Data / Rankings / Foreign-born population share / Cities in Massachusetts

Cities in Massachusetts by foreign-born share of the population, 2024

Chelsea, MA had the highest foreign-born share of the population of 58 cities in 2024, at 46.1%. Palmer Town, MA had the lowest, at 1.2%. The median was 17% and the figure for Massachusetts was 18.1%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest46.1Chelsea, MA
Lowest1.2Palmer Town, MA
Median1758 cities
Massachusetts18.1History

All cities, 2024

Chelsea, MA: 46.1 %Chelsea, MA46.1Everett, MA: 45.9 %Everett, MA45.9Lawrence, MA: 44.6 %Lawrence, MA44.6Revere, MA: 44.2 %Revere, MA44.2Malden, MA: 41.2 %Malden, MA41.2Lynn, MA: 37.5 %Lynn, MA37.5Randolph Town, MA: 36 %Randolph Town, MA36Brockton, MA: 33.7 %Brockton, MA33.7Framingham, MA: 33.1 %Framingham, MA33.1Quincy, MA: 33 %Quincy, MA33Marlborough, MA: 30.8 %Marlborough, MA30.8Lowell, MA: 30.5 %Lowell, MA30.5Cambridge, MA: 29.7 %Cambridge, MA29.7Boston, MA: 27.8 %Boston, MA27.8Waltham, MA: 26.3 %Waltham, MA26.3Watertown, MA: 25.7 %Watertown, MA25.7Worcester, MA: 25.1 %Worcester, MA25.1Newton, MA: 24.3 %Newton, MA24.3Somerville, MA: 24 %Somerville, MA24Methuen, MA: 24 %Methuen, MA24Fall River, MA: 23.8 %Fall River, MA23.8Medford, MA: 23.3 %Medford, MA23.3New Bedford, MA: 20.4 %New Bedford, MA20.4Woburn, MA: 20.4 %Woburn, MA20.4Braintree Town, MA: 20 %Braintree Town, MA20Winthrop Town, MA: 19.3 %Winthrop Town, MA19.3West Springfield Town, MA: 18.5 %West Springfield Town, MA18.5Melrose, MA: 17.6 %Melrose, MA17.6Peabody, MA: 17.3 %Peabody, MA17.3Barnstable Town, MA: 16.7 %Barnstable Town, MA16.7Salem, MA: 16.3 %Salem, MA16.3Amherst Town, MA: 16.1 %Amherst Town, MA16.1Leominster, MA: 15.7 %Leominster, MA15.7Weymouth Town, MA: 14.4 %Weymouth Town, MA14.4Haverhill, MA: 13.7 %Haverhill, MA13.7Taunton, MA: 13.7 %Taunton, MA13.7Fitchburg, MA: 13 %Fitchburg, MA13Attleboro, MA: 11.4 %Attleboro, MA11.4Springfield, MA: 10.5 %Springfield, MA10.5Franklin Town, MA: 10.3 %Franklin Town, MA10.3Gloucester, MA: 10.2 %Gloucester, MA10.2Bridgewater Town, MA: 9.7 %Bridgewater Town, MA9.7North Attleborough Town, MA: 9.6 %North Attleborough Town, MA9.6Chicopee, MA: 9.5 %Chicopee, MA9.5Westfield, MA: 9.4 %Westfield, MA9.4Beverly, MA: 9.3 %Beverly, MA9.3Agawam Town, MA: 8.2 %Agawam Town, MA8.2Amesbury, MA: 7.9 %Amesbury, MA7.9Gardner, MA: 7.9 %Gardner, MA7.9Northampton, MA: 7.9 %Northampton, MA7.9Pittsfield, MA: 7.6 %Pittsfield, MA7.6Easthampton, MA: 6.9 %Easthampton, MA6.9Greenfield, MA: 6.5 %Greenfield, MA6.5Newburyport, MA: 6.5 %Newburyport, MA6.5Holyoke, MA: 6.2 %Holyoke, MA6.2North Adams, MA: 5.4 %North Adams, MA5.4Southbridge Town, MA: 5 %Southbridge Town, MA5Palmer Town, MA: 1.2 %Palmer Town, MA1.2
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2024 (%)Change on 2023
1Chelsea, MA46.1+0.8 pts
2Everett, MA45.9+0.4 pts
3Lawrence, MA44.6+0.9 pts
4Revere, MA44.2+0.6 pts
5Malden, MA41.2+0.5 pts
6Lynn, MA37.5+1.8 pts
7Randolph Town, MA36-0.1 pts
8Brockton, MA33.7+0.8 pts
9Framingham, MA33.1+1.6 pts
10Quincy, MA33+0.3 pts
11Marlborough, MA30.8+1.4 pts
12Lowell, MA30.5+1 pts
13Cambridge, MA29.7+0.9 pts
14Boston, MA27.8+0.3 pts
15Waltham, MA26.3-0.3 pts
16Watertown, MA25.7n/a
17Worcester, MA25.1+1.9 pts
18Newton, MA24.3+0.8 pts
19Somerville, MA24-0.8 pts
20Methuen, MA24n/a
21Fall River, MA23.8+2 pts
22Medford, MA23.3-0.9 pts
23New Bedford, MA20.4-0.3 pts
24Woburn, MA20.4+0.2 pts
25Braintree Town, MA20+0.5 pts
26Winthrop Town, MA19.3-0.1 pts
27West Springfield Town, MA18.5+0.3 pts
28Melrose, MA17.6+1.6 pts
29Peabody, MA17.3+0.1 pts
30Barnstable Town, MA16.7-0.5 pts
31Salem, MA16.3+0.8 pts
32Amherst Town, MA16.1+0.4 pts
33Leominster, MA15.7+0.4 pts
34Weymouth Town, MA14.4+0.7 pts
35Haverhill, MA13.7+0.3 pts
36Taunton, MA13.7-0.4 pts
37Fitchburg, MA13+2.6 pts
38Attleboro, MA11.4-1.2 pts
39Springfield, MA10.5+0.3 pts
40Franklin Town, MA10.3+0.3 pts
41Gloucester, MA10.2+0.5 pts
42Bridgewater Town, MA9.7+1.6 pts
43North Attleborough Town, MA9.6+1.1 pts
44Chicopee, MA9.5-0.2 pts
45Westfield, MA9.4-0.7 pts
46Beverly, MA9.3-0.4 pts
47Agawam Town, MA8.2-0.4 pts
48Amesbury, MA7.9n/a
49Gardner, MA7.9-0.1 pts
50Northampton, MA7.9-0.3 pts
51Pittsfield, MA7.6+0.7 pts
52Easthampton, MA6.9n/a
53Greenfield, MA6.5+0.6 pts
53Newburyport, MA6.5+0.2 pts
55Holyoke, MA6.2-0.1 pts
56North Adams, MA5.4-0 pts
57Southbridge Town, MA5+1 pts
58Palmer Town, MA1.2-0.9 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

