Data / Rankings / Households / Cities in Massachusetts

Cities in Massachusetts by households

Boston, MA had the highest households of 54 cities in 2021, at 271,950. Palmer Town, MA had the lowest, at 5,207. The median was 17,907 and the figure for Massachusetts was 2.71 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest271,950Boston, MA
Lowest5,207Palmer Town, MA
Median17,90754 cities
Massachusetts2,714,448History

All cities, 2021

Boston, MA: 271,950 countBoston, MA271,950Worcester, MA: 78,780 countWorcester, MA78,780Springfield, MA: 58,344 countSpringfield, MA58,344Cambridge, MA: 47,777 countCambridge, MA47,777Quincy, MA: 44,515 countQuincy, MA44,515Lowell, MA: 42,285 countLowell, MA42,285New Bedford, MA: 41,395 countNew Bedford, MA41,395Fall River, MA: 40,862 countFall River, MA40,862Lynn, MA: 36,280 countLynn, MA36,280Brockton, MA: 35,092 countBrockton, MA35,092Somerville, MA: 34,523 countSomerville, MA34,523Newton, MA: 31,038 countNewton, MA31,038Lawrence, MA: 30,291 countLawrence, MA30,291Framingham, MA: 27,968 countFramingham, MA27,968Haverhill, MA: 26,108 countHaverhill, MA26,108Malden, MA: 25,666 countMalden, MA25,666Waltham, MA: 24,943 countWaltham, MA24,943Medford, MA: 24,765 countMedford, MA24,765Weymouth Town, MA: 24,400 countWeymouth Town, MA24,400Chicopee, MA: 23,852 countChicopee, MA23,852Taunton, MA: 23,159 countTaunton, MA23,159Peabody, MA: 22,808 countPeabody, MA22,808Revere, MA: 21,647 countRevere, MA21,647Barnstable Town, MA: 19,748 countBarnstable Town, MA19,748Salem, MA: 19,745 countSalem, MA19,745Pittsfield, MA: 19,290 countPittsfield, MA19,290Attleboro, MA: 17,918 countAttleboro, MA17,918Leominster, MA: 17,896 countLeominster, MA17,896Marlborough, MA: 17,147 countMarlborough, MA17,147Everett, MA: 17,007 countEverett, MA17,007Beverly, MA: 16,717 countBeverly, MA16,717Fitchburg, MA: 16,398 countFitchburg, MA16,398Woburn, MA: 16,292 countWoburn, MA16,292Westfield, MA: 15,292 countWestfield, MA15,292Holyoke, MA: 15,062 countHolyoke, MA15,062Braintree Town, MA: 14,384 countBraintree Town, MA14,384Chelsea, MA: 13,353 countChelsea, MA13,353Gloucester, MA: 13,168 countGloucester, MA13,168West Springfield Town, MA: 12,734 countWest Springfield Town, MA12,734North Attleborough Town, MA: 12,273 countNorth Attleborough Town, MA12,273Randolph Town, MA: 12,150 countRandolph Town, MA12,150Franklin Town, MA: 12,118 countFranklin Town, MA12,118Melrose, MA: 11,996 countMelrose, MA11,996Northampton, MA: 11,949 countNorthampton, MA11,949Agawam Town, MA: 11,785 countAgawam Town, MA11,785Amherst Town, MA: 9,328 countAmherst Town, MA9,328Gardner, MA: 8,841 countGardner, MA8,841Bridgewater Town, MA: 8,690 countBridgewater Town, MA8,690Winthrop Town, MA: 8,242 countWinthrop Town, MA8,242Greenfield, MA: 8,100 countGreenfield, MA8,100Newburyport, MA: 7,537 countNewburyport, MA7,537Southbridge Town, MA: 7,094 countSouthbridge Town, MA7,094North Adams, MA: 5,540 countNorth Adams, MA5,540Palmer Town, MA: 5,207 countPalmer Town, MA5,207Boston, MA: 271,950 countBoston, MA271,950Worcester, MA: 78,780 countWorcester, MA78,780Springfield, MA: 58,344 countSpringfield, MA58,344Cambridge, MA: 47,777 countCambridge, MA47,777Quincy, MA: 44,515 countQuincy, MA44,515Lowell, MA: 42,285 countLowell, MA42,285New Bedford, MA: 41,395 countNew Bedford, MA41,395Fall River, MA: 40,862 countFall River, MA40,862Lynn, MA: 36,280 countLynn, MA36,280Brockton, MA: 35,092 countBrockton, MA35,092Somerville, MA: 34,523 countSomerville, MA34,523Newton, MA: 31,038 countNewton, MA31,038Lawrence, MA: 30,291 countLawrence, MA30,291Framingham, MA: 27,968 countFramingham, MA27,968Haverhill, MA: 26,108 countHaverhill, MA26,108Malden, MA: 25,666 countMalden, MA25,666Waltham, MA: 24,943 countWaltham, MA24,943Medford, MA: 24,765 countMedford, MA24,765Weymouth Town, MA: 24,400 countWeymouth Town, MA24,400Chicopee, MA: 23,852 countChicopee, MA23,852Taunton, MA: 23,159 countTaunton, MA23,159Peabody, MA: 22,808 countPeabody, MA22,808Revere, MA: 21,647 countRevere, MA21,647Barnstable Town, MA: 19,748 countBarnstable Town, MA19,748Salem, MA: 19,745 countSalem, MA19,745Pittsfield, MA: 19,290 countPittsfield, MA19,290Attleboro, MA: 17,918 countAttleboro, MA17,918Leominster, MA: 17,896 countLeominster, MA17,896Marlborough, MA: 17,147 countMarlborough, MA17,147Everett, MA: 17,007 countEverett, MA17,007Beverly, MA: 16,717 countBeverly, MA16,717Fitchburg, MA: 16,398 countFitchburg, MA16,398Woburn, MA: 16,292 countWoburn, MA16,292Westfield, MA: 15,292 countWestfield, MA15,292Holyoke, MA: 15,062 countHolyoke, MA15,062Braintree Town, MA: 14,384 countBraintree Town, MA14,384Chelsea, MA: 13,353 countChelsea, MA13,353Gloucester, MA: 13,168 countGloucester, MA13,168West Springfield Town, MA: 12,734 countWest Springfield Town, MA12,734North Attleborough Town, MA: 12,273 countNorth Attleborough Town, MA12,273Randolph Town, MA: 12,150 countRandolph Town, MA12,150Franklin Town, MA: 12,118 countFranklin Town, MA12,118Melrose, MA: 11,996 countMelrose, MA11,996Northampton, MA: 11,949 countNorthampton, MA11,949Agawam Town, MA: 11,785 countAgawam Town, MA11,785Amherst Town, MA: 9,328 countAmherst Town, MA9,328Gardner, MA: 8,841 countGardner, MA8,841Bridgewater Town, MA: 8,690 countBridgewater Town, MA8,690Winthrop Town, MA: 8,242 countWinthrop Town, MA8,242Greenfield, MA: 8,100 countGreenfield, MA8,100Newburyport, MA: 7,537 countNewburyport, MA7,537Southbridge Town, MA: 7,094 countSouthbridge Town, MA7,094North Adams, MA: 5,540 countNorth Adams, MA5,540Palmer Town, MA: 5,207 countPalmer Town, MA5,207
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25003: occupied housing units (households), US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2021
count
1Boston, MA271,950
2Worcester, MA78,780
3Springfield, MA58,344
4Cambridge, MA47,777
5Quincy, MA44,515
6Lowell, MA42,285
7New Bedford, MA41,395
8Fall River, MA40,862
9Lynn, MA36,280
10Brockton, MA35,092
11Somerville, MA34,523
12Newton, MA31,038
13Lawrence, MA30,291
14Framingham, MA27,968
15Haverhill, MA26,108
16Malden, MA25,666
17Waltham, MA24,943
18Medford, MA24,765
19Weymouth Town, MA24,400
20Chicopee, MA23,852
21Taunton, MA23,159
22Peabody, MA22,808
23Revere, MA21,647
24Barnstable Town, MA19,748
25Salem, MA19,745
26Pittsfield, MA19,290
27Attleboro, MA17,918
28Leominster, MA17,896
29Marlborough, MA17,147
30Everett, MA17,007
31Beverly, MA16,717
32Fitchburg, MA16,398
33Woburn, MA16,292
34Westfield, MA15,292
35Holyoke, MA15,062
36Braintree Town, MA14,384
37Chelsea, MA13,353
38Gloucester, MA13,168
39West Springfield Town, MA12,734
40North Attleborough Town, MA12,273
41Randolph Town, MA12,150
42Franklin Town, MA12,118
43Melrose, MA11,996
44Northampton, MA11,949
45Agawam Town, MA11,785
46Amherst Town, MA9,328
47Gardner, MA8,841
48Bridgewater Town, MA8,690
49Winthrop Town, MA8,242
50Greenfield, MA8,100
51Newburyport, MA7,537
52Southbridge Town, MA7,094
53North Adams, MA5,540
54Palmer Town, MA5,207

