Data / Rankings / Population speaking a language other than English at home / Cities in Massachusetts

Cities in Massachusetts by population speaking a language other than English at home

Lawrence, MA had the highest population speaking a language other than English at home of 54 cities in 2021, at 79.9%. Newburyport, MA had the lowest, at 5.6%. The median was 25.3% and the figure for Massachusetts was 24.4%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest79.9Lawrence, MA
Lowest5.6Newburyport, MA
Median25.354 cities
Massachusetts24.4History

All cities, 2021

Lawrence, MA: 79.9 %Lawrence, MA79.9Chelsea, MA: 71.1 %Chelsea, MA71.1Everett, MA: 61.6 %Everett, MA61.6Revere, MA: 54.1 %Revere, MA54.1Malden, MA: 50.9 %Malden, MA50.9Lynn, MA: 50.6 %Lynn, MA50.6Brockton, MA: 46.8 %Brockton, MA46.8Randolph Town, MA: 45.8 %Randolph Town, MA45.8Holyoke, MA: 45.1 %Holyoke, MA45.1Framingham, MA: 41.3 %Framingham, MA41.3Springfield, MA: 41.2 %Springfield, MA41.2Lowell, MA: 40 %Lowell, MA40Fall River, MA: 38.5 %Fall River, MA38.5Quincy, MA: 37.9 %Quincy, MA37.9New Bedford, MA: 37.7 %New Bedford, MA37.7Worcester, MA: 37 %Worcester, MA37Marlborough, MA: 36.8 %Marlborough, MA36.8Boston, MA: 36.6 %Boston, MA36.6Cambridge, MA: 34.6 %Cambridge, MA34.6Southbridge Town, MA: 31.9 %Southbridge Town, MA31.9Waltham, MA: 31 %Waltham, MA31Medford, MA: 29.2 %Medford, MA29.2Somerville, MA: 29.1 %Somerville, MA29.1Fitchburg, MA: 28.1 %Fitchburg, MA28.1Winthrop Town, MA: 27.1 %Winthrop Town, MA27.1West Springfield Town, MA: 25.5 %West Springfield Town, MA25.5Leominster, MA: 25.4 %Leominster, MA25.4Newton, MA: 25.2 %Newton, MA25.2Braintree Town, MA: 23.7 %Braintree Town, MA23.7Haverhill, MA: 22.9 %Haverhill, MA22.9Peabody, MA: 22.8 %Peabody, MA22.8Amherst Town, MA: 22.3 %Amherst Town, MA22.3Woburn, MA: 22.1 %Woburn, MA22.1Taunton, MA: 21.7 %Taunton, MA21.7Salem, MA: 21 %Salem, MA21Chicopee, MA: 21 %Chicopee, MA21Barnstable Town, MA: 20.3 %Barnstable Town, MA20.3Melrose, MA: 17.1 %Melrose, MA17.1Westfield, MA: 16.4 %Westfield, MA16.4Weymouth Town, MA: 15.7 %Weymouth Town, MA15.7Gardner, MA: 14 %Gardner, MA14Attleboro, MA: 13.9 %Attleboro, MA13.9Northampton, MA: 12.5 %Northampton, MA12.5North Attleborough Town, MA: 11.9 %North Attleborough Town, MA11.9Beverly, MA: 11.9 %Beverly, MA11.9Agawam Town, MA: 11 %Agawam Town, MA11Franklin Town, MA: 10.9 %Franklin Town, MA10.9Gloucester, MA: 10.8 %Gloucester, MA10.8North Adams, MA: 8.9 %North Adams, MA8.9Palmer Town, MA: 8.9 %Palmer Town, MA8.9Pittsfield, MA: 8.8 %Pittsfield, MA8.8Bridgewater Town, MA: 8.5 %Bridgewater Town, MA8.5Greenfield, MA: 8.1 %Greenfield, MA8.1Newburyport, MA: 5.6 %Newburyport, MA5.6Lawrence, MA: 79.9 %Lawrence, MA79.9Chelsea, MA: 71.1 %Chelsea, MA71.1Everett, MA: 61.6 %Everett, MA61.6Revere, MA: 54.1 %Revere, MA54.1Malden, MA: 50.9 %Malden, MA50.9Lynn, MA: 50.6 %Lynn, MA50.6Brockton, MA: 46.8 %Brockton, MA46.8Randolph Town, MA: 45.8 %Randolph Town, MA45.8Holyoke, MA: 