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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lynn | 1 | 101,603 | 101,103 | 0.36% | 9,461 | 10.7 | City |
| Lawrence | 2 | 88,398 | 88,877 | 0.26% | 12,756 | 6.9 | City |
| Haverhill | 3 | 67,681 | 67,672 | 0.4% | 2,049 | 33.0 | City |
| Peabody | 4 | 54,219 | 54,391 | 0.3% | 3,339 | 16.2 | City |
| Methuen Town | 5 | 53,675 | 52,993 | 0.41% | 2,416 | 22.2 | City |
| Salem | 6 | 44,984 | 43,692 | 0.54% | 5,424 | 8.3 | City |
| Beverly | 7 | 42,422 | 42,595 | 0.25% | 2,811 | 15.1 | City |
| Andover | 8 | 36,615 | 36,552 | 0.36% | 1,188 | 30.8 | Town |
| North Andover | 9 | 31,942 | 30,861 | 1.03% | 1,215 | 26.3 | Town |
| Gloucester | 10 | 30,085 | 29,743 | 0.42% | 1,149 | 26.2 | City |
| Saugus | 11 | 28,719 | 28,604 | 0.31% | 2,665 | 10.8 | Town |
| Danvers | 12 | 27,974 | 28,039 | 0.28% | 2,107 | 13.3 | Town |
| Marblehead | 13 | 20,360 | 20,399 | 0.32% | 4,649 | 4.4 | Town |
| Newburyport | 14 | 18,804 | 18,307 | 0.39% | 2,252 | 8.3 | City |
| Amesbury Town | 15 | 17,426 | 17,341 | 0.71% | 1,418 | 12.3 | City |
| Swampscott | 16 | 15,695 | 15,117 | 1.34% | 5,194 | 3.0 | Town |
| Ipswich | 17 | 13,960 | 13,760 | 0.41% | 435 | 32.1 | Town |
| Lynnfield | 18 | 13,116 | 12,983 | 0.63% | 1,331 | 9.9 | Town |
| Middleton | 19 | 9,860 | 9,620 | 0.11% | 733 | 13.4 | Town |
| Salisbury | 20 | 9,330 | 9,217 | 0.77% | 607 | 15.4 | Town |
| Georgetown | 21 | 8,481 | 8,463 | 0.44% | 660 | 12.9 | Town |
| Boxford | 22 | 8,189 | 8,185 | 0.49% | 348 | 23.6 | Town |
| Hamilton | 23 | 7,646 | 7,560 | 0.79% | 539 | 14.2 | Town |
| Rockport | 24 | 7,050 | 6,989 | 0.89% | 1,009 | 7.0 | Town |
| Newbury | 25 | 6,835 | 6,717 | 1.02% | 292 | 23.4 | Town |
| Groveland | 26 | 6,768 | 6,745 | 0.37% | 762 | 8.9 | Town |
| Merrimac | 27 | 6,740 | 6,716 | 0.33% | 793 | 8.5 | Town |
| Topsfield | 28 | 6,584 | 6,555 | 0.61% | 553 | 11.9 | Town |
| Rowley | 29 | 6,436 | 6,159 | 1.23% | 354 | 18.2 | Town |
| Manchester-by-the-Sea | 30 | 5,437 | 5,387 | 0.76% | 589 | 9.2 | Town |
| Wenham | 31 | 4,979 | 4,936 | 0.44% | 650 | 7.7 | Town |
| West Newbury | 32 | 4,637 | 4,505 | 0.85% | 345 | 13.4 | Town |
| Essex | 33 | 3,718 | 3,677 | 0.65% | 266 | 14.0 | Town |
| Nahant | 34 | 3,311 | 3,331 | 0.33% | 3,077 | 1.1 | Town |
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.
Lynn is the largest city in Essex County.
Nahant is the smallest city in Essex County.
There are 34 cities in Essex County, Massachusetts.