Data / Rankings / Labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate) / Cities in Massachusetts

Cities in Massachusetts by labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate)

Somerville, MA had the highest labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate) of 54 cities in 2022, at 79.1%. Amherst Town, MA had the lowest, at 51.4%. The median was 68% and the figure for Massachusetts was 67.1%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest79.1Somerville, MA
Lowest51.4Amherst Town, MA
Median6854 cities
Massachusetts67.1History

All cities, 2022

Somerville, MA: 79.1 %Somerville, MA79.1Everett, MA: 72.5 %Everett, MA72.5Woburn, MA: 72.2 %Woburn, MA72.2Medford, MA: 72.1 %Medford, MA72.1Marlborough, MA: 72 %Marlborough, MA72North Attleborough Town, MA: 71.9 %North Attleborough Town, MA71.9Franklin Town, MA: 71.7 %Franklin Town, MA71.7Attleboro, MA: 71.4 %Attleboro, MA71.4Framingham, MA: 71 %Framingham, MA71Quincy, MA: 70.7 %Quincy, MA70.7Salem, MA: 70.4 %Salem, MA70.4Malden, MA: 70.4 %Malden, MA70.4Braintree Town, MA: 69.9 %Braintree Town, MA69.9Cambridge, MA: 69.8 %Cambridge, MA69.8Boston, MA: 69.8 %Boston, MA69.8Haverhill, MA: 69.8 %Haverhill, MA69.8Winthrop Town, MA: 69.7 %Winthrop Town, MA69.7Weymouth Town, MA: 69.4 %Weymouth Town, MA69.4Revere, MA: 69.3 %Revere, MA69.3Waltham, MA: 69.3 %Waltham, MA69.3Melrose, MA: 69.2 %Melrose, MA69.2Lawrence, MA: 69 %Lawrence, MA69Newburyport, MA: 68.9 %Newburyport, MA68.9Brockton, MA: 68.7 %Brockton, MA68.7Chelsea, MA: 68.7 %Chelsea, MA68.7Randolph Town, MA: 68.6 %Randolph Town, MA68.6Beverly, MA: 68.4 %Beverly, MA68.4Barnstable Town, MA: 67.6 %Barnstable Town, MA67.6West Springfield Town, MA: 67.6 %West Springfield Town, MA67.6Leominster, MA: 67.5 %Leominster, MA67.5Lowell, MA: 67.3 %Lowell, MA67.3Lynn, MA: 66.8 %Lynn, MA66.8Fitchburg, MA: 66.3 %Fitchburg, MA66.3Taunton, MA: 65.9 %Taunton, MA65.9Newton, MA: 65.6 %Newton, MA65.6Agawam Town, MA: 64.8 %Agawam Town, MA64.8Pittsfield, MA: 64.6 %Pittsfield, MA64.6Gloucester, MA: 64.4 %Gloucester, MA64.4Worcester, MA: 64 %Worcester, MA64Southbridge Town, MA: 63.7 %Southbridge Town, MA63.7Bridgewater Town, MA: 63.7 %Bridgewater Town, MA63.7Peabody, MA: 63.3 %Peabody, MA63.3New Bedford, MA: 62.6 %New Bedford, MA62.6Palmer Town, MA: 62.4 %Palmer Town, MA62.4Northampton, MA: 61.5 %Northampton, MA61.5Chicopee, MA: 61.4 %Chicopee, MA61.4Fall River, MA: 61.1 %Fall River, MA61.1Westfield, MA: 59.5 %Westfield, MA59.5North Adams, MA: 58.3 %North Adams, MA58.3Springfield, MA: 57.3 %Springfield, MA57.3Gardner, MA: 57.2 %Gardner, MA57.2Greenfield, MA: 57.1 %Greenfield, MA57.1Holyoke, MA: 54.3 %Holyoke, MA54.3Amherst Town, MA: 51.4 %Amherst Town, MA51.4Somerville, MA: 79.1 %Somerville, MA79.1Everett, MA: 72.5 %Everett, MA72.5Woburn, MA: 72.2 %Woburn, MA72.2Medford, MA: 72.1 %Medford, MA72.1Marlborough, MA: 72 %Marlborough, MA72North Attleborough Town, MA: 71.9 %North Attleborough Town, MA71.9Franklin Town, MA: 71.7 %Franklin Town, MA71.7Attleboro, MA: 71.4 %Attleboro, MA71.4Framingham, MA: 71 %Framingham, MA71Quincy, MA: 70.7 %Quincy, MA70.7Salem, MA: 70.4 %Salem, MA70.4Malden, MA: 70.4 %Malden, MA70.4Braintree Town, MA: 69.9 %Braintree Town, MA69.9Cambridge, MA: 69.8 %Cambridge, MA69.8Boston, MA: 69.8 %Boston, MA69.8Haverhill, MA: 69.8 %Haverhill, MA69.8Winthrop Town, MA: 69.7 %Winthrop Town, MA69.7Weymouth Town, MA: 69.4 %Weymouth Town, MA69.4Revere, MA: 69.3 %Revere, MA69.3Waltham, MA: 69.3 %Waltham, MA69.3Melrose, MA: 69.2 %Melrose, MA69.2Lawrence, MA: 69 %Lawrence, MA69Newburyport, MA: 68.9 %Newburyport, MA68.9Brockton, MA: 68.7 %Brockton, MA68.7Chelsea, MA: 68.7 %Chelsea, MA68.7Randolph Town, MA: 68.6 %Randolph Town, MA68.6Beverly, MA: 68.4 %Beverly, MA68.4Barnstable Town, MA: 67.6 %Barnstable Town, MA67.6West Springfield Town, MA: 67.6 %West Springfield Town, MA67.6Leominster, MA: 67.5 %Leominster, MA67.5Lowell, MA: 67.3 %Lowell, MA67.3Lynn, MA: 66.8 %Lynn, MA66.8Fitchburg, MA: 66.3 %Fitchburg, MA66.3Taunton, MA: 65.9 %Taunton, MA65.9Newton, MA: 65.6 %Newton, MA65.6Agawam Town, MA: 64.8 %Agawam Town, MA64.8Pittsfield, MA: 64.6 %Pittsfield, MA64.6Gloucester, MA: 64.4 %Gloucester, MA64.4Worcester, MA: 64 %Worcester, MA64Southbridge Town, MA: 63.7 %Southbridge Town, MA63.7Bridgewater Town, MA: 63.7 %Bridgewater Town, MA63.7Peabody, MA: 63.3 %Peabody, MA63.3New Bedford, MA: 62.6 %New Bedford, MA62.6Palmer Town, MA: 62.4 %Palmer Town, MA62.4Northampton, MA: 61.5 %Northampton, MA61.5Chicopee, MA: 61.4 %Chicopee, MA61.4Fall River, MA: 61.1 %Fall River, MA61.1Westfield, MA: 59.5 %Westfield, MA59.5North Adams, MA: 58.3 %North Adams, MA58.3Springfield, MA: 57.3 %Springfield, MA57.3Gardner, MA: 57.2 %Gardner, MA57.2Greenfield, MA: 57.1 %Greenfield, MA57.1Holyoke, MA: 54.3 %Holyoke, MA54.3Amherst Town, MA: 51.4 %Amherst Town, MA51.4
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2022 (%)Change on 2021
1Somerville, MA79.1-0.3 pts
2Everett, MA72.5-0.8 pts
3Woburn, MA72.2+0.4 pts
4Medford, MA72.1-0.9 pts
5Marlborough, MA72-2 pts
6North Attleborough Town, MA71.9+0.5 pts
7Franklin Town, MA71.7+0.2 pts
8Attleboro, MA71.4+1.4 pts
9Framingham, MA71-0.4 pts
10Quincy, MA70.7-0.2 pts
11Salem, MA70.4+0.3 pts
12Malden, MA70.4+1.5 pts
13Braintree Town, MA69.9-0.6 pts
14Cambridge, MA69.8+0.5 pts
15Boston, MA69.80 pts
15Haverhill, MA69.8-1.1 pts
17Winthrop Town, MA69.7+0.5 pts
18Weymouth Town, MA69.4-1.3 pts
19Revere, MA69.3-0.1 pts
19Waltham, MA69.3+0.2 pts
21Melrose, MA69.2-1.5 pts
22Lawrence, MA69+1 pts
23Newburyport, MA68.9-0.4 pts
24Brockton, MA68.7+0.2 pts
25Chelsea, MA68.7-0.6 pts
26Randolph Town, MA68.6+0.6 pts
27Beverly, MA68.4+0.5 pts
28Barnstable Town, MA67.6+0.5 pts
29West Springfield Town, MA67.6-0.3 pts
30Leominster, MA67.5-0.4 pts
31Lowell, MA67.3+0.1 pts
32Lynn, MA66.8-0.1 pts
33Fitchburg, MA66.3+0.4 pts
34Taunton, MA65.9+0.1 pts
35Newton, MA65.6-0.2 pts
36Agawam Town, MA64.8-1.8 pts
37Pittsfield, MA64.6+1.4 pts
38Gloucester, MA64.4-1 pts
39Worcester, MA64+1.5 pts
40Southbridge Town, MA63.7+0.8 pts
41Bridgewater Town, MA63.7-0.5 pts
42Peabody, MA63.3-1.1 pts
43New Bedford, MA62.6-0.3 pts
44Palmer Town, MA62.4-0.1 pts
45Northampton, MA61.5+0.1 pts
46Chicopee, MA61.4+0.2 pts
47Fall River, MA61.1+0.7 pts
48Westfield, MA59.5-1.6 pts
49North Adams, MA58.3-1 pts
50Springfield, MA57.3+0.6 pts
51Gardner, MA57.2-1.3 pts
52Greenfield, MA57.1-2 pts
53Holyoke, MA54.3-0.4 pts
54Amherst Town, MA51.4-3.2 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

