Greater Boston (original) (raw)

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Combined Statistical Area in the US

Metropolitan statistical area in the United States

Greater Boston Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NHMetropolitan Statistical Area
Metropolitan statistical area
Boston in July 2015Boston in July 2015
MapInteractive Map of Boston–Worcester–Providence, MA–RI–NH CSA City of Boston Boston–Cambridge–Newton, MA–NH MSA Boston, MA Metro Division Cambridge–Newton–Framingham, MA Metro Division Rockingham County–Strafford County, NH Metro Division Other Statistical Areas in Boston CSA Providence–Warwick, RI–MA MSA Worcester, MA MSA Manchester–Nashua, NH MSA Barnstable Town, MA MSA Concord, NH µSA Laconia, NH µSA
Country United States
State Massachusetts New Hampshire Rhode Island
Principal cities Boston Worcester Providence Cambridge Manchester Lowell Brockton Quincy Lynn New Bedford
Population (2020)
• Total 8,466,186 (CSA)4,941,632 (MSA)
• Rank Ranked 6th in the US for Combined Statistical AreasRanked 10th in the US for Metropolitan Statistical Areas
GDP[1]
• Total $610.486 billion (2023)
Time zone UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Area code(s) 617, 781, 857, 339, 978, 508, 351, 774, 603, 401

Greater Boston is the metropolitan region of New England encompassing the municipality of Boston, the capital of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the most populous city in New England, and its surrounding areas. The most stringent definition of the region, used by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, consists of most of the eastern third of mainland Massachusetts, excluding the Merrimack Valley and most of Southeastern Massachusetts, though most definitions (including the US Census definition) include much of these areas and portions of southern New Hampshire.[2]

While the city of Boston covers 48.4 square miles (125 km2) and has 675,647 residents as of the 2020 census, the urbanization has extended well into surrounding areas and the Combined Statistical Area (CSA in the rest of the document), which includes the Providence, Rhode Island, Manchester, New Hampshire, Cape Cod and Worcester areas, has a population of more than 8.4 million people, making it one of the most populous such regions in the U.S.

Some of Greater Boston's most well-known contributions involve the region's higher education and medical institutions. Greater Boston has been influential upon American history and industry. The region and the state of Massachusetts are global leaders in biotechnology, artificial intelligence,[2] engineering, higher education, finance, and maritime trade.[3]

Greater Boston is ranked tenth in population among US metropolitan statistical areas, home to 4,941,632 people as of the 2020 United States Census, and sixth among combined statistical areas, with a population of 8,466,186. The area has hosted many people and sites significant to American culture and history, particularly American literature,[4] politics, and the American Revolution.

Plymouth was the site of the first colony in New England, founded in 1620 by the Pilgrims, passengers of the Mayflower. In 1692, the town of Salem and surrounding areas experienced one of America's most infamous cases of mass hysteria, the Salem witch trials.[5] In the late 18th century, Boston became known as the "Cradle of Liberty"[6] for the agitation there that led to the American Revolution.

The Greater Boston region has played a powerful scientific, commercial, and cultural role in the history of the United States. Before the American Civil War, the region was a center for the abolitionist, temperance,[7] and transcendentalist[8] movements.[9] In 2004, Massachusetts became the first U.S. state to legally recognize same-sex marriage as a result of the decision of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in Boston.[10] Many prominent American political dynasties have hailed from the Boston region, including the Adams and Kennedy families.

Harvard University in Cambridge is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States, founded in 1636,[11] with the largest financial endowment of any university,[12] and whose Law School has spawned a contemporaneous majority of United States Supreme Court Justices.[13] Kendall Square in Cambridge has been called "the most innovative square mile on the planet", in reference to the high concentration of entrepreneurial start-ups and quality of innovation which have emerged in the vicinity of the square since 2010.[14][15] Both Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, also in Cambridge, have been ranked among the most highly regarded academic institutions in the world.[16]

Boundary definitions

[edit]

The most restrictive definition of the Greater Boston area is the region administered by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council.[17] The MAPC is a regional planning organization created by the Massachusetts legislature to oversee transportation infrastructure and economic development concerns in the Boston area. The MAPC includes 101 cities and towns that are grouped into eight subregions. These include most of the area within the region's outer circumferential highway, I-495. In 2013, the population of the MAPC district was 3.2 million, which was 48% of the total population of Massachusetts,[18] in an area of 1,422 square miles (3,680 km2),[17] of which 39% is forested and an additional 11% is water, wetland, or other open space.[19]

The cities and towns included in this definition are:[20]

New England City and Town Area

[edit]

Two definitions are used by the United States Census to define the Boston–Cambridge–Newton, MA–NH Metro Area or Boston–Cambridge–Newton, MA–NH Metropolitan NECTA, which is defined as a New England City and Town Area.[21][22] The metro area definition is based on counties, while the NECTA definition is based on city and town boundaries. Counties included in the county-based definition include:[21]

The NECTA definition includes all of the communities from the MAPC definition, as well as the Merrimack Valley communities, parts of southern New Hampshire (northward to Milford and Hampton, and the Taunton area.

