Demographics of Massachusetts

Massachusetts has an estimated population of 6.981 million as of 2022 according to the U.S. Census Bureau.[1] This represents a −0.7% decrease in population from the 2020 census, when the population was 7.029 million. Currently, Massachusetts is the sixteenth most populous U.S. state.

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1790378,787—
1800422,84511.6%
1810472,04011.6%
1820523,28710.9%
1830610,40816.6%
1840737,69920.9%
1850994,51434.8%
18601,231,06623.8%
18701,457,35118.4%
18801,783,08522.4%
18902,238,94725.6%
19002,805,34625.3%
19103,366,41620.0%
19203,852,35614.4%
19304,249,61410.3%
19404,316,7211.6%
19504,690,5148.7%
19605,148,5789.8%
19705,689,17010.5%
19805,737,0370.8%
19906,016,4254.9%
20006,349,0975.5%
20106,547,6293.1%
20207,029,9177.4%
2022 (est.)6,981,974−0.7%
Sources:[1][2][3]

Massachusetts has seen both population increases and decreases in recent years. For example, while some Bay Staters are leaving, others are moving there including European, Asian, Hispanic, African, Middle Eastern, North American, and Australian immigrants. Massachusetts in 2020 included 1.2 million foreign-born residents.

Massachusetts population density map

Most Bay Staters live within a 60-mile radius of the State House on Beacon Hill, often called Greater Boston: the City of Boston, neighboring cities and towns, the North Shore, South Shore, the northern, western, and southern suburbs, and most of southeastern and central Massachusetts. Eastern Massachusetts is more urban than Western Massachusetts, which is primarily rural, save for the cities of Springfield, Chicopee, Holyoke, and Northampton, which serve as centers of population density in the Pioneer Valley of the Connecticut River. The center of population of Massachusetts is located in Middlesex County, in the town of Natick.[4]

Population

Structure

The following demographic statistics are taken from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2019 ACS 1-year estimates.[5][6]

The total population is 7,029,917. The median age is 39.7 years (38.0 for males, 41.1 for females). There are 5,540,726 people 18 years or older.

The population is distributed as follows:

  • Under 5 years: 5.2%
  • 5–9 years: 5.2%
  • 10–14 years: 5.7%
  • 15–19 years: 6.5%
  • 20–24 years: 7.0%
  • 25–29 years: 7.3%
  • 30–34 years: 7.1%
  • 35–39 years: 6.4%
  • 40–44 years: 6.0%
  • 45–49 years: 6.2%
  • 50–54 years: 6.8%
  • 55–59 years: 7.0%
  • 60–64 years: 6.6%
  • 65–69 years: 5.4%
  • 70–74 years: 4.4%
  • 75–79 years: 3.0%
  • 80–84 years: 1.9%
  • Over 85 years: 2.3%

The total sex ratio of Massachusetts is 94.3 male/100 female. For ages 18 years and over, the sex ratio is 92.0 male/100 female and for ages 65 years and over, the sex ratio is 76.9 male/100 female.

Birth rate
  • 51.2 births/1,000 females ages 15–44 (2017 est.)[7]

Death rate
  • 675.7 deaths/100,000 people (2017 est.)[8]

Life expectancy
  • 80.6 years at birth in 2017[9]

Density

Massachusetts has a density of 890 people per square mile, making it the third most dense of the fifty states (fifth including District of Columbia and Puerto Rico).

Ancestry

According to the 2015-2019 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, the largest ancestry groups in Massachusetts are:[10][11]

Ancestry Percentage of
Massachusetts
population		 Percentage of
United States
population		 Difference
Irish19.77%9.71%+10.06%
Italian12.27%5.14%+7.13%
English9.20%7.24%+1.96%
French5.90%2.34%+3.56%
German5.67%13.25%-7.58%
Polish4.40%2.80%+1.60%
Portuguese4.07%0.42%+3.65%
American3.81%6.24%-2.43%
French Canadian3.75%0.64%+3.11%
Sub-Saharan African2.25%1.15%+1.09%
Scottish2.14%1.66%+0.47%
West Indian2.04%0.92%+1.12%
Swedish1.55%1.15%+0.40%
Russian1.46%0.80%+0.66%
European1.26%1.66%-0.40%
Brazilian1.25%0.14%+1.11%
Greek1.16%0.39%+0.77%
Arab1.05%0.62%+0.43%
Lithuanian0.65%0.19%+0.46%
Canadian0.64%0.20%+0.44%
Scotch-Irish0.63%0.93%-0.30%
British0.56%0.60%-0.03%
Dutch0.56%1.19%-0.63%
Norwegian0.54%1.35%-0.81%
Eastern European0.54%0.27%+0.27%

