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.

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, 51 to 100 shown, most people first.

Municipalities in Central Luzon, most people
Rank	Name	People, 2024	People per km²	Land area	Growth, 2020–2024
51	CastillejosZambales	70,105	751	93.30 km²	0.77% a year
52	BongabonNueva Ecija	69,376	272	255.25 km²	0.90% a year
53	San LeonardoNueva Ecija	69,180	1,296	53.36 km²	0.22% a year
54	AngatBulacan	67,862	1,017	66.72 km²	0.81% a year
55	MoncadaTarlac	66,925	770	86.91 km²	1.53% a year
56	Santa CruzZambales	66,647	131	510.21 km²	1.04% a year
57	San SimonPampanga	65,760	1,101	59.71 km²	2.56% a year
58	San LuisPampanga	64,674	1,124	57.55 km²	2.41% a year
59	Santo DomingoNueva Ecija	63,750	847	75.25 km²	1.03% a year
60	Santa AnaPampanga	63,431	1,588	39.95 km²	0.73% a year
61	OrionBataan	63,044	1,037	60.81 km²	0.88% a year
62	ObandoBulacan	61,073	3,961	15.42 km²	0.43% a year
63	IbaZambales	59,580	274	217.07 km²	1.68% a year
64	BacolorPampanga	59,361	800	74.21 km²	5.19% a year
65	PaombongBulacan	58,453	1,248	46.82 km²	1.17% a year
66	General TinioNueva Ecija	58,093	109	534.74 km²	0.92% a year
67	MasantolPampanga	57,207	1,471	38.88 km²	−0.33% a year
68	MasinlocZambales	56,579	110	514.01 km²	0.89% a year
69	ZaragozaNueva Ecija	55,657	742	75.02 km²	1.14% a year
70	San IsidroNueva Ecija	55,108	891	61.84 km²	0.32% a year
71	Santa IgnaciaTarlac	53,620	388	138.28 km²	0.91% a year
72	MinalinPampanga	50,126	1,016	49.35 km²	0.85% a year
73	LupaoNueva Ecija	47,175	391	120.78 km²	0.65% a year
74	PilarBataan	47,107	1,042	45.21 km²	0.45% a year
75	Maria AuroraAurora	45,972	112	409.73 km²	0.54% a year
76	AbucayBataan	44,846	541	82.86 km²	1.02% a year
77	BalerAurora	44,684	423	105.61 km²	0.49% a year
78	LlaneraNueva Ecija	44,620	386	115.49 km²	1.30% a year
79	Sto. TomasPampanga	44,376	2,998	14.80 km²	0.84% a year
80	General Mamerto NatividadNueva Ecija	43,779	440	99.48 km²	−0.29% a year
81	CarranglanNueva Ecija	43,694	497	87.86 km²	0.71% a year
82	PalauigZambales	43,250	181	239.42 km²	2.02% a year
83	San JoseTarlac	43,185	65	666.23 km²	1.15% a year
84	Santa RitaPampanga	42,915	1,921	22.34 km²	−2.75% a year
85	QuezonNueva Ecija	42,621	616	69.22 km²	0.44% a year
86	SamalBataan	40,843	793	51.50 km²	1.55% a year
87	GabaldonNueva Ecija	40,223	128	313.66 km²	0.77% a year
88	LaurNueva Ecija	40,185	135	298.76 km²	1.18% a year
89	San MarcelinoZambales	39,542	104	379.95 km²	1.14% a year
90	San AntonioZambales	38,617	225	171.77 km²	0.74% a year
91	MorongBataan	37,024	151	245.50 km²	1.09% a year
92	MayantocTarlac	34,091	133	255.90 km²	1.08% a year
93	DipaculaoAurora	33,597	57	584.84 km²	0.34% a year
94	PeñarandaNueva Ecija	33,043	417	79.32 km²	0.57% a year
95	BagacBataan	32,799	146	225.32 km²	1.08% a year
96	PantabanganNueva Ecija	32,694	76	429.12 km²	0.70% a year
97	CandelariaZambales	32,182	116	278.02 km²	1.49% a year
98	San NarcisoZambales	32,180	368	87.39 km²	1.09% a year
99	SasmuanPampanga	32,081	711	45.10 km²	2.39% a year
100	San LuisAurora	30,342	46	665.22 km²	0.41% 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.