Editing Demographics of Mexico (section)

===Settlements, cities and municipalities===
{{main|List of cities in Mexico}}
{{see also|Municipalities of Mexico}}
[[File:Palacio de Gobierno y Plaza de Armas.JPG|200px|thumb|right]]
{| style="width: 22em; font-size: 85%; text-align: left;" class="wikitable floatright"
|+Most populated municipalities
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center" | ''Municipality of Guadalajara''
|-
! style="background:#e8e8e8;" | Municipality
! style="background:#e8e8e8;" | Pop. (2020)<ref name="census2020" />
|-
| style="background:#efefef;" | [[Mexico City]]
| style="background:#efefef;" align=right | 9,209,944
|-
| [[Tijuana (municipality)|Tijuana]]
| align=right | 1,922,523
|-
| style="background:#efefef;" | [[León, Guanajuato|León]]
| style="background:#efefef;" align=right | 1,721,215
|-
| [[Puebla (municipality)|Puebla]]
| align=right |1,692,181
|-
| style="background:#efefef;" | [[Ecatepec de Morelos|Ecatepec]]
| style="background:#efefef;" align=right |  1,645,352 
|-
| [[Juárez Municipality, Chihuahua|Juárez]]
| align=right |  1,512,450 
|}
In 2010, Mexico had more than 189,432 ''localidades'' (lit. "localities" or "settlements"), which are census-designated places defined as a small town, a large city, or simply as a single unit housing in a rural area whether situated remotely or close to an urban area.<ref name=estudio>[https://centrodeestudios.ift.org.mx/admin/files/estudios/1705017510.pdf "Proyecto para dotar de conectividad a una región marginada en México"] page 4, retrieved on September 7, 2024.</ref> Localities with more than 2,500 inhabitants are considered urban settlements whereas thos with less than 2500 inhabitants are considered rural settlements. In 2010 there were 3,021 cities with a population between 2,500 and 15,000 inhabitants, 413 with a population between 15,000 and 50,000 inhabitants, 86 with a population between 50,000 and 100,000, 95 with a population between 100,000 and 500,000, 25 with a population between 500,000 and one million and 11 with a population of more than one million. Urban areas contain 76.81% of Mexico's total population and rural settlements contain 23% of the population.<ref name=programa>[https://www.gob.mx/cms/uploads/attachment/file/643102/PNOTDU_VERSION_FINAL_28.05.2021-comprimido.pdf "Programa Nacional de Ordenamiento Territorial y Urbano"] page 27, retrieved in August 28, 2024.</ref>

[[Municipalities of Mexico|Municipalities]] (''municipios'' in Spanish) and [[boroughs of the Mexican Federal District|boroughs]] (''delegaciones'' in Spanish) are incorporated places in Mexico, that is, second or third-level political divisions with internal autonomy, legally prescribed limits, powers and functions. In terms of second-level political divisions there are 2,477 municipalities, including 16 semi-autonomous boroughs all within Mexico city.<ref name=Cifras>[https://www.inegi.org.mx/app/areasgeograficas/ "Mexico en cifras"] INEGI, retrieved in September 1, 2024.</ref> A municipality can be constituted by one or more cities one of which is the ''cabecera municipal'' (municipal seat). Cities are usually contained within the limits of a single municipality, with a few exceptions in which small areas of one city may extend to other adjacent municipalities ''without'' incorporating the city which serves as the municipal seat of the adjacent municipality. Some municipalities or cities within municipalities are further divided into ''delegaciones'' or boroughs. However, unlike the boroughs of the Federal District, these are third-level administrative divisions; they have very limited autonomy and no elective representatives.

Municipalities in central Mexico are usually very small in area and thus coextensive with cities (as is the case of Guadalajara, Puebla and León), whereas municipalities in northern and southeastern Mexico are much larger and usually contain more than one city or town that may not necessarily conform a single urban agglomeration (as is the case of Tijuana).