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

Cities in Massachusetts by foreign-born share of the population

Everett, MA had the highest foreign-born share of the population of 54 cities in 2023, at 45.5%. Palmer Town, MA had the lowest, at 2.1%. The median was 16.6% and the figure for Massachusetts was 17.7%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest45.5Everett, MA
Lowest2.1Palmer Town, MA
Median16.654 cities
Massachusetts17.7History

All cities, 2023

Everett, MA: 45.5 %Everett, MA45.5Chelsea, MA: 45.3 %Chelsea, MA45.3Lawrence, MA: 43.7 %Lawrence, MA43.7Revere, MA: 43.5 %Revere, MA43.5Malden, MA: 40.8 %Malden, MA40.8Randolph Town, MA: 36.1 %Randolph Town, MA36.1Lynn, MA: 35.7 %Lynn, MA35.7Brockton, MA: 32.9 %Brockton, MA32.9Quincy, MA: 32.7 %Quincy, MA32.7Framingham, MA: 31.5 %Framingham, MA31.5Lowell, MA: 29.5 %Lowell, MA29.5Marlborough, MA: 29.4 %Marlborough, MA29.4Cambridge, MA: 28.8 %Cambridge, MA28.8Boston, MA: 27.5 %Boston, MA27.5Waltham, MA: 26.6 %Waltham, MA26.6Somerville, MA: 24.8 %Somerville, MA24.8Medford, MA: 24.2 %Medford, MA24.2Newton, MA: 23.5 %Newton, MA23.5Worcester, MA: 23.2 %Worcester, MA23.2Fall River, MA: 21.8 %Fall River, MA21.8New Bedford, MA: 20.7 %New Bedford, MA20.7Woburn, MA: 20.2 %Woburn, MA20.2Winthrop Town, MA: 19.5 %Winthrop Town, MA19.5Braintree Town, MA: 19.4 %Braintree Town, MA19.4West Springfield Town, MA: 18.1 %West Springfield Town, MA18.1Barnstable Town, MA: 17.2 %Barnstable Town, MA17.2Peabody, MA: 17.2 %Peabody, MA17.2Melrose, MA: 16 %Melrose, MA16Amherst Town, MA: 15.8 %Amherst Town, MA15.8Salem, MA: 15.5 %Salem, MA15.5Leominster, MA: 15.3 %Leominster, MA15.3Taunton, MA: 14.1 %Taunton, MA14.1Weymouth Town, MA: 13.7 %Weymouth Town, MA13.7Haverhill, MA: 13.4 %Haverhill, MA13.4Attleboro, MA: 12.6 %Attleboro, MA12.6Fitchburg, MA: 10.4 %Fitchburg, MA10.4Springfield, MA: 10.2 %Springfield, MA10.2Franklin Town, MA: 10 %Franklin Town, MA10Westfield, MA: 10 %Westfield, MA10Chicopee, MA: 9.7 %Chicopee, MA9.7Gloucester, MA: 9.7 %Gloucester, MA9.7Beverly, MA: 9.7 %Beverly, MA9.7Agawam Town, MA: 8.6 %Agawam Town, MA8.6North Attleborough Town, MA: 8.5 %North Attleborough Town, MA8.5Northampton, MA: 8.2 %Northampton, MA8.2Bridgewater Town, MA: 8.1 %Bridgewater Town, MA8.1Gardner, MA: 8 %Gardner, MA8Pittsfield, MA: 6.8 %Pittsfield, MA6.8Holyoke, MA: 6.4 %Holyoke, MA6.4Newburyport, MA: 6.3 %Newburyport, MA6.3Greenfield, MA: 5.9 %Greenfield, MA5.9North Adams, MA: 5.4 %North Adams, MA5.4Southbridge Town, MA: 4 %Southbridge Town, MA4Palmer Town, MA: 2.1 %Palmer Town, MA2.1Everett, MA: 45.5 %Everett, MA45.5Chelsea, MA: 45.3 %Chelsea, MA45.3Lawrence, MA: 43.7 %Lawrence, MA43.7Revere, MA: 43.5 %Revere, MA43.5Malden, MA: 40.8 %Malden, MA40.8Randolph Town, MA: 36.1 %Randolph Town, MA36.1Lynn, MA: 35.7 %Lynn, MA35.7Brockton, MA: 32.9 %Brockton, MA32.9Quincy, MA: 32.7 %Quincy, MA32.7Framingham, MA: 31.5 %Framingham, MA31.5Lowell, MA: 29.5 %Lowell, MA29.5Marlborough, MA: 29.4 %Marlborough, MA29.4Cambridge, MA: 28.8 %Cambridge, MA28.8Boston, MA: 27.5 %Boston, MA27.5Waltham, MA: 26.6 %Waltham, MA26.6Somerville, MA: 24.8 %Somerville, MA24.8Medford, MA: 24.2 %Medford, MA24.2Newton, MA: 23.5 %Newton, MA23.5Worcester, MA: 23.2 %Worcester, MA23.2Fall River, MA: 21.8 %Fall River, MA21.8New Bedford, MA: 20.7 %New Bedford, MA20.7Woburn, MA: 20.2 %Woburn, MA20.2Winthrop Town, MA: 19.5 %Winthrop Town, MA19.5Braintree Town, MA: 19.4 %Braintree Town, MA19.4West Springfield Town, MA: 18.1 %West Springfield Town, MA18.1Barnstable Town, MA: 17.2 %Barnstable Town, MA17.2Peabody, MA: 17.2 %Peabody, MA17.2Melrose, MA: 16 %Melrose, MA16Amherst Town, MA: 15.8 %Amherst Town, MA15.8Salem, MA: 15.5 %Salem, MA15.5Leominster, MA: 15.3 %Leominster, MA15.3Taunton, MA: 14.1 %Taunton, MA14.1Weymouth Town, MA: 13.7 %Weymouth Town, MA13.7Haverhill, MA: 13.4 %Haverhill, MA13.4Attleboro, MA: 12.6 %Attleboro, MA12.6Fitchburg, MA: 10.4 %Fitchburg, MA10.4Springfield, MA: 10.2 %Springfield, MA10.2Franklin Town, MA: 10 %Franklin Town, MA10Westfield, MA: 10 %Westfield, MA10Chicopee, MA: 9.7 %Chicopee, MA9.7Gloucester, MA: 9.7 %Gloucester, MA9.7Beverly, MA: 9.7 %Beverly, MA9.7Agawam Town, MA: 8.6 %Agawam Town, MA8.6North Attleborough Town, MA: 8.5 %North Attleborough Town, MA8.5Northampton, MA: 8.2 %Northampton, MA8.2Bridgewater Town, MA: 8.1 %Bridgewater Town, MA8.1Gardner, MA: 8 %Gardner, MA8Pittsfield, MA: 6.8 %Pittsfield, MA6.8Holyoke, MA: 6.4 %Holyoke, MA6.4Newburyport, MA: 6.3 %Newburyport, MA6.3Greenfield, MA: 5.9 %Greenfield, MA5.9North Adams, MA: 5.4 %North Adams, MA5.4Southbridge Town, MA: 4 %Southbridge Town, MA4Palmer Town, MA: 2.1 %Palmer Town, MA2.1