Historical population

Census Pop. Note %±
1850 650,357 —
1860 830,998 27.8%
1870 978,346 17.7%
1880 1,205,439 23.2%
1890 1,515,684 25.7%
1900 1,890,122 24.7%
1910 2,260,762 19.6%
1920 2,563,123 13.4%
1930 2,866,567 11.8%
1940 2,926,650 2.1%
1950 3,186,970 8.9%
1960 3,516,435 10.3%
1970 3,918,092 11.4%
1980 3,938,585 0.5%
1990 4,133,895 5.0%
2000 4,391,344 6.2%
2010 4,552,402 3.7%
2020 4,941,632 8.5%
2022 (est.) 4,900,550 −0.8%
US Decennial Census

Cambridge and Boston with MIT and Kendall Square in the foreground and Boston's Financial District in the background

Combined Statistical Area

[edit]

The widest definition of the metropolitan area based on commuting patterns, is defined by the U.S. Census as the Boston–Worcester–Providence combined statistical area. This area consists of the following counties in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire:[23]

Downtown Providence, Rhode Island in 2008

The total population for the extended region was estimated at 8,466,186 at the 2020 census.[_citation needed_]

The Boston area has humid continental climates (Dfa and Dfb under the Köppen climate classification system), with high humidity and precipitation year-round.

