Most populous ghost towns

Most populous ghost towns ranked by population.

Last updated . Source: Wikidata.

As of 2026-10-12, Al Madam tops the list with 11,120.

  1. #1 Al Madam — 11,120

    town in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

    Al Madam is an inland town of the Emirate of Sharjah, in the United Arab Emirates. Located at the intersection of the Dubai-Hatta (E44) and Mleiha-Shwaib (E55) roads, its development has mainly centred around these road links and the road traffic through Hatta to Oman. The volume of traffic to Oman through Madam and Hatta has lessened since the closure of the 'soft' Omani border at Mahda in 2016, although traffic volumes remain at some 5,000 travellers daily. The road from Madam to Hatta is now... Read more on Wikipedia.

    Wikidata
  2. #2 Riverton — 6,407

    ghost town in King County, Washington, United States

    Riverton is a census-designated place (CDP) in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 6,407 at the 2010 census. Riverton was formerly part of the Riverton-Boulevard Park CDP, which was split up for the 2010 census into Riverton and Boulevard Park. In April 2010 the community was annexed by the city of Burien and is no longer a CDP. Read more on Wikipedia.

    Wikidata
  3. #3 Phillips — 4,250

    ghost town in Hutchinson County, Texas

    Phillips is a ghost town in Hutchinson County, Texas, United States. It was founded as Pantex, Texas. In 1938, Pantex and Whittenburg combined and renamed as Phillips for the dominant employer, the Phillips Petroleum Company, by a vote of the people. Read more on Wikipedia.

    Wikidata
  4. #4 Ruyobetsu — 3,401

    village in Kunashiri district, Hokkaido, Japan

    source Wikidata
  5. #5 Preston — 2,101

    prominent town located on the Red River in North Texas

    Preston, also known as Preston Bend, is an unincorporated community and census-designated place located on the Red River in Grayson County, Texas, United States. It grew in the 19th century at the intersection of several military and trade roads and was an important crossing on the Shawnee cattle trail. Preston lost prominence after the MK&T railroad bypassed the town to the east, leading to a decline in traveler and cattle drive traffic. Much of its former town site is submerged beneath the... Read more on Wikipedia.

    Wikidata
  6. #6 Cochise — 1,592

    ghost town in Cochise County, Arizona, United States

    Cochise is an unincorporated community located in Cochise County, Arizona, United States. The city was created alongside the Southern Pacific Railroad in the 1880s. The city was primarily a stop for coal and water which were needed for trains at the time. At its peak, the town had a population of approximately 3,000 people. Today, only 50 people still live in Cochise. The town is also home to several historic locations. In 1899, Big Nose Kate, the famed sidekick of Doc Holliday, lived in... Read more on Wikipedia.

    Wikidata
  7. #7 Peschansky — 1,240

    human settlement in Russia

    source Wikidata
  8. #8 Laupāhoehoe — 1,147

    human settlement in Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States of America

    Laupāhoehoe is a census-designated place (CDP) in Hawaiʻi County, Hawaii, United States, in the District of North Hilo. The population was 581 at the 2010 census, up from 473 at the 2000 census. The community's name means "lava tip" and refers to the angular lava tip or cape formed by ancient pāhoehoe flows which created the cape on which the community was built. Read more on Wikipedia.

    Wikidata
  9. #9 Shasta — 1,043

    town in Shasta County, California, United States

    Shasta is a census-designated place (CDP) in Shasta County, California, United States. Shasta sits at an elevation of 843 feet (257 m). Its population is 1,043 as of the 2020 census, down from 1,771 from the 2010 census. Read more on Wikipedia.

    Wikidata
  10. #10 Bağanıs Ayrım — 648

    village in the Qazakh District of Azerbaijan

    Bağanıs Ayrım is an abandoned village in the Qazakh District of Azerbaijan. The village was controlled by Armenia from the First Nagorno-Karabakh War in the early 1990s until 2024, when Armenia agreed to return the village to Azerbaijan. Read more on Wikipedia.

    Wikidata