37 cities
| City | Rank | 2025 Pop. ↓ | 2020 Pop. | Annual Change | Density | Area (mi²) | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salinas | 1 | 160,130 | 163,393 | -0.41% | 6,810 | 24 | City |
| Seaside | 2 | 31,321 | 32,335 | -0.64% | 3,510 | 9 | City |
| Monterey | 3 | 28,719 | 30,196 | -1.02% | 3,322 | 9 | City |
| Soledad | 4 | 26,258 | 26,692 | -0.33% | 5,887 | 4 | City |
| Marina | 5 | 23,215 | 22,375 | 0.73% | 2,605 | 9 | City |
| Greenfield | 6 | 21,564 | 18,951 | 2.48% | 7,253 | 3 | City |
| Prunedale | 7 | 19,825 | 20,560 | 0.77% | 430 | 46 | CDP |
| Pacific Grove | 8 | 14,791 | 15,089 | -0.4% | 5,161 | 3 | City |
| King City | 9 | 14,061 | 13,354 | 1.01% | 3,703 | 4 | City |
| Gonzales | 10 | 8,382 | 8,627 | -0.58% | 4,382 | 2 | City |
| Interlaken | 11 | 8,218 | 7,596 | 0.72% | 838 | 10 | CDP |
| Castroville | 12 | 6,655 | 6,332 | 0.18% | 6,518 | 1 | CDP |
| Carmel Valley Village | 13 | 4,701 | 4,175 | 0.43% | 248 | 19 | CDP |
| Greenfield | 14 | 4,524 | 3,777 | 0.8% | 3,412 | 1 | CDP |
| Lake Nacimiento | 15 | 3,403 | 3,021 | 1.98% | 324 | 10 | CDP |
| Del Monte Forest | 16 | 3,142 | 3,783 | -2.81% | 391 | 8 | CDP |
| Carmel-by-the-Sea | 17 | 3,102 | 3,210 | -0.7% | 2,924 | 1 | City |
| Las Lomas | 18 | 3,068 | 3,818 | 0.1% | 2,959 | 1 | CDP |
| Amesti | 19 | 2,940 | 3,240 | -1.21% | 1,002 | 3 | CDP |
| Aromas | 20 | 2,768 | 2,609 | 0.29% | 585 | 5 | CDP |
| Pajaro | 21 | 2,636 | 3,509 | -1.09% | 2,837 | 1 | CDP |
| La Selva Beach | 22 | 2,189 | 2,544 | -1.97% | 413 | 5 | CDP |
| Pine Canyon | 23 | 2,160 | 2,939 | 1.08% | 647 | 3 | CDP |
| Boronda | 24 | 1,929 | 1,740 | 0.78% | 3,361 | 1 | CDP |
| Del Rey Oaks | 25 | 1,545 | 1,582 | -0.52% | 1,466 | 1 | City |
| Elkhorn | 26 | 1,215 | 998 | -1.86% | 253 | 5 | CDP |
| Fort Hunter Liggett | 27 | 1,092 | 327 | 7.06% | 393 | 3 | CDP |
| Chualar | 28 | 901 | 1,413 | -2.07% | 1,439 | 1 | CDP |
| San Ardo | 29 | 651 | 628 | 1.4% | 1,450 | 0 | CDP |
| Lockwood | 30 | 619 | 451 | 7.09% | 114 | 5 | CDP |
| San Lucas | 31 | 404 | 415 | 2.28% | 1,025 | 0 | CDP |
| Sand City | 32 | 328 | 325 | 0% | 600 | 1 | City |
| Lockwood | 33 | 199 | 351 | -5.69% | 18 | 11 | CDP |
| Oak Shores | 34 | 114 | 325 | -11.63% | 22 | 5 | CDP |
| Bradley | 35 | 106 | 99 | 7.07% | 1,233 | 0 | CDP |
| Pajaro Dunes | 36 | 80 | 235 | -4.76% | 31 | 3 | CDP |
| Spreckels | 37 | 79 | 373 | -33.61% | 648 | 0 | CDP |
Salinas is the largest city in Monterey County, with a population of 160,130.
Spreckels is the smallest city in Monterey County, with a population of 79.
There are 37 cities in Monterey County, California.