Climate data for Concord Municipal Airport, New Hampshire (1991−2020 normals,[a] extremes 1868–present)[b]
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 72(22) 74(23) 89(32) 95(35) 98(37) 101(38) 102(39) 101(38) 98(37) 92(33) 80(27) 73(23) 102(39)
Mean maximum °F (°C) 52.4(11.3) 54.3(12.4) 65.6(18.7) 81.6(27.6) 89.6(32.0) 92.8(33.8) 93.8(34.3) 92.4(33.6) 89.0(31.7) 79.0(26.1) 68.6(20.3) 56.9(13.8) 96.1(35.6)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 31.6(−0.2) 34.8(1.6) 43.6(6.4) 57.5(14.2) 69.3(20.7) 77.8(25.4) 83.0(28.3) 81.7(27.6) 73.7(23.2) 60.9(16.1) 48.4(9.1) 37.1(2.8) 58.3(14.6)
Daily mean °F (°C) 22.3(−5.4) 24.7(−4.1) 33.4(0.8) 45.4(7.4) 56.7(13.7) 65.8(18.8) 71.1(21.7) 69.5(20.8) 61.4(16.3) 49.3(9.6) 38.6(3.7) 28.3(−2.1) 47.2(8.4)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 12.9(−10.6) 14.7(−9.6) 23.3(−4.8) 33.3(0.7) 44.1(6.7) 53.7(12.1) 59.2(15.1) 57.2(14.0) 49.0(9.4) 37.8(3.2) 28.7(−1.8) 19.5(−6.9) 36.1(2.3)
Mean minimum °F (°C) −9.2(−22.9) −7.2(−21.8) 1.6(−16.9) 19.2(−7.1) 29.2(−1.6) 39.0(3.9) 47.1(8.4) 44.1(6.7) 32.1(0.1) 22.1(−5.5) 11.8(−11.2) −0.9(−18.3) −12.4(−24.7)
Record low °F (°C) −35(−37) −37(−38) −20(−29) 4(−16) 21(−6) 26(−3) 33(1) 29(−2) 20(−7) 10(−12) −17(−27) −24(−31) −37(−38)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 2.80(71) 2.75(70) 3.28(83) 3.43(87) 3.47(88) 3.77(96) 3.62(92) 3.63(92) 3.63(92) 4.43(113) 3.44(87) 3.70(94) 41.95(1,066)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 17.1(43) 16.9(43) 13.6(35) 2.5(6.4) 0.0(0.0) 0.0(0.0) 0.0(0.0) 0.0(0.0) 0.0(0.0) 0.8(2.0) 2.5(6.4) 14.3(36) 67.7(172)
Average extreme snow depth inches (cm) 11.9(30) 15.3(39) 13.9(35) 4.0(10) 0.0(0.0) 0.0(0.0) 0.0(0.0) 0.0(0.0) 0.0(0.0) 0.6(1.5) 2.0(5.1) 9.1(23) 19.8(50)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 11.2 10.0 11.5 11.4 12.4 12.8 10.9 9.9 9.3 10.6 10.8 12.0 132.8
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) 8.1 7.6 5.2 1.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 1.6 6.3 30.3
Average relative humidity (%) 67.9 66.0 64.8 62.0 65.0 70.9 71.8 74.5 76.3 72.8 73.3 72.3 69.8
Average dew point °F (°C) 10.2(−12.1) 12.0(−11.1) 20.8(−6.2) 29.8(−1.2) 42.1(5.6) 53.8(12.1) 58.8(14.9) 57.9(14.4) 50.5(10.3) 38.3(3.5) 28.8(−1.8) 16.7(−8.5) 35.0(1.7)
Mean monthly sunshine hours 162.8 171.8 210.5 223.2 258.4 274.3 295.8 261.9 214.7 183.4 127.8 134.8 2,519.4
Percent possible sunshine 56 58 57 56 57 60 64 61 57 54 44 48 56
Average ultraviolet index 1 2 4 5 7 8 8 7 6 3 2 1 5
Source 1: NOAA (relative humidity , dew points and sun 1961–1990)[24][25][26]
Source 2: Weather Atlas (UV)[27]
vteClimate data for Boston, Massachusetts (Logan Airport), 1991−2020 normals,[c] extremes 1872−present[d]
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 74(23) 73(23) 89(32) 94(34) 97(36) 100(38) 104(40) 102(39) 102(39) 90(32) 83(28) 76(24) 104(40)
Mean maximum °F (°C) 58.3(14.6) 57.9(14.4) 67.0(19.4) 79.9(26.6) 88.1(31.2) 92.2(33.4) 95.0(35.0) 93.7(34.3) 88.9(31.6) 79.6(26.4) 70.2(21.2) 61.2(16.2) 96.4(35.8)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 36.8(2.7) 39.0(3.9) 45.5(7.5) 56.4(13.6) 66.5(19.2) 76.2(24.6) 82.1(27.8) 80.4(26.9) 73.1(22.8) 62.1(16.7) 51.6(10.9) 42.2(5.7) 59.3(15.2)
Daily mean °F (°C) 29.9(−1.2) 31.8(−0.1) 38.3(3.5) 48.6(9.2) 58.4(14.7) 68.0(20.0) 74.1(23.4) 72.7(22.6) 65.6(18.7) 54.8(12.7) 44.7(7.1) 35.7(2.1) 51.9(11.1)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 23.1(−4.9) 24.6(−4.1) 31.1(−0.5) 40.8(4.9) 50.3(10.2) 59.7(15.4) 66.0(18.9) 65.1(18.4) 58.2(14.6) 47.5(8.6) 37.9(3.3) 29.2(−1.6) 44.5(6.9)
Mean minimum °F (°C) 4.8(−15.1) 8.3(−13.2) 15.6(−9.1) 31.0(−0.6) 41.2(5.1) 49.7(9.8) 58.6(14.8) 57.7(14.3) 46.7(8.2) 35.1(1.7) 24.4(−4.2) 13.1(−10.5) 2.6(−16.3)
