Data / Rankings / Housing units / Cities in Massachusetts

Cities in Massachusetts by housing units

Boston, MA had the highest housing units of 54 cities in 2021, at 300,437. Palmer Town, MA had the lowest, at 5,500. The median was 19,099 and the figure for Massachusetts was 2.98 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest300,437Boston, MA
Lowest5,500Palmer Town, MA
Median19,09954 cities
Massachusetts2,979,634History

All cities, 2021

Boston, MA: 300,437 countBoston, MA300,437Worcester, MA: 85,218 countWorcester, MA85,218Springfield, MA: 63,179 countSpringfield, MA63,179Cambridge, MA: 51,966 countCambridge, MA51,966Quincy, MA: 46,788 countQuincy, MA46,788New Bedford, MA: 44,252 countNew Bedford, MA44,252Lowell, MA: 44,129 countLowell, MA44,129Fall River, MA: 44,125 countFall River, MA44,125Lynn, MA: 37,627 countLynn, MA37,627Brockton, MA: 36,882 countBrockton, MA36,882Somerville, MA: 36,685 countSomerville, MA36,685Newton, MA: 32,693 countNewton, MA32,693Lawrence, MA: 31,537 countLawrence, MA31,537Framingham, MA: 28,992 countFramingham, MA28,992Haverhill, MA: 27,177 countHaverhill, MA27,177Barnstable Town, MA: 27,084 countBarnstable Town, MA27,084Malden, MA: 27,075 countMalden, MA27,075Medford, MA: 26,253 countMedford, MA26,253Waltham, MA: 26,234 countWaltham, MA26,234Chicopee, MA: 25,405 countChicopee, MA25,405Weymouth Town, MA: 25,319 countWeymouth Town, MA25,319Taunton, MA: 24,705 countTaunton, MA24,705Peabody, MA: 23,544 countPeabody, MA23,544Revere, MA: 23,475 countRevere, MA23,475Pittsfield, MA: 21,582 countPittsfield, MA21,582Salem, MA: 20,956 countSalem, MA20,956Attleboro, MA: 19,537 countAttleboro, MA19,537Leominster, MA: 18,661 countLeominster, MA18,661Marlborough, MA: 18,276 countMarlborough, MA18,276Everett, MA: 17,880 countEverett, MA17,880Fitchburg, MA: 17,697 countFitchburg, MA17,697Beverly, MA: 17,224 countBeverly, MA17,224Woburn, MA: 17,148 countWoburn, MA17,148Holyoke, MA: 16,731 countHolyoke, MA16,731Westfield, MA: 16,085 countWestfield, MA16,085Braintree Town, MA: 15,085 countBraintree Town, MA15,085Gloucester, MA: 14,782 countGloucester, MA14,782Chelsea, MA: 13,950 countChelsea, MA13,950West Springfield Town, MA: 13,084 countWest Springfield Town, MA13,084Northampton, MA: 12,748 countNorthampton, MA12,748North Attleborough Town, MA: 12,562 countNorth Attleborough Town, MA12,562Randolph Town, MA: 12,548 countRandolph Town, MA12,548Franklin Town, MA: 12,506 countFranklin Town, MA12,506Melrose, MA: 12,276 countMelrose, MA12,276Agawam Town, MA: 12,242 countAgawam Town, MA12,242Amherst Town, MA: 10,642 countAmherst Town, MA10,642Gardner, MA: 9,631 countGardner, MA9,631Bridgewater Town, MA: 9,075 countBridgewater Town, MA9,075Winthrop Town, MA: 8,695 countWinthrop Town, MA8,695Greenfield, MA: 8,582 countGreenfield, MA8,582Newburyport, MA: 8,127 countNewburyport, MA8,127Southbridge Town, MA: 7,652 countSouthbridge Town, MA7,652North Adams, MA: 6,587 countNorth Adams, MA6,587Palmer Town, MA: 5,500 countPalmer Town, MA5,500Boston, MA: 300,437 countBoston, MA300,437Worcester, MA: 85,218 countWorcester, MA85,218Springfield, MA: 63,179 countSpringfield, MA63,179Cambridge, MA: 51,966 countCambridge, MA51,966Quincy, MA: 46,788 countQuincy, MA46,788New Bedford, MA: 44,252 countNew Bedford, MA44,252Lowell, MA: 44,129 countLowell, MA44,129Fall River, MA: 44,125 countFall River, MA44,125Lynn, MA: 37,627 countLynn, MA37,627Brockton, MA: 36,882 countBrockton, MA36,882Somerville, MA: 36,685 countSomerville, MA36,685Newton, MA: 32,693 countNewton, MA32,693Lawrence, MA: 31,537 countLawrence, MA31,537Framingham, MA: 28,992 countFramingham, MA28,992Haverhill, MA: 27,177 countHaverhill, MA27,177Barnstable Town, MA: 27,084 countBarnstable Town, MA27,084Malden, MA: 27,075 countMalden, MA27,075Medford, MA: 26,253 countMedford, MA26,253Waltham, MA: 26,234 countWaltham, MA26,234Chicopee, MA: 25,405 countChicopee, MA25,405Weymouth Town, MA: 25,319 countWeymouth Town, MA25,319Taunton, MA: 24,705 countTaunton, MA24,705Peabody, MA: 23,544 countPeabody, MA23,544Revere, MA: 23,475 countRevere, MA23,475Pittsfield, MA: 21,582 countPittsfield, MA21,582Salem, MA: 20,956 countSalem, MA20,956Attleboro, MA: 19,537 countAttleboro, MA19,537Leominster, MA: 18,661 countLeominster, MA18,661Marlborough, MA: 18,276 countMarlborough, MA18,276Everett, MA: 17,880 countEverett, MA17,880Fitchburg, MA: 17,697 countFitchburg, MA17,697Beverly, MA: 17,224 countBeverly, MA17,224Woburn, MA: 17,148 countWoburn, MA17,148Holyoke, MA: 16,731 countHolyoke, MA16,731Westfield, MA: 16,085 countWestfield, MA16,085Braintree Town, MA: 15,085 countBraintree Town, MA15,085Gloucester, MA: 14,782 countGloucester, MA14,782Chelsea, MA: 13,950 countChelsea, MA13,950West Springfield Town, MA: 13,084 countWest Springfield Town, MA13,084Northampton, MA: 12,748 countNorthampton, MA12,748North Attleborough Town, MA: 12,562 countNorth Attleborough Town, MA12,562Randolph Town, MA: 12,548 countRandolph Town, MA12,548Franklin Town, MA: 12,506 countFranklin Town, MA12,506Melrose, MA: 12,276 countMelrose, MA12,276Agawam Town, MA: 12,242 countAgawam Town, MA12,242Amherst Town, MA: 10,642 countAmherst Town, MA10,642Gardner, MA: 9,631 countGardner, MA9,631Bridgewater Town, MA: 9,075 countBridgewater Town, MA9,075Winthrop Town, MA: 8,695 countWinthrop Town, MA8,695Greenfield, MA: 8,582 countGreenfield, MA8,582Newburyport, MA: 8,127 countNewburyport, MA8,127Southbridge Town, MA: 7,652 countSouthbridge Town, MA7,652North Adams, MA: 6,587 countNorth Adams, MA6,587Palmer Town, MA: 5,500 countPalmer Town, MA5,500
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25001: total housing units, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2021
count
1Boston, MA300,437
2Worcester, MA85,218
3Springfield, MA63,179
4Cambridge, MA51,966
5Quincy, MA46,788
6New Bedford, MA44,252
7Lowell, MA44,129
8Fall River, MA44,125
9Lynn, MA37,627
10Brockton, MA36,882
11Somerville, MA36,685
12Newton, MA32,693
13Lawrence, MA31,537
14Framingham, MA28,992
15Haverhill, MA27,177
16Barnstable Town, MA27,084
17Malden, MA27,075
18Medford, MA26,253
19Waltham, MA26,234
20Chicopee, MA25,405
21Weymouth Town, MA25,319
22Taunton, MA24,705
23Peabody, MA23,544
24Revere, MA23,475
25Pittsfield, MA21,582
26Salem, MA20,956
27Attleboro, MA19,537
28Leominster, MA18,661
29Marlborough, MA18,276
30Everett, MA17,880
31Fitchburg, MA17,697
32Beverly, MA17,224
33Woburn, MA17,148
34Holyoke, MA16,731
35Westfield, MA16,085
36Braintree Town, MA15,085
37Gloucester, MA14,782
38Chelsea, MA13,950
39West Springfield Town, MA13,084
40Northampton, MA12,748
41North Attleborough Town, MA12,562
42Randolph Town, MA12,548
43Franklin Town, MA12,506
44Melrose, MA12,276
45Agawam Town, MA12,242
46Amherst Town, MA10,642
47Gardner, MA9,631
48Bridgewater Town, MA9,075
49Winthrop Town, MA8,695
50Greenfield, MA8,582
51Newburyport, MA8,127
52Southbridge Town, MA7,652
53North Adams, MA6,587
54Palmer Town, MA5,500

