The State of Massachusetts played a significant part in the early history of the United States. Situated on the northeastern edge of the country, this tiny territory contains the town of Plymouth, home to the Pilgrim colony of 1620, and as one of the first settled states, the population statistics have always been healthy.
Moving forward to the present day, the Massachusetts population is the 3rd most densely populated area in the United States, despite being the 7th smallest state in the country. Massachusetts also has a fairly healthy population growth rate of 0.75% annually, which ranks 28th in the United States.
With a surface area of just 10,555 square miles or 27,336 square kilometers, Massachusetts is the seventh smallest state in the USA. However, Massachusetts makes use of virtually every inch of its land and, for every square mile of land, there is an average of 839.4 people. Those figures make Massachusetts the third most densely populated state in the entire country, and the 14th most populated state in the US, despite its small size.
The state has two major metropolitan areas: Greater Boston in the east and the Springfield metropolitan area in the west. Approximately 2/3 of the total Massachusetts population lives in Greater Boston, while Western Massachusetts has just one urban area with a good mix of rural areas and college towns. The state is currently the most populous of the six New England states, as well as the fastest growing.
The largest counties in Massachusetts are Middlesex and Worcester Counties, with over 1 million residents in Middlesex County and approximately 800,000 residing in Worcester County.
The median age is 39.4 years of age over the entire population of Massachusetts. The gender ratio is approximately 51.5% female and 48.5% male. In terms of religious preferences in the state, 58% prefer Christian based faiths, 9% are affiliated with non-Christian based faiths, and 32% are unaffiliated with any faith.
Massachusetts was one of the 13 original States. Maine was legally part of Massachusetts from early Colonial times, although geographically separated; Maine became a separate State in 1820, leaving Massachusetts with nearly its present boundaries. A long-standing border dispute with Rhode Island was finally settled with a sizable exchange of territory in 1862. Census coverage included all of Massachusetts from 1790 on. The counties comprising Maine were reported separately in 1790-1810.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Massachusetts was:
Based on percentages taken from the 2010 US Census, Massachusetts has the 10th largest percentage of Asian Americans in relation to total population.
The non-Hispanic white population of Massachusetts has declined to its current level from almost 85% in 1970. Interestingly, a large number of African-Americans migrated to the state during the early 20th century, although in fewer numbers than most other states in the area. Later in the century, there was a great deal of immigration to the area from East Asia, Africa and Latin America. Today, Massachusetts has the 3rd largest population of Haitians in the country, with a large population of Portuguese as well.
200K
400K
600K
800K
1M
1.2M
1.4M
1.6M
Race | Population | Percentage (of total) |
---|---|---|
White | 5,075,528 | 72.67% |
Two or more races | 557,288 | 7.98% |
Black or African American | 498,785 | 7.14% |
Asian | 487,600 | 6.98% |
Other race | 347,501 | 4.98% |
Native American | 14,740 | 0.21% |
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander | 2,766 | 0.04% |
White
Two or more races
Black or African American
Asian
Other race
Native American
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
Household Type | Count | Average Size | Owner | Renter |
---|---|---|---|---|
All | 2,741,000 | 2.46 | 62.4 | 37.6 |
Married | 1,270,530 | 3.17 | 81.7 | 18.3 |
Non Family | 1,024,090 | 1.31 | 44.2 | 55.8 |
Female | 321,553 | 3.14 | 47.1 | 52.9 |
Male | 124,828 | 3.04 | 55.1 | 44.9 |
3.06
Average Family Size
2.46
Average Household Size
62.4%
Rate of Home Ownership
Married
Male
Female
NonFamily
owner
renter
Male
Female
Education Attained | Count | Percentage |
---|---|---|
9th to 12th Grade | 221,611 | 4.5% |
Associates Degree | 374,880 | 7.62% |
Bachelors Degree | 1,234,320 | 25.09% |
Graduate Degree | 1,024,490 | 20.82% |
High School Graduate | 1,127,900 | 22.92% |
Less Than 9th Grade | 209,976 | 4.27% |
Some College | 726,924 | 14.77% |
Less Than 9th Grade
9th to 12th Grade
High School Graduate
Some College
Associates Degree
Bachelors Degree
Graduate Degree
High School Graduation Rate
Bachelors Rate
Race | Total | High School | Bachelors |
---|---|---|---|
White | 3,591,360 | 3,407,710 | 1,768,470 |
Hispanic | 503,812 | 366,919 | 112,775 |
Asian | 335,883 | 289,258 | 212,782 |
Black | 319,830 | 277,826 | 96,798 |
2+ Races | 296,934 | 238,921 | 99,489 |
Other Race | 215,223 | 152,786 | 40,748 |
Native American | 9,790 | 7,749 | 2,392 |
Islander | 1,828 | 1,639 | 741 |
The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 94.89%.
