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

Cities in Massachusetts by foreign-born share of the population

Chelsea, MA had the highest foreign-born share of the population of 54 cities in 2022, at 47%. Palmer Town, MA had the lowest, at 3.5%. The median was 16.4% and the figure for Massachusetts was 17.6%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest47Chelsea, MA
Lowest3.5Palmer Town, MA
Median16.454 cities
Massachusetts17.6History

All cities, 2022

Chelsea, MA: 47 %Chelsea, MA47Everett, MA: 45 %Everett, MA45Revere, MA: 43.9 %Revere, MA43.9Lawrence, MA: 43 %Lawrence, MA43Malden, MA: 41.2 %Malden, MA41.2Lynn, MA: 36.1 %Lynn, MA36.1Randolph Town, MA: 36 %Randolph Town, MA36Quincy, MA: 33 %Quincy, MA33Brockton, MA: 32.3 %Brockton, MA32.3Framingham, MA: 30.8 %Framingham, MA30.8Cambridge, MA: 29.5 %Cambridge, MA29.5Marlborough, MA: 29.1 %Marlborough, MA29.1Lowell, MA: 28.7 %Lowell, MA28.7Boston, MA: 28.1 %Boston, MA28.1Waltham, MA: 25.6 %Waltham, MA25.6Somerville, MA: 23.7 %Somerville, MA23.7Medford, MA: 23.6 %Medford, MA23.6Worcester, MA: 23.3 %Worcester, MA23.3Fall River, MA: 22.1 %Fall River, MA22.1Newton, MA: 22 %Newton, MA22Woburn, MA: 20.2 %Woburn, MA20.2New Bedford, MA: 20.2 %New Bedford, MA20.2Braintree Town, MA: 19.4 %Braintree Town, MA19.4Winthrop Town, MA: 18.7 %Winthrop Town, MA18.7Barnstable Town, MA: 18.2 %Barnstable Town, MA18.2West Springfield Town, MA: 18.1 %West Springfield Town, MA18.1Amherst Town, MA: 16.5 %Amherst Town, MA16.5Peabody, MA: 16.3 %Peabody, MA16.3Melrose, MA: 15.4 %Melrose, MA15.4Taunton, MA: 14.8 %Taunton, MA14.8Salem, MA: 14.7 %Salem, MA14.7Leominster, MA: 14.7 %Leominster, MA14.7Weymouth Town, MA: 14.4 %Weymouth Town, MA14.4Haverhill, MA: 12 %Haverhill, MA12Westfield, MA: 11.1 %Westfield, MA11.1Attleboro, MA: 10.6 %Attleboro, MA10.6Springfield, MA: 10.3 %Springfield, MA10.3Fitchburg, MA: 10.2 %Fitchburg, MA10.2Beverly, MA: 9.9 %Beverly, MA9.9Gloucester, MA: 9.4 %Gloucester, MA9.4Northampton, MA: 9.2 %Northampton, MA9.2Chicopee, MA: 9 %Chicopee, MA9Franklin Town, MA: 8.8 %Franklin Town, MA8.8Gardner, MA: 8.6 %Gardner, MA8.6Agawam Town, MA: 7.9 %Agawam Town, MA7.9North Attleborough Town, MA: 7.9 %North Attleborough Town, MA7.9Newburyport, MA: 7.7 %Newburyport, MA7.7Pittsfield, MA: 6.8 %Pittsfield, MA6.8Bridgewater Town, MA: 6.4 %Bridgewater Town, MA6.4North Adams, MA: 5.8 %North Adams, MA5.8Holyoke, MA: 5.5 %Holyoke, MA5.5Greenfield, MA: 5.2 %Greenfield, MA5.2Southbridge Town, MA: 4.3 %Southbridge Town, MA4.3Palmer Town, MA: 3.5 %Palmer Town, MA3.5Chelsea, MA: 47 %Chelsea, MA47Everett, MA: 45 %Everett, MA45Revere, MA: 43.9 %Revere, MA43.9Lawrence, MA: 43 %Lawrence, MA43Malden, MA: 41.2 %Malden, MA41.2Lynn, MA: 36.1 %Lynn, MA36.1Randolph Town, MA: 36 %Randolph Town, MA36Quincy, MA: 33 %Quincy, MA33Brockton, MA: 32.3 %Brockton, MA32.3Framingham, MA: 30.8 %Framingham, MA30.8Cambridge, MA: 29.5 %Cambridge, MA29.5Marlborough, MA: 29.1 %Marlborough, MA29.1Lowell, MA: 28.7 %Lowell, MA28.7Boston, MA: 28.1 %Boston, MA28.1Waltham, MA: 25.6 %Waltham, MA25.6Somerville, MA: 23.7 %Somerville, MA23.7Medford, MA: 23.6 %Medford, MA23.6Worcester, MA: 23.3 %Worcester, MA23.3Fall River, MA: 22.1 %Fall River, MA22.1Newton, MA: 22 %Newton, MA22Woburn, MA: 20.2 %Woburn, MA20.2New Bedford, MA: 20.2 %New Bedford, MA20.2Braintree Town, MA: 19.4 %Braintree Town, MA19.4Winthrop Town, MA: 18.7 %Winthrop Town, MA18.7Barnstable Town, MA: 18.2 %Barnstable Town, MA18.2West Springfield Town, MA: 18.1 %West Springfield Town, MA18.1Amherst Town, MA: 16.5 %Amherst Town, MA16.5Peabody, MA: 16.3 %Peabody, MA16.3Melrose, MA: 15.4 %Melrose, MA15.4Taunton, MA: 14.8 %Taunton, MA14.8Salem, MA: 14.7 %Salem, MA14.7Leominster, MA: 14.7 %Leominster, MA14.7Weymouth Town, MA: 14.4 %Weymouth Town, MA14.4Haverhill, MA: 12 %Haverhill, MA12Westfield, MA: 11.1 %Westfield, MA11.1Attleboro, MA: 10.6 %Attleboro, MA10.6Springfield, MA: 10.3 %Springfield, MA10.3Fitchburg, MA: 10.2 %Fitchburg, MA10.2Beverly, MA: 9.9 %Beverly, MA9.9Gloucester, MA: 9.4 %Gloucester, MA9.4Northampton, MA: 9.2 %Northampton, MA9.2Chicopee, MA: 9 %Chicopee, MA9Franklin Town, MA: 8.8 %Franklin Town, MA8.8Gardner, MA: 8.6 %Gardner, MA8.6Agawam Town, MA: 7.9 %Agawam Town, MA7.9North Attleborough Town, MA: 7.9 %North Attleborough Town, MA7.9Newburyport, MA: 7.7 %Newburyport, MA7.7Pittsfield, MA: 6.8 %Pittsfield, MA6.8Bridgewater Town, MA: 6.4 %Bridgewater Town, MA6.4North Adams, MA: 5.8 %North Adams, MA5.8Holyoke, MA: 5.5 %Holyoke, MA5.5Greenfield, MA: 5.2 %Greenfield, MA5.2Southbridge Town, MA: 4.3 %Southbridge Town, MA4.3Palmer Town, MA: 3.5 %Palmer Town, MA3.5