People born outside the country where they live, as a percentage of the total population. United States: people who were not US citizens at birth, including naturalized citizens, lawful permanent residents, temporary migrants and unauthorized immigrants; American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span. EU countries: residents on 1 January whose country of birth is not the reporting country (Eurostat). England and Wales: usual residents born outside the United Kingdom, Census 2021.

Based on place of birth, not nationality: a naturalized citizen counts as foreign born. In the United States people born in Puerto Rico, the US island areas or abroad to American parents count as native; in the EU everyone born outside the reporting country counts as foreign born, including people born in another EU country or abroad to national parents. Not comparable with foreign_population_share, which counts foreign nationals in Spain and the EU.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the cities are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B05002: foreign-born population as a percentage of the total population, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b05002.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2026). American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B05002: foreign-born population as a percentage of the total population, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more) (Cities in Massachusetts by foreign-born share of the population, 2024) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b05002.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B05002: foreign-born population as a percentage of the total population, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in Massachusetts by foreign-born share of the population, 2024. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b05002.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/foreign-born-population/massachusetts-cities. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B05002: foreign-born population as a percentage of the total population, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Cities in Massachusetts by foreign-born share of the population, 2024. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b05002.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/foreign-born-population/massachusetts-cities.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B05002: foreign-born population as a percentage of the total population, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in Massachusetts by foreign-born share of the population, 2024 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b05002.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/foreign-born-population/massachusetts-cities (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_massachusetts_by_2024,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B05002: foreign-born population as a percentage of the total population, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in Massachusetts by foreign-born share of the population, 2024}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b05002.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/foreign-born-population/massachusetts-cities. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B05002: foreign-born population as a percentage of the total population, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary\_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b05002.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B05002: foreign-born population as a percentage of the total population, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in Massachusetts by foreign-born share of the population, 2024
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b05002.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/foreign-born-population/massachusetts-cities
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/foreign-born-population/massachusetts-cities.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B05002: foreign-born population as a percentage of the total population, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b05002.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which city has the highest foreign-born share of the population?

Chelsea, MA, with 46.1% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which city has the lowest foreign-born share of the population?

Palmer Town, MA, with 1.2% in 2024.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B05002: foreign-born population as a percentage of the total population, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Foreign-born population share: other rankings

Cities in Massachusetts: more rankings