The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 63.35%.
All
Male
Female
Name | Average | Male | Female |
---|---|---|---|
Bachelors Degree | $75,687 | $89,766 | $63,560 |
Graduate Degree | $97,033 | $117,897 | $84,251 |
High School Graduate | $43,492 | $51,929 | $33,706 |
Less Than 9th Grade | $33,558 | $39,257 | $27,029 |
Overall | $61,481 | $71,365 | $52,856 |
Some College | $49,670 | $59,088 | $42,083 |
$61,481
Average Earnings
$71,365
Average Male
$52,856
Average Female
Only English
Spanish
Other Indo-European Languages
Asian and Pacific Island Languages
Other Languages
75.46% of Massachusetts residents speak only English, while 24.54% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 9.46% of the population.
rate
Name | Total | In Poverty | Poverty Rate |
---|---|---|---|
White | 4,671,910 | 328,635 | 7.03% |
Hispanic | 856,750 | 182,449 | 21.3% |
Multiple | 541,751 | 87,131 | 16.08% |
Black | 478,828 | 81,063 | 16.93% |
Other | 339,747 | 68,196 | 20.07% |
Asian | 465,319 | 50,538 | 10.86% |
Native | 14,145 | 2,900 | 20.5% |
Islander | 2,585 | 517 | 20% |
9.93%
Overall Poverty Rate
9.03%
Male Poverty Rate
10.8%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in Massachusetts is Hispanic, with 21.3% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in Massachusetts is White, with 7.03% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 1.23%. Among those working part-time, it was 11.14%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 20.92%.
rate
Rate | Poverty |
---|---|
Less Than 9th Grade | 23.61% |
High School | 12.5% |
Some College | 8.97% |
Bachelors or Greater | 3.94% |
rate
Rate | Poverty |
---|---|
Female Unemployed | 24.75% |
Male Unemployed | 19.25% |
Female Employed | 4.56% |
Male Employed | 3.32% |
Households
Families
MarriedFamilies
NonFamilies
Name | Median | Mean |
---|---|---|
Families | $122,530 | $162,367 |
Households | $96,505 | $134,568 |
Married Families | $147,219 | $189,220 |
Non Families | $56,588 | $82,276 |
mean
median
Married
Widowed
Divorced
Separated
NeverMarried
46.7%
Overall Marriage Rate
49.0%
Male Marriage Rate
44.6%
Female Marriage Rate
male
female
The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 45-54.
Married
Widowed
Divorced
Separated
NeverMarried
Second Gulf War
First Gulf War
Vietnam
Korea
World War II
266,304
Number of Veterans
247,431
Male Veterans
18,873
Female Veterans
War | Veterans |
---|---|
Vietnam | 94,515 |
Second Gulf War | 46,168 |
First Gulf War | 42,456 |
Korea | 23,776 |
World War II | 7,954 |
count
Age Group | Veterans |
---|---|
75+ | 85,828 |
65 to 74 | 66,469 |
35 to 54 | 49,123 |
55 to 64 | 45,652 |
18 to 34 | 19,232 |
count
Name | Veterans | % of Total |
---|---|---|
White | 237,448 | 5.64% |
Hispanic | 11,683 | 1.9% |
Black | 11,362 | 3.02% |
2+ Races | 8,703 | 2.4% |
Other Race | 4,426 | 1.72% |
Asian | 3,557 | 0.9% |
Native American | 752 | 6.46% |
Islander | 56 | 2.42% |
Less Than 9th Grade
High School Graduate
Some College
Bachelors or Greater
6.24%
Veteran Poverty Rate
29.14%
Veteran Disability Rate
LaborForceParticipation
67.1%
Labor Force Participation
63.5%
Employment Rate
5.3%
Unemployment Rate
LaborForceParticipation
LaborForceParticipation
Europe
Asia
Africa
Oceania
Latin America
North America
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
Europe
Asia
Africa
Oceania
Latin America
North America
59.44%
Born in Massachusetts
82.42%
Native Born
17.58%
Foreign Born
7.97%
Non Citizen
9.61%
Naturalized
82.42% of Massachusetts residents were born in the United States, with 59.44% having been born in Massachusetts. 7.97% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.