Cities in Massachusetts by population

Boston, MA had the highest population of 58 cities in 2021, at 659,884. Palmer Town, MA had the lowest, at 12,373. The median was 43,719 and the figure for Massachusetts was 7 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest659,884Boston, MA

Lowest12,373Palmer Town, MA

Median43,71958 cities

Massachusetts6,996,721History

All cities, 2021

persons. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

Rank	Cities	2021 persons	Change on 2020
1	Boston, MA	659,884	-1.5%
2	Worcester, MA	205,694	+1.6%
3	Springfield, MA	154,922	-0.2%
4	Lowell, MA	117,874	+1.8%
5	Cambridge, MA	112,971	-2.8%
6	Brockton, MA	105,407	-0.1%
7	Quincy, MA	101,147	-0.3%
8	Lynn, MA	100,919	-0.2%
9	New Bedford, MA	100,859	-0%
10	Fall River, MA	93,827	-0.1%
11	Lawrence, MA	88,437	-0.5%
12	Newton, MA	87,965	-0.9%
13	Somerville, MA	80,824	+0.1%
14	Framingham, MA	71,722	-0.5%
15	Haverhill, MA	67,376	-0.4%
16	Malden, MA	65,288	-1.1%
17	Waltham, MA	64,522	+0.5%
18	Taunton, MA	59,676	+0.4%
19	Revere, MA	59,497	-3.9%
20	Medford, MA	58,959	-1%
21	Weymouth Town, MA	57,632	+0.3%
22	Chicopee, MA	55,247	-0.4%
23	Peabody, MA	54,194	-0.4%
24	Methuen, MA	52,894	-0.2%
25	Barnstable Town, MA	49,605	+1.5%
26	Everett, MA	48,335	-1.2%
27	Attleboro, MA	46,629	+0.3%
28	Salem, MA	44,605	+2.1%
29	Leominster, MA	43,735	-0%
30	Pittsfield, MA	43,702	-0.3%
31	Beverly, MA	42,385	-0.4%
32	Fitchburg, MA	41,658	0%
33	Marlborough, MA	41,173	-1.1%
34	Woburn, MA	41,109	+0.8%
35	Westfield, MA	40,559	+1%
36	Amherst Town, MA	40,328	+45%
37	Chelsea, MA	39,594	-2.3%
38	Braintree Town, MA	38,793	-0.7%
39	Holyoke, MA	37,708	-1.1%
40	Watertown, MA	35,225	-0.3%
41	Randolph Town, MA	34,761	-0.6%
42	Franklin Town, MA	33,109	+2.4%
43	Northampton, MA	31,511	+7.5%
44	North Attleborough Town, MA	30,904	+0.3%
45	Gloucester, MA	29,985	+0.8%
46	Melrose, MA	29,350	-1.2%
47	West Springfield Town, MA	28,657	-0.4%
48	Bridgewater Town, MA	28,595	+6.9%
49	Agawam Town, MA	28,448	-0.6%
50	Gardner, MA	21,013	-0.9%
51	Winthrop Town, MA	18,625	-3.3%
52	Newburyport, MA	18,294	-0%
53	Southbridge Town, MA	17,844	+0.8%
54	Greenfield, MA	17,700	-0.1%
55	Amesbury, MA	17,287	-0.3%
56	Easthampton, MA	16,116	-0.4%
57	North Adams, MA	12,653	-0.6%
58	Palmer Town, MA	12,373	-0.4%

Other periods

About this ranking

Resident population. Spain and the EU: 1 January, with Spanish figures from the official municipal register (Padrón). Norway: Statistics Norway, 1 January. United States: Census Bureau population estimates for 1 July. United Kingdom regions and local authorities: Office for National Statistics estimates for 30 June. Other countries and the World: World Bank mid-year estimates, which count all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.

The World Bank series exists for every country, so use it (through compare) to rank countries on one basis.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the cities are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

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Rank Cities in Massachusetts by population using official data, and cite the source.

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Questions

Which city has the highest population?

Boston, MA, with 659,884 in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which city has the lowest population?

Palmer Town, MA, with 12,373 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, Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals). Retrieved 2026-10-12.