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2023 (%)Change on 2022
1Everett, MA45.5+0.5 pts
2Chelsea, MA45.3-1.8 pts
3Lawrence, MA43.7+0.7 pts
4Revere, MA43.5-0.4 pts
5Malden, MA40.8-0.4 pts
6Randolph Town, MA36.1+0.1 pts
7Lynn, MA35.7-0.4 pts
8Brockton, MA32.9+0.6 pts
9Quincy, MA32.7-0.3 pts
10Framingham, MA31.5+0.7 pts
11Lowell, MA29.5+0.8 pts
12Marlborough, MA29.4+0.3 pts
13Cambridge, MA28.8-0.7 pts
14Boston, MA27.5-0.5 pts
15Waltham, MA26.6+1.1 pts
16Somerville, MA24.8+1.1 pts
17Medford, MA24.2+0.5 pts
18Newton, MA23.5+1.5 pts
19Worcester, MA23.2-0.2 pts
20Fall River, MA21.8-0.3 pts
21New Bedford, MA20.7+0.6 pts
22Woburn, MA20.20 pts
23Winthrop Town, MA19.5+0.8 pts
24Braintree Town, MA19.4+0.1 pts
25West Springfield Town, MA18.1+0.1 pts
26Barnstable Town, MA17.2-1 pts
27Peabody, MA17.2+0.9 pts
28Melrose, MA16+0.5 pts
29Amherst Town, MA15.8-0.7 pts
30Salem, MA15.5+0.7 pts
31Leominster, MA15.3+0.7 pts
32Taunton, MA14.1-0.7 pts
33Weymouth Town, MA13.7-0.7 pts
34Haverhill, MA13.4+1.4 pts
35Attleboro, MA12.6+2 pts
36Fitchburg, MA10.4+0.2 pts
37Springfield, MA10.2-0.1 pts
38Franklin Town, MA10+1.2 pts
39Westfield, MA10-1.1 pts
40Chicopee, MA9.7+0.7 pts
41Gloucester, MA9.7+0.2 pts
42Beverly, MA9.7-0.2 pts
43Agawam Town, MA8.6+0.7 pts
44North Attleborough Town, MA8.5+0.7 pts
45Northampton, MA8.2-1 pts
46Bridgewater Town, MA8.1+1.7 pts
47Gardner, MA8-0.6 pts
48Pittsfield, MA6.8-0 pts
49Holyoke, MA6.4+0.9 pts
50Newburyport, MA6.3-1.3 pts
51Greenfield, MA5.9+0.7 pts
52North Adams, MA5.4-0.4 pts
53Southbridge Town, MA4-0.3 pts
54Palmer Town, MA2.1-1.4 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 2023 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/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-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, 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-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, 2023. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b05002.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/foreign-born-population/massachusetts-cities?period=2023. 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, 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b05002.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/foreign-born-population/massachusetts-cities?period=2023.

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, 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b05002.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/foreign-born-population/massachusetts-cities?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_massachusetts_by_2023,
  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, 2023}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b05002.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/foreign-born-population/massachusetts-cities?period=2023. 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/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-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, 2023
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b05002.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/foreign-born-population/massachusetts-cities?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/foreign-born-population/massachusetts-cities?period=2023.
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/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-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?

Everett, MA, with 45.5% in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Palmer Town, MA, with 2.1% in 2023.

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 2023 and are not ranked.

Foreign-born population share: other rankings

Cities in Massachusetts: more rankings