Other periods

About this ranking

Number of households, which equals the number of occupied housing units. United States: American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.

People living in group quarters, such as college dormitories, nursing homes and prisons, are not in households.

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 2021 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 B25003: occupied housing units (households), US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25003.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 B25003: occupied housing units (households), US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more) (Cities in Massachusetts by households, 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25003.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25003: occupied housing units (households), US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in Massachusetts by households, 2021. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25003.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/households/massachusetts-cities?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25003: occupied housing units (households), US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Cities in Massachusetts by households, 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25003.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/households/massachusetts-cities?period=2021.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25003: occupied housing units (households), US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in Massachusetts by households, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25003.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/households/massachusetts-cities?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_massachusetts_by_2021,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25003: occupied housing units (households), US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in Massachusetts by households, 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25003.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/households/massachusetts-cities?period=2021. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25003: occupied housing units (households), US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary\_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25003: occupied housing units (households), US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in Massachusetts by households, 2021
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25003.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/households/massachusetts-cities?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/households/massachusetts-cities?period=2021.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25003: occupied housing units (households), US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which city has the highest households?

Boston, MA, with 271,950 in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which city has the lowest households?

Palmer Town, MA, with 5,207 in 2021.

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 B25003: occupied housing units (households), US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Retrieved 2026-10-12. 4 cities have no value for 2021 and are not ranked.

Households: other rankings

Cities in Massachusetts: more rankings