The Atlas

Municipalities in Central Luzon

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 Central Luzon

Municipalities in Central Luzon, at a glance

Municipalities: 115^[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: 8,924,114^[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: 20,544.55 km²^[5]; Each municipality's official area, added up.
Most people: Santa Maria^[4]; Bulacan; 322,525 people
Fewest people: Dinalungan^[4]; Aurora; 12,552 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: Doña Remedios Trinidad^[5]; Bulacan; 931.70 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: Marilao^[5]; Bulacan; 9,178 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: Bacolor^[4]; Pampanga; 5.19% 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: 3 municipalities^[4]; Of those with 10,000 people or more, the steepest fall: Santa Rita, −2.75% a year.

Island group: Luzon

Region: Central Luzon

Province: All

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.

115 municipalities, 1 to 50 shown, most people first.

Municipalities in Central Luzon, most people
Rank	Name	People, 2024	People per km²	Land area	Growth, 2020–2024
1	Santa MariaBulacan	322,525	3,984	80.95 km²	2.60% a year
2	MarilaoBulacan	263,507	9,178	28.71 km²	0.84% a year
3	LubaoPampanga	190,355	1,235	154.13 km²	2.25% a year
4	MexicoPampanga	187,597	1,564	119.95 km²	1.90% a year
5	San MiguelBulacan	179,792	749	239.95 km²	1.06% a year
6	ConcepcionTarlac	178,549	769	232.04 km²	1.19% a year
7	PandiBulacan	162,725	2,837	57.35 km²	1.16% a year
8	CapasTarlac	162,724	363	448.04 km²	1.01% a year
9	MarivelesBataan	156,200	885	176.58 km²	1.00% a year
10	ArayatPampanga	150,949	850	177.53 km²	0.99% a year
11	BocaueBulacan	147,755	5,509	26.82 km²	1.06% a year
12	PoracPampanga	147,551	433	340.81 km²	1.14% a year
13	FloridablancaPampanga	146,095	639	228.74 km²	1.81% a year
14	NorzagarayBulacan	140,697	409	343.62 km²	0.81% a year
15	GuaguaPampanga	137,948	2,752	50.12 km²	1.64% a year
16	TalaveraNueva Ecija	137,444	940	146.24 km²	0.91% a year
17	HagonoyBulacan	136,673	1,175	116.28 km²	0.57% a year
18	MagalangPampanga	133,883	1,347	99.37 km²	1.82% a year
19	GuimbaNueva Ecija	131,468	596	220.44 km²	0.71% a year
20	DinalupihanBataan	124,188	1,309	94.85 km²	1.19% a year
21	CandabaPampanga	124,019	602	205.98 km²	0.89% a year
22	San IldefonsoBulacan	123,140	718	171.54 km²	1.50% a year
23	CalumpitBulacan	122,187	2,563	47.67 km²	0.74% a year
24	ApalitPampanga	121,057	1,887	64.17 km²	0.79% a year
25	PlaridelBulacan	120,939	3,311	36.53 km²	1.34% a year
26	GuiguintoBulacan	118,173	5,350	22.09 km²	0.99% a year
27	SubicZambales	116,788	453	258.00 km²	1.03% a year
28	PulilanBulacan	111,384	2,784	40.01 km²	0.56% a year
29	San RafaelBulacan	108,256	1,032	104.87 km²	1.18% a year
30	PaniquiTarlac	106,190	981	108.20 km²	0.73% a year
31	GeronaTarlac	97,937	802	122.08 km²	0.86% a year
32	CamilingTarlac	91,400	616	148.47 km²	1.10% a year
33	CabiaoNueva Ecija	89,497	754	118.67 km²	1.00% a year
34	San AntonioNueva Ecija	84,958	544	156.07 km²	0.54% a year
35	JaenNueva Ecija	83,895	917	91.49 km²	1.39% a year
36	BulacanBulacan	83,101	1,133	73.33 km²	0.55% a year
37	MacabebePampanga	82,933	774	107.14 km²	1.43% a year
38	LimayBataan	81,960	1,040	78.80 km²	1.11% a year
39	BambanTarlac	81,012	235	344.14 km²	0.83% a year
40	BustosBulacan	80,565	2,122	37.96 km²	1.03% a year
41	HermosaBataan	80,557	566	142.28 km²	0.95% a year
42	Santa RosaNueva Ecija	80,258	511	157.20 km²	1.43% a year
43	BalagtasBulacan	80,221	3,807	21.07 km²	0.98% a year
44	OraniBataan	72,941	1,140	63.98 km²	0.87% a year
45	AliagaNueva Ecija	72,134	802	89.98 km²	0.60% a year
46	La PazTarlac	71,978	606	118.71 km²	1.04% a year
47	RizalNueva Ecija	71,749	584	122.77 km²	0.53% a year
48	VictoriaTarlac	71,495	628	113.90 km²	0.73% a year
49	CuyapoNueva Ecija	70,919	388	182.91 km²	0.99% a year
50	BotolanZambales	70,340	89	794.75 km²	1.27% 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.