Note: As defined by the US Census Bureau, a city's official boundaries often extend miles beyond the city itself and may even cross county lines. As such, several thousand US cities officially exist in two or more counties (and therefore appear on multiple counties' lists of cities.)
City | Rank | 2024 Pop. | 2020 Pop. | Change | Density (/mi²) | Area (mi²) | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Truckee | 1 | 17,130 | 16,766 | 0.53% | 530 | 32.3 | Town |
| North Auburn | 2 | 14,633 | 14,446 | 0.79% | 1,879 | 7.8 | CDP |
| Grass Valley | 3 | 14,069 | 14,087 | -0.04% | 2,346 | 6.0 | City |
| Alta Sierra | 4 | 7,511 | 7,620 | 0.58% | 903 | 8.3 | CDP |
| Lake Wildwood | 5 | 4,971 | 4,709 | -0.04% | 1,626 | 3.1 | CDP |
| Lake Pines | 6 | 4,834 | 4,350 | 1.38% | 1,913 | 2.5 | CDP |
| Nevada City | 7 | 3,249 | 3,148 | 0.78% | 1,447 | 2.2 | City |
| Cedar Ridge | 8 | 1,736 | 1,267 | 2.54% | 222 | 7.8 | CDP |
| Penn Valley | 9 | 1,116 | 1,073 | -3.13% | 526 | 2.1 | CDP |
| Rough Ready | 10 | 566 | 511 | -4.87% | 178 | 3.2 | CDP |
| Smartsville | 11 | 413 | 487 | 4.29% | 576 | 0.7 | CDP |
| Washington | 12 | 106 | 137 | -4.5% | 56 | 1.9 | CDP |
| Pike | 13 | 91 | 120 | -3.19% | 21 | 4.3 | CDP |
| North San Juan | 14 | 82 | 151 | -14.58% | 34 | 2.4 | CDP |
| Kingvale | 15 | 75 | 102 | -6.25% | 78 | 1.0 | CDP |
| Soda Springs | 16 | 63 | 46 | 8.62% | 187 | 0.3 | CDP |
| Floriston | 17 | 27 | 28 | 8% | 28 | 0.9 | CDP |
| Graniteville | 18 | 14 | 14 | 7.69% | 9 | 1.5 | CDP |
Note: City markers shown outside the county boundary mean that a part of the city extends into this county, but is primarily located in an adjacent county.
Truckee is the largest city in Nevada County.
Graniteville is the smallest city in Nevada County.
There are 18 cities in Nevada County, California.