The following is the list of top 40 major cities in France is based on the population and rank along with the capital of the respective state and union territory.
| City | Adm. | Population (2010) |
|---|---|---|
| Paris | Ile-de-France | 2,243,833 |
| Aix-en-Provence | Provence - Alpes - Cote ddAzur | 141,438 |
| Amiens | Picardie | 133,448 |
| Angers | Pays de la Loire | 147,571 |
| Argenteuil | Ile-de-France | 103,125 |
| Besancon | Franche-Comte | 116,914 |
| Bordeaux | Aquitaine | 239,157 |
| Bourgognelogne-Billancourt | Ile-de-France | 114,205 |
| Bretagnest | Bretagne | 141,303 |
| Caen | Basse-Normandie | 108,954 |
| Clermont-Ferrand | Auvergne | 139,860 |
| Dijon | Bourgogne | 151,212 |
| Grenoble | Rhone - Alpes | 155,637 |
| Le Havre | Haute-Normandie | 175,497 |
| Le Mans | Pays de la Loire | 142,626 |
| Lille | Nord - Pas-de-Calais | 227,560 |
| Limoges | Limousin | 139,150 |
| Lyon | Rhone - Alpes | 484,344 |
| Marseille | Provence - Alpes - Cote ddAzur | 850,726 |
| Metz | Lorraine | 120,738 |
| Montpellier | Languedoc - Roussillon | 257,351 |
| Montreuil | Ile-de-France | 102,770 |
| Mulhouse | Alsace | 109,588 |
| Nancy | Lorraine | 105,421 |
| Nantes | Pays de la Loire | 284,970 |
| Nice | Provence - Alpes - Cote ddAzur | 343,304 |
| Nimes | Languedoc - Roussillon | 142,205 |
| Orleans | Champagne | 114,167 |
| Perpignan | Languedoc - Roussillon | 117,419 |
| Reims | Champagne - Ardenne | 179,992 |
| Rennes | Bretagne | 207,178 |
| Rouen | Haute-Normandie | 110,933 |
| Saint-Denis | Ile-de-France | 106,785 |
| Saint-etienne | Rhone - Alpes | 171,260 |
| StrasBourgognerg | Alsace | 271,782 |
| Toulon | Provence - Alpes - Cote ddAzur | 164,532 |
| Toulouse | Midi - Pyrenees | 441,802 |
| Tours | Champagne | 134,817 |
| Villeurbanne | Rhone - Alpes | 145,150 |
