The province of Potenza (Italian: provincia di Potenza; Potentino: provìgnë dë Pùtenzë) is a province in the region of Basilicata in southern Italy. Its capital is the city of Potenza.
It has a population of 337,527 in an area of 6,594 square kilometres (2,546 mi2) across its 100 municipalities.
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History
In 272 BC, the province was conquered by the Romans. The new rulers named the region Lucania. In the 11th century, the area became part of the Duchy of Apulia, which was at the time ruled by the Normans. From the 13th century, it was part of the Kingdom of Naples, though Potenza was ruled by local vassals. In 1861, the province was unified with the rest of Italy in the newly formed Kingdom of Italy.
The region has suffered from numerous earthquakes in historic times, and is still a seismically active area.
Geography
The province is characterized by various natural landscapes, ranging from the mountain lakes of Monticchio, the Lucan forest, the Monte Sirino massif, the large National Park of Pollino (shared by Calabria) and the Tyrrhenian coast of Maratea. The largest city is Potenza, followed by Melfi.
Government
Municipalities
The province has 100 municipalities:
Demographics
As of 2026, the population is 337,527, of which 49.5% are male, and 50.5% are female. Minors make up 13.1% of the population, and seniors make up 26.9%.
Immigration
As of 2025, immigrants make up 6.3% of the population. The 5 largest foreign countries of birth are Romania, Switzerland, Germany, Argentina, and Morocco.