The Atlas

Municipalities

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]}

Map of the Philippines, every municipality in a colour of its own — Every municipality in a colour of its own, no two side by side alike.

At a glance

Municipalities: 1,493^[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: 66,090,986^[4]; About 59 of every 100 people in the country live in a municipality.
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: 285,167.45 km²^[5]; Each municipality's official area, added up.
Most people: Rodriguez^[4]; Rizal; 451,383 people
Fewest people: Kalayaan^[4]; Palawan; 406 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: Sablayan^[5]; Occidental Mindoro; 2,640.39 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: Pateros^[5]; Metro Manila; 26,400 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: Lantawan^[4]; Basilan; 11.45% 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: 257 municipalities^[4]; Of those with 10,000 people or more, the steepest fall: Talusan, −10.05% a year.

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.

1,493 municipalities, 601 to 650 shown, most people first.

Municipalities, most people
Rank	Name	People, 2024	People per km²	Land area	Growth, 2020–2024
601	ClaveriaMasbate	40,733	240	169.66 km²	−0.81% a year
602	AgoncilloBatangas	40,662	819	49.67 km²	0.94% a year
603	JordanGuimaras	40,647	354	114.81 km²	0.65% a year
604	LeyteLeyte	40,622	224	181.26 km²	0.13% a year
605	PiagapoLanao del Sur	40,558	244	166.29 km²	7.39% a year
606	ValladolidNegros Occidental	40,487	1,012	40.02 km²	0.29% a year
607	PolancoZamboanga del Norte	40,485	189	214.11 km²	−1.03% a year
608	JamindanCapiz	40,472	106	383.49 km²	1.10% a year
609	BalaoanLa Union	40,440	521	77.58 km²	0.06% a year
610	PlaridelMisamis Occidental	40,321	511	78.96 km²	0.29% a year
611	RizalOccidental Mindoro	40,319	147	274.95 km²	−0.07% a year
612	MalalagDavao del Sur	40,280	189	212.77 km²	0.07% a year
613	BaludMasbate	40,236	180	223.00 km²	0.05% a year
614	CabatuanIsabela	40,223	507	79.31 km²	0.14% a year
615	GabaldonNueva Ecija	40,223	128	313.66 km²	0.77% a year
616	LaurNueva Ecija	40,185	135	298.76 km²	1.18% a year
617	DingrasIlocos Norte	40,176	356	112.90 km²	0.03% a year
618	BacoOriental Mindoro	40,159	128	313.10 km²	0.21% a year
619	San NicolasPangasinan	40,144	152	263.79 km²	0.22% a year
620	SulopDavao del Sur	40,134	249	161.02 km²	3.23% a year
621	BorbonCebu	40,097	459	87.37 km²	1.18% a year
622	TagoSurigao del Sur	40,097	104	386.51 km²	0.16% a year
623	PatnongonAntique	40,070	234	171.47 km²	1.07% a year
624	BalindongLanao del Sur	40,047	874	45.83 km²	5.08% a year
625	Santa CruzOccidental Mindoro	40,010	57	704.50 km²	−1.39% a year
626	ValenciaNegros Oriental	39,986	202	197.52 km²	0.77% a year
627	LiliwLaguna	39,976	1,151	34.74 km²	0.29% a year
628	AborlanPalawan	39,972	62	642.85 km²	0.76% a year
629	RealQuezon	39,969	118	337.92 km²	0.79% a year
630	ClaverSurigao del Norte	39,882	130	307.90 km²	2.46% a year
631	ClarinMisamis Occidental	39,867	472	84.50 km²	0.31% a year
632	SirawaiZamboanga del Norte	39,836	131	304.00 km²	6.07% a year
633	AlimodianIloilo	39,814	389	102.45 km²	0.06% a year
634	CaragaDavao Oriental	39,630	50	800.15 km²	−0.04% a year
635	San MarcelinoZambales	39,542	104	379.95 km²	1.14% a year
636	AliciaZamboanga Sibugay	39,484	216	183.08 km²	0.02% a year
637	San DionisioIloilo	39,423	305	129.18 km²	0.23% a year
638	Sofronio EspañolaPalawan	39,371	77	514.50 km²	1.23% a year
639	BatoLeyte	39,275	543	72.30 km²	0.48% a year
640	ManayDavao Oriental	39,271	65	605.98 km²	−0.18% a year
641	San FernandoCamarines Sur	39,206	470	83.42 km²	0.36% a year
642	TongkilSulu	39,202	255	153.65 km²	2.33% a year
643	TalayanMaguindanao del Sur	39,182	309	126.91 km²	3.35% a year
644	BaungonBukidnon	39,151	197	198.81 km²	1.29% a year
645	BagabagNueva Vizcaya	39,138	211	185.16 km²	0.72% a year
646	San NicolasIlocos Norte	39,116	933	41.91 km²	0.14% a year
647	TayasanNegros Oriental	39,005	216	180.84 km²	0.53% a year
648	RomblonRomblon	39,004	423	92.10 km²	−0.93% a year
649	CabugaoIlocos Sur	38,981	422	92.34 km²	0.06% a year
650	Tabuan-LasaBasilan	38,964	881	44.22 km²	7.05% 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.