Comprehensive Guide to Bulacan

Bulacan at a glance

Bulacan is a province in Central Luzon (Region III), one of the regions in the Philippines’ system of administrative divisions. The provincial government places it about 27.5 kilometres from Metro Manila. Nueva Ecija lies to the north, Aurora and Quezon to the east, and Rizal, Pampanga and Manila Bay on its other sides. The City of Malolos, in the southwest of the province, is the capital.

According to the provincial government, Bulacan has:

• 4 component cities: Baliwag, Malolos, Meycauayan and San Jose del Monte
• 20 municipalities
• 572 barangays
• A land area of 279,610 hectares (2,796.10 square kilometres), based on Land Management Bureau data
• Six congressional districts, plus a separate lone district for San Jose del Monte City

None of the four cities is highly urbanized. The PSA’s 2024 census release lists only two highly urbanized cities in Central Luzon, Angeles and Olongapo, so as of the 2024 census all four Bulacan cities were counted as part of the province.

Population (2024 census)

The 2024 Census of Population counted 3,876,806 people in Bulacan as of 1 July 2024. That makes it the largest of Central Luzon’s seven provinces and the second most populous province in the Philippines, after Cavite (4.57 million). From 2020 to 2024 the province grew by an average of 1.07% a year. The national average was 0.8%.

Province (Central Luzon)	Population, 2024 census	Annual growth, 2020–2024
Bulacan	3.88 million	1.07%
Pampanga*	2.59 million	1.43%
Nueva Ecija	2.40 million	0.88%
Tarlac	1.57 million	1.02%
Bataan	891,000	1.05%
Zambales*	681,000	1.15%
Aurora	241,000	0.51%

*Figures exclude the highly urbanized cities of Angeles (483,000) and Olongapo (265,000), which the PSA counts separately.

The 2024 census also highlights two places in Bulacan:

• San Jose del Monte had 685,688 people. Excluding Angeles and Olongapo, it is the most populous city or municipality in Central Luzon. Its barangay Gaya-gaya (64,241) is the region’s third most populous barangay.
• Loma de Gato in Marilao is the most populous barangay in all of Central Luzon, with 74,133 people.

Economy

PSA figures reported in August 2026 put Bulacan’s gross domestic product at P694.81 billion in 2025, or about 2.99% of the national economy. That ranks Bulacan seventh among all Philippine provinces and highly urbanized cities, behind Batangas and ahead of Pampanga, which was ninth.

The provincial government lists the industries Bulacan is traditionally known for:

• Marble and marbleized limestone
• Jewelry
• Pyrotechnics (fireworks)
• Leather
• Aquaculture
• Garments
• Furniture

Main cities

City	Status	Population (2024 census)	Notes
Malolos	Component city, provincial capital	269,809	Site of the 1898–1899 Malolos Congress
San Jose del Monte	Component city, own congressional district	685,688	Largest city in the province
Meycauayan	Component city	228,023	One of Bulacan’s three cities before 2022
Baliwag	Component city since December 2022	174,194	Charter: Republic Act No. 11929

Malolos

Malolos is the provincial capital. Its Barasoain Church holds a national historical marker. The marker says the church was the seat of the Revolutionary Congress from mid-September 1898 to late February 1899, which passed the Malolos Constitution. According to the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, the church was also where the First Philippine Republic was inaugurated, and it now houses a museum on the Republic. Malolos is the end point of the first North-South Commuter Railway section scheduled to open, from Valenzuela (see below).

San Jose del Monte

San Jose del Monte is the province’s most populous local government unit by a wide margin, with 685,688 residents in 2024. It forms its own congressional district, separate from Bulacan’s six provincial districts. The MRT-7 line is planned to end there (see below).

Meycauayan

Meycauayan is one of Bulacan’s four component cities. Before Baliwag’s conversion it was one of only three cities in the province, alongside Malolos and San Jose del Monte.

Baliwag

Baliwag (also spelled Baliuag) became Bulacan’s fourth city when voters ratified its city charter, Republic Act No. 11929, in a plebiscite on 17 December 2022. According to the Commission on Elections, 75.6% of votes cast were in favour, on a turnout of 21.7%. It is a component city. The 2023 version of this guide still listed it as a municipality.

Other towns with Lionunion listings

Lionunion also has listing pages for several of Bulacan’s municipalities: Santa Maria, Marilao, Plaridel, Norzagaray, Pulilan, Bocaue, Guiguinto and San Rafael.

Transport and infrastructure

These are the main projects affecting Bulacan, with their latest reported status:

• North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR). In September 2026 the Economy and Development Council approved a revised schedule. The first partial operation, from Valenzuela to Malolos, is targeted for December 2027. Malolos to Clark is targeted for the fourth quarter of 2028, and full Clark–Calamba operations for the third quarter of 2033. The Palace cited procurement problems, tighter spending and right-of-way issues for the delays.
• MRT-7. The DOTr said in May 2026 that the 22-kilometre line will have 14 stations, and that the San Jose del Monte station remains in the approved alignment. Twelve stations, from North Avenue to Sacred Heart, are due to open by the second quarter of 2027. The Tala and San Jose del Monte stations are slated for 2028.
• New Manila International Airport (NMIA). In June 2026 San Miguel Corp. said the airport’s first runway in Bulacan was on track for 2028, possibly earlier, with the runway site undergoing land preparation. The company said the passenger terminal and logistics center would take longer.

All three projects are still under construction. The NSCR schedule has already been revised more than once, and the NMIA logistics center has slipped from its original 2025 target, so check the latest official announcements.

What has changed since 2023

• Baliwag is a city. Bulacan now has four component cities and 20 municipalities, not three cities and 21 municipalities as the 2023 guide said. The plebiscite was held on 17 December 2022.
• New census figures. The 2024 Census of Population, released in July 2025, puts Bulacan at about 3.88 million (2024). The 2023 guide gave 3,292,071 as the “2020” population, but that was the 2015 count. The province still ranks second nationally, behind Cavite.
• New economic data. The PSA now publishes provincial GDP. Bulacan’s economy reached P694.81 billion in 2025 and ranked seventh nationally.
• Rail schedules revised. NSCR partial operations to Malolos are now targeted for December 2027, and the MRT-7 San Jose del Monte station for 2028.
• Airport timeline. The NMIA’s first runway is targeted for 2028.

Property in Bulacan

The census and project data give some useful context for property buyers:

• Population growth is above the national rate. Bulacan grew 1.07% a year from 2020 to 2024, against 0.8% nationally. San Jose del Monte and Marilao hold the region’s two most populous barangays.
• Rail and airport timelines are targets, not finished projects. The NSCR to Malolos, MRT-7 to San Jose del Monte and the NMIA runway are all scheduled for 2027–2028. The NSCR and parts of the NMIA have already missed earlier targets.
• The four cities differ a great deal in size. San Jose del Monte alone is home to about 18% of the province’s people.

You can browse current listings by area:

• Bulacan province listings
• San Jose del Monte, Malolos, Meycauayan and Baliwag
• All Central Luzon listings
• Central Luzon: a comprehensive overview

To find a home or lot in Bulacan, browse our listing pages above or contact Lionunion for help with your search.