45.1 %Holyoke, MA45.1Framingham, MA: 41.3 %Framingham, MA41.3Springfield, MA: 41.2 %Springfield, MA41.2Lowell, MA: 40 %Lowell, MA40Fall River, MA: 38.5 %Fall River, MA38.5Quincy, MA: 37.9 %Quincy, MA37.9New Bedford, MA: 37.7 %New Bedford, MA37.7Worcester, MA: 37 %Worcester, MA37Marlborough, MA: 36.8 %Marlborough, MA36.8Boston, MA: 36.6 %Boston, MA36.6Cambridge, MA: 34.6 %Cambridge, MA34.6Southbridge Town, MA: 31.9 %Southbridge Town, MA31.9Waltham, MA: 31 %Waltham, MA31Medford, MA: 29.2 %Medford, MA29.2Somerville, MA: 29.1 %Somerville, MA29.1Fitchburg, MA: 28.1 %Fitchburg, MA28.1Winthrop Town, MA: 27.1 %Winthrop Town, MA27.1West Springfield Town, MA: 25.5 %West Springfield Town, MA25.5Leominster, MA: 25.4 %Leominster, MA25.4Newton, MA: 25.2 %Newton, MA25.2Braintree Town, MA: 23.7 %Braintree Town, MA23.7Haverhill, MA: 22.9 %Haverhill, MA22.9Peabody, MA: 22.8 %Peabody, MA22.8Amherst Town, MA: 22.3 %Amherst Town, MA22.3Woburn, MA: 22.1 %Woburn, MA22.1Taunton, MA: 21.7 %Taunton, MA21.7Salem, MA: 21 %Salem, MA21Chicopee, MA: 21 %Chicopee, MA21Barnstable Town, MA: 20.3 %Barnstable Town, MA20.3Melrose, MA: 17.1 %Melrose, MA17.1Westfield, MA: 16.4 %Westfield, MA16.4Weymouth Town, MA: 15.7 %Weymouth Town, MA15.7Gardner, MA: 14 %Gardner, MA14Attleboro, MA: 13.9 %Attleboro, MA13.9Northampton, MA: 12.5 %Northampton, MA12.5North Attleborough Town, MA: 11.9 %North Attleborough Town, MA11.9Beverly, MA: 11.9 %Beverly, MA11.9Agawam Town, MA: 11 %Agawam Town, MA11Franklin Town, MA: 10.9 %Franklin Town, MA10.9Gloucester, MA: 10.8 %Gloucester, MA10.8North Adams, MA: 8.9 %North Adams, MA8.9Palmer Town, MA: 8.9 %Palmer Town, MA8.9Pittsfield, MA: 8.8 %Pittsfield, MA8.8Bridgewater Town, MA: 8.5 %Bridgewater Town, MA8.5Greenfield, MA: 8.1 %Greenfield, MA8.1Newburyport, MA: 5.6 %Newburyport, MA5.6
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2021 (%)
1Lawrence, MA79.9
2Chelsea, MA71.1
3Everett, MA61.6
4Revere, MA54.1
5Malden, MA50.9
6Lynn, MA50.6
7Brockton, MA46.8
8Randolph Town, MA45.8
9Holyoke, MA45.1
10Framingham, MA41.3
11Springfield, MA41.2
12Lowell, MA40
13Fall River, MA38.5
14Quincy, MA37.9
15New Bedford, MA37.7
16Worcester, MA37
17Marlborough, MA36.8
18Boston, MA36.6
19Cambridge, MA34.6
20Southbridge Town, MA31.9
21Waltham, MA31
22Medford, MA29.2
23Somerville, MA29.1
24Fitchburg, MA28.1
25Winthrop Town, MA27.1
26West Springfield Town, MA25.5
27Leominster, MA25.4
28Newton, MA25.2
29Braintree Town, MA23.7
30Haverhill, MA22.9
31Peabody, MA22.8
32Amherst Town, MA22.3
33Woburn, MA22.1
34Taunton, MA21.7
35Salem, MA21
36Chicopee, MA21
37Barnstable Town, MA20.3
38Melrose, MA17.1
39Westfield, MA16.4
40Weymouth Town, MA15.7
41Gardner, MA14
42Attleboro, MA13.9
43Northampton, MA12.5
44North Attleborough Town, MA11.9
45Beverly, MA11.9
46Agawam Town, MA11
47Franklin Town, MA10.9
48Gloucester, MA10.8
49North Adams, MA8.9
50Palmer Town, MA8.9
51Pittsfield, MA8.8
52Bridgewater Town, MA8.5
53Greenfield, MA8.1
54Newburyport, MA5.6

