Data / Rankings / Households / Cities in Massachusetts

Cities in Massachusetts by households

Boston, MA had the highest households of 54 cities in 2023, at 279,216. Palmer Town, MA had the lowest, at 5,546. The median was 17,996 and the figure for Massachusetts was 2.76 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest279,216Boston, MA
Lowest5,546Palmer Town, MA
Median17,99654 cities
Massachusetts2,762,070History

All cities, 2023

Boston, MA: 279,216 countBoston, MA279,216Worcester, MA: 79,089 countWorcester, MA79,089Springfield, MA: 58,046 countSpringfield, MA58,046Cambridge, MA: 49,592 countCambridge, MA49,592Quincy, MA: 45,571 countQuincy, MA45,571Lowell, MA: 42,383 countLowell, MA42,383New Bedford, MA: 42,233 countNew Bedford, MA42,233Fall River, MA: 41,787 countFall River, MA41,787Lynn, MA: 36,328 countLynn, MA36,328Brockton, MA: 35,610 countBrockton, MA35,610Somerville, MA: 35,427 countSomerville, MA35,427Newton, MA: 31,730 countNewton, MA31,730Lawrence, MA: 31,009 countLawrence, MA31,009Framingham, MA: 27,451 countFramingham, MA27,451Malden, MA: 26,319 countMalden, MA26,319Haverhill, MA: 26,300 countHaverhill, MA26,300Waltham, MA: 25,721 countWaltham, MA25,721Weymouth Town, MA: 25,299 countWeymouth Town, MA25,299Medford, MA: 24,572 countMedford, MA24,572Chicopee, MA: 24,192 countChicopee, MA24,192Taunton, MA: 23,871 countTaunton, MA23,871Peabody, MA: 22,469 countPeabody, MA22,469Revere, MA: 21,512 countRevere, MA21,512Barnstable Town, MA: 20,614 countBarnstable Town, MA20,614Salem, MA: 19,789 countSalem, MA19,789Pittsfield, MA: 19,566 countPittsfield, MA19,566Leominster, MA: 18,210 countLeominster, MA18,210Attleboro, MA: 17,781 countAttleboro, MA17,781Everett, MA: 17,262 countEverett, MA17,262Beverly, MA: 16,915 countBeverly, MA16,915Fitchburg, MA: 16,880 countFitchburg, MA16,880Marlborough, MA: 16,649 countMarlborough, MA16,649Woburn, MA: 16,360 countWoburn, MA16,360Westfield, MA: 15,673 countWestfield, MA15,673Holyoke, MA: 15,524 countHolyoke, MA15,524Braintree Town, MA: 14,339 countBraintree Town, MA14,339Chelsea, MA: 13,538 countChelsea, MA13,538Gloucester, MA: 13,180 countGloucester, MA13,180North Attleborough Town, MA: 12,855 countNorth Attleborough Town, MA12,855Randolph Town, MA: 12,632 countRandolph Town, MA12,632West Springfield Town, MA: 12,598 countWest Springfield Town, MA12,598Northampton, MA: 12,524 countNorthampton, MA12,524Melrose, MA: 12,368 countMelrose, MA12,368Franklin Town, MA: 12,339 countFranklin Town, MA12,339Agawam Town, MA: 11,792 countAgawam Town, MA11,792Bridgewater Town, MA: 9,358 countBridgewater Town, MA9,358Amherst Town, MA: 9,039 countAmherst Town, MA9,039Gardner, MA: 8,908 countGardner, MA8,908Greenfield, MA: 8,206 countGreenfield, MA8,206Winthrop Town, MA: 7,918 countWinthrop Town, MA7,918Newburyport, MA: 7,792 countNewburyport, MA7,792Southbridge Town, MA: 7,256 countSouthbridge Town, MA7,256North Adams, MA: 5,763 countNorth Adams, MA5,763Palmer Town, MA: 5,546 countPalmer Town, MA5,546Boston, MA: 279,216 countBoston, MA279,216Worcester, MA: 79,089 countWorcester, MA79,089Springfield, MA: 58,046 countSpringfield, MA58,046Cambridge, MA: 49,592 countCambridge, MA49,592Quincy, MA: 45,571 countQuincy, MA45,571Lowell, MA: 42,383 countLowell, MA42,383New Bedford, MA: 42,233 countNew Bedford, MA42,233Fall River, MA: 41,787 countFall River, MA41,787Lynn, MA: 36,328 countLynn, MA36,328Brockton, MA: 35,610 countBrockton, MA35,610Somerville, MA: 35,427 countSomerville, MA35,427Newton, MA: 31,730 countNewton, MA31,730Lawrence, MA: 31,009 countLawrence, MA31,009Framingham, MA: 27,451 countFramingham, MA27,451Malden, MA: 26,319 countMalden, MA26,319Haverhill, MA: 26,300 countHaverhill, MA26,300Waltham, MA: 25,721 countWaltham, MA25,721Weymouth Town, MA: 25,299 countWeymouth Town, MA25,299Medford, MA: 24,572 countMedford, MA24,572Chicopee, MA: 24,192 countChicopee, MA24,192Taunton, MA: 23,871 countTaunton, MA23,871Peabody, MA: 22,469 countPeabody, MA22,469Revere, MA: 21,512 countRevere, MA21,512Barnstable Town, MA: 20,614 countBarnstable Town, MA20,614Salem, MA: 19,789 countSalem, MA19,789Pittsfield, MA: 19,566 countPittsfield, MA19,566Leominster, MA: 18,210 countLeominster, MA18,210Attleboro, MA: 17,781 countAttleboro, MA17,781Everett, MA: 17,262 countEverett, MA17,262Beverly, MA: 16,915 countBeverly, MA16,915Fitchburg, MA: 16,880 countFitchburg, MA16,880Marlborough, MA: 16,649 countMarlborough, MA16,649Woburn, MA: 16,360 countWoburn, MA16,360Westfield, MA: 15,673 countWestfield, MA15,673Holyoke, MA: 15,524 countHolyoke, MA15,524Braintree Town, MA: 14,339 countBraintree Town, MA14,339Chelsea, MA: 13,538 countChelsea, MA13,538Gloucester, MA: 13,180 countGloucester, MA13,180North Attleborough Town, MA: 12,855 countNorth Attleborough Town, MA12,855Randolph Town, MA: 12,632 countRandolph Town, MA12,632West Springfield Town, MA: 12,598 countWest Springfield Town, MA12,598Northampton, MA: 12,524 countNorthampton, MA12,524Melrose, MA: 12,368 countMelrose, MA12,368Franklin Town, MA: 12,339 countFranklin Town, MA12,339Agawam Town, MA: 11,792 countAgawam Town, MA11,792Bridgewater Town, MA: 9,358 countBridgewater Town, MA9,358Amherst Town, MA: 9,039 countAmherst Town, MA9,039Gardner, MA: 8,908 countGardner, MA8,908Greenfield, MA: 8,206 countGreenfield, MA8,206Winthrop Town, MA: 7,918 countWinthrop Town, MA7,918Newburyport, MA: 7,792 countNewburyport, MA7,792Southbridge Town, MA: 7,256 countSouthbridge Town, MA7,256North Adams, MA: 5,763 countNorth Adams, MA5,763Palmer Town, MA: 5,546 countPalmer Town, MA5,546
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