Massachusetts is the second-most Irish state in the country (after New Hampshire) and the fourth-most Italian state in the country (after Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Jersey) in percentage of total population.[12] Irish Americans are mostly concentrated in the eastern and southeastern parts of the state; the South Shore region has an Irish population above 40% (giving it the nickname of the "Irish Riviera"). Massachusetts has the most Moroccans, Brazilians, and Ugandans of state in the country in percentage of total population. Massachusetts also has large communities of people of Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and Icelandic descent; Armenian, Lebanese, Turkish, and Syrian descent; and Italian and Spanish descent. Other influential ethnicities are Greek Americans, Lithuanian Americans, Polish Americans and German Americans. Massachusetts "Yankees," of colonial English ancestry, still have a strong presence. French Canadian Americans form a significant part of the population in central and western Massachusetts, while Polish Americans are prevalent in the Springfield area and English Americans are common in the rural areas of western Massachusetts.

Boston's largest immigrant groups are from Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and China. In the northeast of the state, is home to a large Cambodian (Khmer) community, second in the country only to the concentration of Cambodians in Long Beach, California. Massachusetts also has the fastest growing population of South Asians, including Indian people, which are concentrated in certain areas of Greater Boston and outside such as Shrewsbury, Woburn, Malden, Quincy, Somerville, and Cambridge. Most of them have emigrated to work in health professional settings, business, engineering, IT/computer science industries, and finance. There is a flux of Indians emigrating to pursue higher studies education.

Massachusetts has one of the largest lusophone populations in North America. It has the largest Cape Verdean population and the second-largest Portuguese population (after California) of any state in the United States, and as a percentage of population is second to only Rhode Island for both ethnic groups. Fall River and New Bedford on the south coast have large populations of Portuguese, Brazilian, and Cape Verdean heritage, all of which are also prevalent in the Taunton and Brockton areas. There is a growing Brazilian population in the Boston area (especially in Framingham).

Although many of the Native Americans have intermarried with other ethnic groups (or died in King Philip's War of 1675), the Wampanoag tribe maintains reservations at Aquinnah, at Grafton, on Martha's Vineyard, and at Mashpee on Cape Cod.[13][14] The Nipmuck maintain two state-recognized reservations in the central part of the state. Many Wampanoags and other native people live outside of reservations.

Massachusetts Racial Breakdown of Population (2017)[15]
Race Percentage of
Massachusetts
population		 Percentage of
United States
population		 Difference
White80.6%76.3%+4.3%
White (Non-Hispanic)71.1%60.1%+11.0%
Hispanic12.4%18.5%–6.1%
Black9.0%13.4%–4.4%
Asian7.2%5.9%+1.3%
Native Americans/Hawaiians0.6%1.5%–0.9%
Two or more races2.6%2.8%–0.2%

Birth data

Note: Births in table don't add up, because Hispanics are counted both by their ethnicity and by their race, giving a higher overall number.

Live Births by Single Race/Ethnicity of Mother
Race 2013[16] 2014[17] 2015[18] 2016[19] 2017[20] 2018[21] 2019[22] 2020[23] 2021[24]
White: 55,993 (78.0%) 55,882 (77.7%) 55,350 (77.4%) ... ... ... ... ... ...
> Non-hispanic White 45,046 (62.7%) 44,542 (61.9%) 43,651 (61.0%) 42,135 (59.1%) 40,773 (57.7%) 39,663 (57.4%) 39,219 (56.7%) 37,357 (56.2%) 39,817 (57.6%)
Black 9,178 (12.8%) 9,276 (12.9%) 9,288 (13.0%) 6,873 (9.6%) 6,953 (9.8%) 6,826 (9.9%) 6,850 (9.9%) 6,580 (9.9%) 6,674 (9.7%)
Asian 6,460 (9.0%) 6,599 (9.2%) 6,713 (9.4%) 6,422 (9.0%) 6,067 (8.6%) 6,183 (8.9%) 6,228 (9.0%) 5,826 (8.8%) 5,471 (7.9%)
American Indian 157 (0.2%) 151 (0.2%) 141 (0.2%) 80 (0.1%) 86 (0.1%) 76 (0.1%) 98 (0.1%) 71 (0.1%) 63 (>0.1%)
Hispanic (of any race) 12,376 (17.2%) 12,722 (17.7%) 13,015 (18.2%) 13,181 (18.5%) 13,609 (19.2%) 13,810 (20.0%) 14,142 (20.5%) 14,080 (21.2%) 14,551 (21.0%)
Total Massachusetts 71,788 (100%) 71,908 (100%) 71,492 (100%) 71,317 (100%) 70,702 (100%) 69,109 (100%) 69,117 (100%) 66,428 (100%) 69,137 (100%)
  • Since 2016, data for births of White Hispanic origin are not collected, but included in one Hispanic group; persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.

