Chūō-ku is one of the eight wards of Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture, in the Hokuriku region of Japan. It comprises much of the city centre. As of 1 September 2018, the ward had an estimated population of 183,231 in 87,162 households and a population density of 4,900 persons per km2. The total area of the ward was 37.75 square kilometres (14.58 sq mi).