²	0.27% a year
6	San MarianoIsabela	61,876	42	1,460.96 km²	0.69% a year
7	RamonIsabela	57,412	309	185.63 km²	0.37% a year
8	CabaganIsabela	55,445	134	414.79 km²	0.68% a year
9	CordonIsabela	46,688	199	234.71 km²	0.11% a year
10	JonesIsabela	46,160	69	670.14 km²	0.28% a year
11	AngadananIsabela	45,970	226	203.63 km²	0.53% a year
12	CabatuanIsabela	40,223	507	79.31 km²	0.14% a year
13	AuroraIsabela	37,191	509	73.04 km²	0.37% a year
14	San ManuelIsabela	34,740	279	124.42 km²	0.46% a year
15	NaguilianIsabela	34,520	203	169.81 km²	0.52% a year
16	MalligIsabela	32,509	273	119.08 km²	0.22% a year
17	Delfin AlbanoIsabela	30,860	163	189.00 km²	0.74% a year
18	GamuIsabela	30,850	291	105.95 km²	0.15% a year
19	Benito SolivenIsabela	30,682	155	197.52 km²	0.74% a year
20	QuezonIsabela	28,376	135	210.26 km²	1.17% a year
21	Reina MercedesIsabela	28,222	494	57.14 km²	0.28% a year
22	San IsidroIsabela	27,326	432	63.24 km²	0.25% a year
23	BurgosIsabela	26,729	463	57.70 km²	0.63% a year
24	San PabloIsabela	26,462	41	637.90 km²	0.13% a year
25	Santo TomasIsabela	25,997	319	81.48 km²	1.40% a year
26	Santa MariaIsabela	25,919	208	124.90 km²	0.15% a year
27	QuirinoIsabela	25,205	200	126.20 km²	0.17% a year
28	San AgustinIsabela	22,228	73	305.10 km²	0.14% a year
29	San GuillermoIsabela	21,043	46	457.35 km²	0.15% a year
30	LunaIsabela	21,015	468	44.94 km²	0.37% a year
31	PalananIsabela	18,091	21	880.20 km²	0.55% a year
32	DinapigueIsabela	6,116	6	1,031.93 km²	1.19% a year
33	DivilacanIsabela	5,871	7	875.87 km²	0.18% a year
34	MaconaconIsabela	4,252	8	538.66 km²	1.62% a year

How it fits

Cities and municipalities are the local governments of the towns, each led by a mayor, a vice mayor and a council, and each made up of barangays. A municipality becomes a city by a law of Congress, once it earns enough and has enough people or land.

Sources

The list shows each place's own figures: people from the PSA's 2024 census, growth from its 2020 census, land areas from the Land Management Bureau's 2019 masterlist. Every figure's source is on its place's page; how Scene works out the rest.

1.Congress of the Philippines. Republic Act No. 7160: the Local Government Code of 1991. Published October 10, 1991. Read by Scene October 2, 2026. Philippine government work, no copyright (Republic Act No. 8293, Section 176.1). Open the source
2.Congress of the Philippines. Republic Act No. 9009: amending Section 450 of the Local Government Code, raising the income a municipality needs to become a component city. Published February 24, 2001. Read by Scene October 3, 2026. Philippine government work, no copyright (Republic Act No. 8293, Section 176.1). Open the source
3.Philippine Statistics Authority. Philippine Standard Geographic Code (PSGC), 2nd Quarter 2026: Publication Datafile. Published June 30, 2026. Read by Scene September 24, 2026. CC BY (PSA Terms of Use). Open the source
4.Philippine Statistics Authority. Population and Annual Population Growth Rate of the Philippines and its Regions, Provinces, and Highly Urbanized Cities Based on the 2010, 2015, 2020 and 2024 Population Census (OpenSTAT table 0211A6DAPG0). Published August 7, 2026. Read by Scene October 2, 2026. CC BY (PSA Terms of Use). Open the source
5.Philippine Statistics Authority, from the Land Management Bureau (DENR). Population, Land Area, Population Density, and Percent Change in Population Density by Region, Province/Highly Urbanized City, and City/Municipality: 2015, 2020, and 2024 (OpenSTAT table 0221A6DLPD0). Published August 7, 2026. Read by Scene October 2, 2026. CC BY (PSA Terms of Use). Open the source

Scene adds what the sources do not print themselves: growth rates, shares, barangay areas and densities, coordinates, neighbours and distances, each computed from the figures and borders above. How each is made.

See something wrong on this page? Write to hello@scene.ph with the page address. We check every report against the source.