Languages

The most common form of American English spoken in Massachusetts, other than General American English, are the New England accent and the Boston accent.

Top 10 Non-English Languages Spoken in Massachusetts
LanguagePercentage of population
(as of 2010)[25]
Spanish7.50%
Portuguese2.97%
Chinese (including Cantonese and Mandarin)1.59%
French1.11%
French Creole0.89%
Italian0.72%
Russian0.62%
Vietnamese0.58%
Greek0.41%
Arabic and Cambodian (including Mon-Khmer) (tied)0.37%

As of 2010, 78.93% (4,823,127) of Massachusetts residents age 5 and older spoke English at home as a primary language, while 7.50% (458,256) spoke Spanish, 2.97% (181,437) Portuguese, 1.59% (96,690) Chinese (which includes Cantonese and Mandarin), 1.11% (67,788) French, 0.89% (54,456) French Creole, 0.72% (43,798) Italian, 0.62% (37,865) Russian, and Vietnamese was spoken as a main language by 0.58% (35,283) of the population over the age of five. In total, 21.07% (1,287,419) of Massachusetts's population age 5 and older spoke a mother language other than English.[25]

See also: Massachusett language

Religion

According to the Association of Religion Data Archives the largest single denominations are the Roman Catholic Church with 3,092,296; the United Church of Christ with 121,826; and the Episcopal Church with 98,963 adherents. Jewish congregations had about 275,000 members.[26] In 2020, the Public Religion Research Institute determined 67% of the population of Massachusetts were Christian, and 23% of the population identified as irreligious.[27]

Old Ship Church, Hingham, Massachusetts, built 1681, oldest church in America in continuous ecclesiastical use

As of 2020, the religious affiliations of the people of Massachusetts, according to Pew Research Center were:[28]

Religion or Denomination  % of Population
Catholic 34
Atheist & Agnostics 12
Baptist 5
Christian (no denomination specified) 3
Methodist 2
Lutheran 2
Presbyterian 2
Nothing in Particular 20
Pentecostal 3
Episcopal 3
Jewish 3
Muslim 1
Church of Christ 1
Congregational/United Church of Christ 3.5
Buddhist 1
Other 3

Migration
Massachusetts population pyramid

The latest (2009) estimated Census population figures show that Massachusetts has grown by over 3 percent, to 6,593,587 since 2000.[2] This slow growth is likely attributable to the fact that Massachusetts continues to attract top scholars and researchers from across the United States as well as large numbers of immigrants, combined with steady emigration away from the state towards New Hampshire and southern and western regions of the U.S. because of high housing costs, weather, and traffic.

Recent census data shows that the number of immigrants living in Massachusetts has increased over 5% from 2000–2005. The biggest influxes are Latin Americans. According to the census, the population of Central Americans rose by 67.7 percent between 2000 and 2005, and the number of South Americans rose by 107.5 percent. And among South Americans, the largest group to increase appeared to be Brazilians, whose numbers rose by 131.4 percent, to 84,836. This surge of immigrants tends to offset emigration, and, of course, given the 350,000 increase in population in the Commonwealth between 1990 and 2000, many immigrants to Massachusetts come from elsewhere in the USA.

Following the shift to a high-tech economy and the numerous factory closures, few jobs remain for low skilled male workers, who are dropping out of the workforce in large numbers. The percentage of men in the labor force fell from 77.7% in 1989 to 72.8% in 2005. This national trend is most pronounced in Massachusetts. In the case of men without high school diplomas, 10% have left the labor force between 1990 and 2000.[29]

Homelessness
This section is an excerpt from Homelessness in the United States by state § Massachusetts.[edit]

In 1969, the Pine Street Inn was founded by Paul Sullivan on Pine Street in Boston's Chinatown district and began caring for homeless destitute alcoholics.[30][31] In 1974, Kip Tiernan founded Rosie's Place in Boston, the first drop-in and emergency shelter for women in the United States, in response to the increasing numbers of needy women throughout the country.

