The population of the city was 89,557 and of the municipality was 154,600 inhabitants, according to the INEGI census of 2020,[1] residing in a total area of 1,051.89 km2 (406.14 sq mi).

As part of the Pemex operations and infrastructure in the city, a facility on the river manufactures and maintains oil rigs for use in the Gulf of Mexico.

The city is located on the banks of the Tuxpan River, which reaches the Gulf of Mexico 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) downstream.

Due to increasing commercial shipping traffic in the city of Veracruz, Tuxpan is now the headquarters for the Mexican Navy's Gulf fleet.

Tuxpan was also the port of departure for the yacht Granma that was used to transport Fidel Castro, his brother Raúl, Che Guevara and other fighters of the Cuban Revolution from Mexico to Cuba in 1956 for the purpose of overthrowing the regime of Fulgencio Batista.