RankCities2023
count		Change on 2022
1Boston, MA279,216+1.1%
2Worcester, MA79,089+0.1%
3Springfield, MA58,046-0.7%
4Cambridge, MA49,592+0.2%
5Quincy, MA45,571+1.4%
6Lowell, MA42,383+0.1%
7New Bedford, MA42,233+1.2%
8Fall River, MA41,787+1.6%
9Lynn, MA36,328+1.1%
10Brockton, MA35,610+0.3%
11Somerville, MA35,427+1.1%
12Newton, MA31,730-0%
13Lawrence, MA31,009+2.2%
14Framingham, MA27,451-1.3%
15Malden, MA26,319+2%
16Haverhill, MA26,300+1.2%
17Waltham, MA25,721-1.5%
18Weymouth Town, MA25,299+2.4%
19Medford, MA24,572-3.1%
20Chicopee, MA24,192+1.9%
21Taunton, MA23,871+0.2%
22Peabody, MA22,469-0.9%
23Revere, MA21,512-0.1%
24Barnstable Town, MA20,614+5.3%
25Salem, MA19,789-0.5%
26Pittsfield, MA19,566+1.7%
27Leominster, MA18,210-1.4%
28Attleboro, MA17,781-1.3%
29Everett, MA17,262+1.2%
30Beverly, MA16,9150%
31Fitchburg, MA16,880+1.4%
32Marlborough, MA16,649+0.8%
33Woburn, MA16,360+1.5%
34Westfield, MA15,673+1.5%
35Holyoke, MA15,524+2.7%
36Braintree Town, MA14,339-0.5%
37Chelsea, MA13,538+1.1%
38Gloucester, MA13,180-0.6%
39North Attleborough Town, MA12,855+1.9%
40Randolph Town, MA12,632+1.5%
41West Springfield Town, MA12,598-0.7%
42Northampton, MA12,524+1.4%
43Melrose, MA12,368+2.7%
44Franklin Town, MA12,339+1.7%
45Agawam Town, MA11,792+1.9%
46Bridgewater Town, MA9,358+1.8%
47Amherst Town, MA9,039+11.4%
48Gardner, MA8,908+0.4%
49Greenfield, MA8,206+0.7%
50Winthrop Town, MA7,918-4.9%
51Newburyport, MA7,792+2.6%
52Southbridge Town, MA7,256+3.2%
53North Adams, MA5,763-0.9%
54Palmer Town, MA5,546+2.7%

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 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 B25003: occupied housing units (households), 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-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, 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-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, 2023. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b25003.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/households/massachusetts-cities?period=2023. 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, 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b25003.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/households/massachusetts-cities?period=2023.

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, 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b25003.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/households/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 B25003: occupied housing units (households), US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in Massachusetts by households, 2023}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b25003.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/households/massachusetts-cities?period=2023. 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/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-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, 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-b25003.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/households/massachusetts-cities?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/households/massachusetts-cities?period=2023.
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/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b25003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which city has the highest households?

Boston, MA, with 279,216 in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which city has the lowest households?

Palmer Town, MA, with 5,546 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 B25003: occupied housing units (households), US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Retrieved 2026-10-12. 4 cities have no value for 2023 and are not ranked.

Households: other rankings

Cities in Massachusetts: more rankings