In 1980, the Pine Street Inn had to move to larger facilities on Harrison Avenue in Boston[30][31] and in 1984, Saint Francis House had to move its operation from the St. Anthony Shrine on Arch Street to an entire ten-floor building on Boylston Street.[32]

In 1985, the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program was founded to assist the growing numbers of homeless living on the streets and in shelters in Boston and who were suffering from lack of effective medical services.[33][34]

In August 2007, in Boston, Massachusetts, the city took action to keep loiterers, including the homeless, off the Boston Common overnight after a series of violent crimes and drug arrests.[35]

In December 2007, Mayor Thomas M. Menino of Boston announced that the one-night homeless count had revealed that the actual number of homeless living on the streets was down.[36]

In October 2008, Connie Paige of The Boston Globe reported that the number of homeless in Massachusetts had reached an all-time high, primarily due to mortgage foreclosures and the national economic crisis.[37]

In October 2009, as part of the city's Leading the Way initiative, Mayor Thomas Menino of Boston dedicated and opened the Weintraub Day Center, the first city-operated day center for chronically homeless persons. It is a multi-service center providing shelter, counseling, health care, housing assistance, and other support services. It is a 3,400-square-foot (320 m2) facility located in the Woods Mullen Shelter. It is also meant to reduce the strain on the city's hospital emergency rooms by providing services and identifying health problems before they escalate into emergencies. It was funded by $3 million in grants from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), the Massachusetts Medical Society, and Alliance Charitable Foundation,[38] and the United States Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).[39]

A homeless encampment adjacent to the Boston University Bridge in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

In 2010, there was a continued crackdown on panhandling in downtown Boston, especially the aggressive type. Summonses were being handed out with scheduled court appearances. The results were mixed, and in one upscale neighborhood, Beacon Hill, the resolve of the Beacon Hill Civic Association, which has received only one complaint about panhandlers, was to try to solve the bigger problem, not by criminal actions.[40]

Due to economic constraints in 2010, Governor Deval Patrick had to cut the Commonwealth of Massachusetts 2011 budget so dental care for the majority of adults, including most homeless people, covered by MassHealth (Medicaid) would no longer be provided except for cleaning and extractions, with no fillings, dentures, or restorative care.[41][42] This does not affect dental care for children. The measure took effect in July 2010 and affects an estimated 700,000 adults, including 130,000 seniors.[43]

In September 2010, it was reported that the Housing First Initiative had significantly reduced the chronic homeless single-person population in Boston, Massachusetts, although homeless families were still increasing. Some shelters were reducing the number of beds due to lowered numbers of homeless, and some emergency shelter facilities were closing, especially the emergency Boston Night Center.[44]

There is sometimes corruption and theft by the employees of a shelter, as evidenced by a 2011 investigative report by FOX 25 TV in Boston wherein several Boston public shelter employees were found stealing large amounts of food over some time from the shelter's kitchen for their private use and catering.[45][46]

In October 2017, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh announced the hire of a full-time outreach manager for the Boston Public Library (BPL), whose focus would be to work with staff to provide assessment, crisis intervention, and intensive case management services to homeless individuals who frequent the library. The position is currently based at BPL's Central Library in Copley Square and is funded through the City of Boston's Department of Neighborhood Development and the Boston Public Library, and managed in partnership with Pine Street Inn.[47]

The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic caused economic hardship for many residents, resulting in housing precarity and even homelessness for some.[48][49][50]