Other periods

About this ranking

All housing units, occupied and vacant: houses, apartments, mobile homes and rooms intended as separate living quarters. United States: American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.

A survey estimate averaged over five years, not a count on one date.

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 B25001: total housing units, 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-b25001.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 B25001: total housing units, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more) (Cities in Massachusetts by housing units, 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25001.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25001: total housing units, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in Massachusetts by housing units, 2021. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25001.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/housing-units/massachusetts-cities?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25001: total housing units, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Cities in Massachusetts by housing units, 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25001.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/housing-units/massachusetts-cities?period=2021.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25001: total housing units, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in Massachusetts by housing units, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25001.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/housing-units/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 B25001: total housing units, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in Massachusetts by housing units, 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25001.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/housing-units/massachusetts-cities?period=2021. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25001: total housing units, 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-b25001.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25001: total housing units, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in Massachusetts by housing units, 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-b25001.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/housing-units/massachusetts-cities?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/housing-units/massachusetts-cities?period=2021.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25001: total housing units, 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-b25001.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which city has the highest housing units?

Boston, MA, with 300,437 in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which city has the lowest housing units?

Palmer Town, MA, with 5,500 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 B25001: total housing units, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Retrieved 2026-10-12. 4 cities have no value for 2021 and are not ranked.

Housing units: other rankings

Cities in Massachusetts: more rankings