People aged 16 and over in the labor force (employed, unemployed or in the Armed Forces) as a percentage of all people aged 16 and over, including people in group quarters. United States: American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.

The Census Bureau definition used in its data profiles. It differs from the BLS labor_force_participation_rate, which counts the civilian noninstitutional population only.

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 B23025: population 16 years and over in the labor force as a percentage of the population 16 years and over, 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-b23025.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 B23025: population 16 years and over in the labor force as a percentage of the population 16 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more) (Cities in Massachusetts by labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2022) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b23025.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: population 16 years and over in the labor force as a percentage of the population 16 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in Massachusetts by labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2022. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b23025.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/labor-force-participation-rate-acs/massachusetts-cities?period=2022. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: population 16 years and over in the labor force as a percentage of the population 16 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Cities in Massachusetts by labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2022. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b23025.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/labor-force-participation-rate-acs/massachusetts-cities?period=2022.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: population 16 years and over in the labor force as a percentage of the population 16 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in Massachusetts by labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2022 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b23025.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/labor-force-participation-rate-acs/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 B23025: population 16 years and over in the labor force as a percentage of the population 16 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in Massachusetts by labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2022}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b23025.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/labor-force-participation-rate-acs/massachusetts-cities?period=2022. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: population 16 years and over in the labor force as a percentage of the population 16 years and over, 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-b23025.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: population 16 years and over in the labor force as a percentage of the population 16 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in Massachusetts by labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate), 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-b23025.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/labor-force-participation-rate-acs/massachusetts-cities?period=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/labor-force-participation-rate-acs/massachusetts-cities?period=2022.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: population 16 years and over in the labor force as a percentage of the population 16 years and over, 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-b23025.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Rank Cities in Massachusetts by labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate) using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which city has the highest labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate)?

Somerville, MA, with 79.1% in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which city has the lowest labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate)?

Amherst Town, MA, with 51.4% 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 B23025: population 16 years and over in the labor force as a percentage of the population 16 years and over, 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.

Labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate): other rankings

Cities in Massachusetts: more rankings