References
  1. "US Census Quickfacts, Population Estimates, July 1 2022". Census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 26, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  2. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for the United States, Regions, States, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2009". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on January 3, 2010. Retrieved December 23, 2009.
  3. "Historical Population Change Data (1910–2020)". Census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 29, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  4. Population and Population Centers by State: 2010 Archived February 22, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  5. Bureau, US Census. "American Community Survey (ACS)". The United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on December 5, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  6. "ACS DEMOGRAPHIC AND HOUSING ESTIMATES". data.census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  7. Massachusetts Births 2017 (Report). Massachusetts Department of Public Health. p. 15. Archived from the original on December 3, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  8. Massachusetts Deaths 2017 (Report). Massachusetts Department of Public Health. p. 16. Archived from the original on June 15, 2020. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  9. Massachusetts Deaths 2017 (Report). Massachusetts Department of Public Health. p. 19. Archived from the original on June 15, 2020. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  10. "PEOPLE REPORTING ANCESTRY 2015-2019 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 15, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  11. "ACS DEMOGRAPHIC AND HOUSING ESTIMATES 2012-2016 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  12. "Explore Census Data". Archived from the original on February 15, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  13. Associated Press. Wampanoag Tribe Receives Federal Recognition Archived September 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine WBZ-TV, Boston Massachusetts. Retrieved February 20, 2007.
  14. Weber, David. Mashpee Wampanoag Indians receive federal recognition The Boston Globe February 15, 2007. Retrieved February 20, 2007.
  15. "Massachusetts QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau". census.gov. July 1, 2019. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  16. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr64/nvsr64_01.pdf Archived September 11, 2017, at the Wayback Machine
  17. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr64/nvsr64_12.pdf Archived February 14, 2017, at the Wayback Machine
  18. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr66/nvsr66_01.pdf Archived August 31, 2017, at the Wayback Machine
  19. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr67/nvsr67_01.pdf Archived June 3, 2018, at the Wayback Machine
  20. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr67/nvsr67_08-508.pdf Archived February 1, 2019, at the Wayback Machine
  21. "Data" (PDF). www.cdc.gov. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 28, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  22. "Data" (PDF). www.cdc.gov. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 23, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  23. "Data" (PDF). www.cdc.gov. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 10, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  24. "Data" (PDF). www.cdc.gov. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 1, 2023. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  25. "Massachusetts". Modern Language Association. Archived from the original on December 1, 2007. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  26. "Association of Religion Data Archives". Archived from the original on March 6, 2011. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  27. "PRRI – American Values Atlas". ava.prri.org. Archived from the original on February 11, 2022. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
  28. "Pew research center Massachusetts". Archived from the original on July 20, 2022. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  29. Article The Boston Globe December 10, 2006, "Bay State's labor force diminishing"
  30. "Pine Street Inn History", Pine Street Inn website
  31. "On The Pine Street Inn". Communityroom.net. Archived from the original on March 31, 2004. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  32. Saint Francis House: History Archived July 19, 2011, at the Wayback Machine – website
  33. "History: Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program" Archived August 22, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, bhchp.org
  34. O'Connell, James, M.D., Stories from the Shadows, August 2015, ISBN 9780692412343
  35. St. Martin, Greg, "Night watch: Police removing overnight loiterers on Common", Boston Metro newspaper, Wednesday, August 29, 2007. Archived December 26, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  36. Loh, Christopher, "City experts predict drop in homeless numbers", Boston Now newspaper, December 20, 2007.
  37. Paige, Connie, Homelessness hits record high: Advocates expect numbers to grow amid economic downturn and ask for state aid, The Boston Globe, October 6, 2008
  38. "Massachusetts Medical Society and Alliance Charitable Foundation website". Massmed.org. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  39. Mayor's Office, City of Boston, "Mayor Menino Dedicates New Day Center for the Homeless", Press Release, October 14, 2009.
  40. Sennott, Adam, "Panhandling on Beacon Hill: The Lowdown on a Reported Crackdown" Archived July 24, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Spare Change News, Boston, June 4, 2010
  41. Cunningham, Liam, "Cuts Extract Mass Health Dental Benefits From Budget" Archived August 24, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, Spare Change News, July 16, 2010 issue.
  42. Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Healthcare: Governor's FY2011 Budget". "The MassHealth adult dental benefit is restructured to cover preventative and emergency services only, excluding restorative dental services."
  43. Banda, Deborah, "AARP Alert: Seniors' Prescriptions; MassHealth Dental Benefits at Risk" Archived July 26, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, AARP, May 26, 2010.
  44. Brady-Myerov, Monica, "Homelessness On The Decline In Boston", WBUR Radio, Boston, September 29, 2010
  45. Beaudet, Mike, "FOX Undercover: Employees implicated in thefts from local homeless" Archived March 3, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, FOX 25 TV, Boston, Tuesday, February 22, 2011
  46. Smith, Stephen, "Shelter kitchen theft prevalent, report says", The Boston Globe, February 23, 2011
  47. City of Boston, "CITY HIRES NEW OUTREACH MANAGER AT BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY", Boston Public Library, Boston, October 6, 2017
  48. Lisa Gresci (October 20, 2020), "'Panic Mode': Eviction Crisis Begins In Chelsea, City Hit Hard By Coronavirus", Cbslocal.com
  49. Martha Bebinger (October 20, 2020), "Cambridge Opens Public Showers As Housing Instability Grows", Wbur.org
  50. Lynn Jolicoeur (October 16, 2020), "'We're Not Going Back To Crowded Shelters': The Scramble For Space To Shelter Homeless In Pandemic Winter", Wbur.org
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Demographics of Massachusetts.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.