Other periods

About this ranking

People aged 5 and over who speak a language other than English at home, as a percentage of all people aged 5 and over. United States: American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.

Measures the language used at home, not English ability: most people in this group also speak English. Spanish speakers are shown separately in spanish_at_home_share.

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 C16001: people aged 5 and over who speak a language other than English at home, as a percentage of the population aged 5 and over, calculated with stored inputs, 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-c16001.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 C16001: people aged 5 and over who speak a language other than English at home, as a percentage of the population aged 5 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more) (Cities in Massachusetts by population speaking a language other than English at home, 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-c16001.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table C16001: people aged 5 and over who speak a language other than English at home, as a percentage of the population aged 5 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in Massachusetts by population speaking a language other than English at home, 2021. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-c16001.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/language-other-than-english-at-home/massachusetts-cities?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table C16001: people aged 5 and over who speak a language other than English at home, as a percentage of the population aged 5 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Cities in Massachusetts by population speaking a language other than English at home, 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-c16001.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/language-other-than-english-at-home/massachusetts-cities?period=2021.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table C16001: people aged 5 and over who speak a language other than English at home, as a percentage of the population aged 5 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in Massachusetts by population speaking a language other than English at home, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-c16001.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/language-other-than-english-at-home/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 C16001: people aged 5 and over who speak a language other than English at home, as a percentage of the population aged 5 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in Massachusetts by population speaking a language other than English at home, 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-c16001.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/language-other-than-english-at-home/massachusetts-cities?period=2021. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table C16001: people aged 5 and over who speak a language other than English at home, as a percentage of the population aged 5 and over, calculated with stored inputs, 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-c16001.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table C16001: people aged 5 and over who speak a language other than English at home, as a percentage of the population aged 5 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in Massachusetts by population speaking a language other than English at home, 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-c16001.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/language-other-than-english-at-home/massachusetts-cities?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/language-other-than-english-at-home/massachusetts-cities?period=2021.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table C16001: people aged 5 and over who speak a language other than English at home, as a percentage of the population aged 5 and over, calculated with stored inputs, 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-c16001.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Rank Cities in Massachusetts by population speaking a language other than English at home using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"language_other_than_english_share","level":"municipality","within":"Massachusetts","limit":10}
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Questions

Which city has the highest population speaking a language other than English at home?

Lawrence, MA, with 79.9% in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which city has the lowest population speaking a language other than English at home?

Newburyport, MA, with 5.6% 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 C16001: people aged 5 and over who speak a language other than English at home, as a percentage of the population aged 5 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 2021 and are not ranked.

Population speaking a language other than English at home: other rankings

Cities in Massachusetts: more rankings