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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newark | 1 | 305,368 | 310,645 | 0.13% | 12,648 | 24.1 | City |
| East Orange | 2 | 70,176 | 69,375 | 0.89% | 17,866 | 3.9 | City |
| Irvington township | 3 | 59,835 | 60,915 | -0.15% | 20,534 | 2.9 | Township |
| Bloomfield township | 4 | 54,424 | 52,871 | 1.34% | 10,197 | 5.3 | Township |
| West Orange township | 5 | 47,776 | 48,697 | -0.2% | 3,980 | 12.0 | Township |
| Montclair township | 6 | 39,734 | 39,825 | -0.16% | 6,370 | 6.2 | Township |
| Belleville township | 7 | 37,398 | 38,073 | -0.15% | 11,346 | 3.3 | Township |
| City of Orange township | 8 | 33,870 | 34,309 | 0.25% | 15,305 | 2.2 | Township |
| Livingston township | 9 | 31,088 | 31,243 | 0% | 2,255 | 13.8 | Township |
| Nutley township | 10 | 29,495 | 30,038 | -0.15% | 8,747 | 3.4 | Township |
| Maplewood township | 11 | 25,406 | 25,582 | 0.34% | 6,558 | 3.9 | Township |
| Millburn township | 12 | 21,818 | 21,633 | -0.19% | 2,337 | 9.3 | Township |
| South Orange Village township | 13 | 18,185 | 18,427 | -0.13% | 6,390 | 2.8 | Township |
| Verona township | 14 | 14,305 | 14,575 | -0.13% | 5,120 | 2.8 | Township |
| Cedar Grove township | 15 | 13,310 | 13,057 | -0.08% | 3,141 | 4.2 | Township |
| West Caldwell township | 16 | 10,781 | 10,975 | -0.17% | 2,115 | 5.1 | Township |
| Caldwell borough | 17 | 8,819 | 8,986 | -0.17% | 7,486 | 1.2 | Borough |
| Glen Ridge borough | 18 | 7,940 | 7,757 | -0.15% | 6,227 | 1.3 | Borough |
| Fairfield township | 19 | 7,935 | 7,837 | -0.08% | 784 | 10.1 | Township |
| North Caldwell borough | 20 | 6,564 | 6,672 | -0.15% | 2,140 | 3.1 | Borough |
| Roseland borough | 21 | 6,159 | 6,270 | -0.15% | 1,702 | 3.6 | Borough |
| Fairfield township | 22 | 5,361 | 5,529 | 0.39% | 130 | 41.1 | Township |
| Essex Fells borough | 23 | 2,124 | 2,212 | -0.66% | 1,509 | 1.4 | Borough |
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.
Newark is the largest city in Essex County.
Essex Fells borough is the smallest city in Essex County.
There are 23 cities in Essex County, New Jersey.