Includes: Voters & Government Information, Demographics & Housing, School System, Municipal Finance & Taxation, Comparative Tables for Municipalities and Counties.

May 21, 2020.

Table 3 lists the 25 fastest growing MCDs in Massachusetts since April 1, 2010 by population growth and is followed by a table of the 25 fastest growing MCDs by percentage growth (Table 4). Since the last census in 2010, the largest cumulative population gains have occurred within the already dense Suffolk, Middlesex, and Essex counties as well as portions of Worcester and Norfolk counties, while most population loss was experienced in Berkshire, Franklin, and Barnstable counties. This percentage is in contrast to the Vintage 2018 estimates released by the Bureau in May of 2019, when 287 municipalities, or 82% of all, were estimated as increasing.

To create these estimates, the Census Bureau takes the county-level estimates released earlier this year, distributes the household population to each town based on updated housing unit estimates, and adds the updated group quarters population for each. Planning commissions for every region of the state. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 Sub-County Population Estimates, 10 out of Massachusetts’ 26 cities or towns with populations of 50,000 or more in 2018 increased in population from July 1, 2018 to July 1, 2019. Each commission has data on their region. U.S. Census Bureau Population Division. 8,376,755. The most significant growth was seen in parts of the South and West, particularly in Texas which counted seven places in the Top-25 fastest growing places by annual percent-change.

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Raw data sources:

May 21, 2020. Appendix A: Annual Estimates of the Resident Population of Massachusetts Minor Civil Divisions, Percent Change, and Percent Change Rank: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2019​, Map 1: Estimated Population of Massachusetts Municipalities: July 1, 2019​, Map 2: Estimated Single-Year Percent Change in Population for Massachusetts Municipalities; July 1, 2018 to July 1, 2019, Map 3: Estimated Cumulative Percent Change in Population for Massachusetts Municipalities; April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2019​, Report PDF: Summary of U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 Population Estimates for Massachusetts Cities and Towns. 2019 Census Bureau Sub-County Population Estimates for Massachusetts


Percentage-wise, the fastest growers of the year were mostly small- to mid-sized towns and cities, including many in Middlesex, Worcester, Norfolk, and Plymouth. American Community Survey, U.S. Bureau of the Census, U.S. Department of Education, 50 state departments of education, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Bureau of Investigation, 18,000+ local law enforcement agencies, Federal Housing Finance Agency, U.S. Geological Service, National Agricultural Statistics Service.

  On an annual basis, the U.S. Census Bureau develops updated population estimates for cities, towns, and other sub-county geographies. Please note: Unemployment data updated July 2020. Again here we see the effects of a downward revision of the immigration component in the county-level estimates to which the municipal estimates are controlled. By percent change, the largest gains from 2010 to 2019 were estimated in Hopkinton (23.9%), Burlington (16.9%), Lunenburg (16.5%), Boxborough (15.6%), and Salisbury (15.0%). Among the 351 individual cities and towns in Massachusetts, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that 154 municipalities, or just 44%, increased in population between July 1, 2018 and July 1, 2019.

Information on the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts.

The municipalities with the largest cumulative population gains since the 2010 Census include Boston (74,808), Cambridge (13,779), Framingham (6,093), Somerville (5,659), and Plymouth (5,060).
Everett and Lowell, while still included in the top 10 growers since the last Census, have shifted further down in rank in the 2019 vintage estimates, possibly as a result of diminishing international immigration in the state overall in the current estimates year compared to last.

  Our data are used to improve public health practice, assess community health needs, support research and grant applications, and policy development. Important: Please make sure you are using the latest version of your desktop browser. Interactive Dashboard If you wish to call the institute, phone (413) 545-0001. In terms of annual percentage growth among places with populations over 50,000 in Massachusetts, Boston ranked 6th this year, behind Framingham, Plymouth, Cambridge, Weymouth, and Methuen, which ranked 1st through 5th, respectively. The city of Boston's open data portal - includes datasets, tips for users, and more, Crime statistics for Massachusetts counties and towns.