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2022 (%)Change on 2021
1Chelsea, MA47-0.2 pts
2Everett, MA45+1.8 pts
3Revere, MA43.9+2.9 pts
4Lawrence, MA43+1.8 pts
5Malden, MA41.2-1.2 pts
6Lynn, MA36.1+0.7 pts
7Randolph Town, MA36-1 pts
8Quincy, MA33-0 pts
9Brockton, MA32.3+0.5 pts
10Framingham, MA30.8-0.2 pts
11Cambridge, MA29.5+0.3 pts
12Marlborough, MA29.1+2.4 pts
13Lowell, MA28.7+0.9 pts
14Boston, MA28.1-0.1 pts
15Waltham, MA25.6+0.7 pts
16Somerville, MA23.7-0.6 pts
17Medford, MA23.6+1.1 pts
18Worcester, MA23.3+1.4 pts
19Fall River, MA22.1-0.4 pts
20Newton, MA22+0.2 pts
21Woburn, MA20.2+1.5 pts
22New Bedford, MA20.2+0.2 pts
23Braintree Town, MA19.4+0.1 pts
24Winthrop Town, MA18.7+1.1 pts
25Barnstable Town, MA18.2+1 pts
26West Springfield Town, MA18.1+0.3 pts
27Amherst Town, MA16.5-0.2 pts
28Peabody, MA16.3+0.2 pts
29Melrose, MA15.4+1.9 pts
30Taunton, MA14.8+1.5 pts
31Salem, MA14.7+0.8 pts
32Leominster, MA14.7-1.1 pts
33Weymouth Town, MA14.4+0.6 pts
34Haverhill, MA12+0.2 pts
35Westfield, MA11.1+1.2 pts
36Attleboro, MA10.6+0.7 pts
37Springfield, MA10.3-0.2 pts
38Fitchburg, MA10.2+0.7 pts
39Beverly, MA9.9+0.5 pts
40Gloucester, MA9.4-0.2 pts
41Northampton, MA9.2+1.2 pts
42Chicopee, MA9+0.5 pts
43Franklin Town, MA8.8-0.4 pts
44Gardner, MA8.6+0.3 pts
45Agawam Town, MA7.9+0.2 pts
46North Attleborough Town, MA7.9-1.8 pts
47Newburyport, MA7.7+0.3 pts
48Pittsfield, MA6.8-0 pts
49Bridgewater Town, MA6.4+0.6 pts
50North Adams, MA5.8-0.5 pts
51Holyoke, MA5.5-0.2 pts
52Greenfield, MA5.2+0.8 pts
53Southbridge Town, MA4.3+0.1 pts
54Palmer Town, MA3.5-0.5 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

People born outside the country where they live, as a percentage of the total population.

More on how it is measured
  • 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. 4 cities with data in other periods have no value for 2022 and are left out rather than filled from another source. 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/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-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, 2022) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-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, 2022. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b05002.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/foreign-born-population/massachusetts-cities?period=2022. 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, 2022. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b05002.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/foreign-born-population/massachusetts-cities?period=2022.

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, 2022 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b05002.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/foreign-born-population/massachusetts-cities?period=2022 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_massachusetts_by_2022,
  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, 2022}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b05002.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/foreign-born-population/massachusetts-cities?period=2022. 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/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-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, 2022
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b05002.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/foreign-born-population/massachusetts-cities?period=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/foreign-born-population/massachusetts-cities?period=2022.
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/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b05002.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Rank Cities in Massachusetts by foreign-born share of the population using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

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

Chelsea, MA, with 47% in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Palmer Town, MA, with 3.5% in 2022.

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. 4 cities have no value for 2022 and are not ranked.

Foreign-born population share: other rankings

Cities in Massachusetts: more rankings