Record low °F (°C) −13(−25) −18(−28) −8(−22) 11(−12) 31(−1) 41(5) 50(10) 46(8) 34(1) 25(−4) −2(−19) −17(−27) −18(−28)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 3.39(86) 3.21(82) 4.17(106) 3.63(92) 3.25(83) 3.89(99) 3.27(83) 3.23(82) 3.56(90) 4.03(102) 3.66(93) 4.30(109) 43.59(1,107)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 14.3(36) 14.4(37) 9.0(23) 1.6(4.1) 0.0(0.0) 0.0(0.0) 0.0(0.0) 0.0(0.0) 0.0(0.0) 0.2(0.51) 0.7(1.8) 9.0(23) 49.2(125)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 11.8 10.6 11.6 11.6 11.8 10.9 9.4 9.0 9.0 10.5 10.3 11.9 128.4
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) 6.6 6.2 4.4 0.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.6 4.2 23.0
Average relative humidity (%) 62.3 62.0 63.1 63.0 66.7 68.5 68.4 70.8 71.8 68.5 67.5 65.4 66.5
Average dew point °F (°C) 16.5(−8.6) 17.6(−8.0) 25.2(−3.8) 33.6(0.9) 45.0(7.2) 55.2(12.9) 61.0(16.1) 60.4(15.8) 53.8(12.1) 42.8(6.0) 33.4(0.8) 22.1(−5.5) 38.9(3.8)
Mean monthly sunshine hours 163.4 168.4 213.7 227.2 267.3 286.5 300.9 277.3 237.1 206.3 143.2 142.3 2,633.6
Percent possible sunshine 56 57 58 57 59 63 65 64 63 60 49 50 59
Average ultraviolet index 1 2 4 5 7 8 8 8 6 4 2 1 5
Source 1: NOAA (relative humidity, dew point and sun 1961−1990)[29][30][31]
Source 2: Weather Atlas (UV)[32]
Climate data for Boston, Massachusetts
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average sea temperature °F (°C) 41.3(5.2) 38.1(3.4) 38.4(3.5) 43.1(6.2) 49.2(9.5) 58.4(14.7) 65.7(18.7) 67.9(20.0) 64.8(18.2) 59.4(15.3) 52.3(11.3) 46.6(8.2) 52.1(11.2)
Source: Weather Atlas[32]
vteClimate data for Providence, Rhode Island (T. F. Green Airport), 1991–2020 normals,[e] extremes 1904–present[f]
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 70(21) 72(22) 90(32) 98(37) 96(36) 98(37) 102(39) 104(40) 100(38) 88(31) 81(27) 77(25) 104(40)
Mean maximum °F (°C) 58.7(14.8) 57.9(14.4) 67.1(19.5) 79.3(26.3) 87.2(30.7) 91.5(33.1) 94.8(34.9) 92.7(33.7) 87.6(30.9) 78.9(26.1) 70.1(21.2) 61.5(16.4) 96.6(35.9)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 38.3(3.5) 40.5(4.7) 47.7(8.7) 58.9(14.9) 68.9(20.5) 77.7(25.4) 83.6(28.7) 82.2(27.9) 74.8(23.8) 63.8(17.7) 53.2(11.8) 43.4(6.3) 61.1(16.2)
Daily mean °F (°C) 30.2(−1.0) 32.0(0.0) 38.9(3.8) 49.3(9.6) 59.1(15.1) 68.2(20.1) 74.4(23.6) 73.0(22.8) 65.6(18.7) 54.4(12.4) 44.5(6.9) 35.5(1.9) 52.1(11.2)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 22.1(−5.5) 23.5(−4.7) 30.2(−1.0) 39.6(4.2) 49.2(9.6) 58.8(14.9) 65.2(18.4) 63.9(17.7) 56.5(13.6) 45.1(7.3) 35.8(2.1) 27.6(−2.4) 43.1(6.2)
Mean minimum °F (°C) 4.1(−15.5) 7.4(−13.7) 15.1(−9.4) 28.5(−1.9) 38.1(3.4) 47.2(8.4) 56.2(13.4) 54.3(12.4) 43.1(6.2) 31.7(−0.2) 21.8(−5.7) 12.3(−10.9) 2.0(−16.7)
Record low °F (°C) −13(−25) −17(−27) 1(−17) 11(−12) 29(−2) 39(4) 48(9) 40(4) 32(0) 20(−7) 6(−14) −12(−24) −17(−27)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 3.96(101) 3.44(87) 4.90(124) 4.29(109) 3.37(86) 3.81(97) 2.91(74) 3.59(91) 4.17(106) 4.18(106) 4.27(108) 4.65(118) 47.54(1,208)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 10.3(26) 10.5(27) 6.4(16) 0.6(1.5) 0.0(0.0) 0.0(0.0) 0.0(0.0) 0.0(0.0) 0.0(0.0) 0.2(0.51) 1.0(2.5) 7.6(19) 36.6(93)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 11.2 10.3 11.6 11.7 12.2 10.8 9.3 9.1 9.1 10.2 9.6 11.9 127.0
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) 5.7 5.4 3.7 0.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.6 3.4 19.3
Average relative humidity (%) 63.9 63.0 62.9 61.4 66.6 70.1 71.0 72.5 73.0 70.2 68.9 67.0 67.5
Average dew point °F (°C) 16.3(−8.7) 17.4(−8.1) 25.0(−3.9) 33.1(0.6) 45.0(7.2) 55.6(13.1) 61.5(16.4) 61.0(16.1) 53.8(12.1) 42.6(5.9) 33.3(0.7) 22.1(−5.5) 38.9(3.8)
Mean monthly sunshine hours 171.7 172.6 215.6 225.1 254.9 274.1 290.6 262.8 233.0 208.7 148.0 148.6 2,605.7
Percent possible sunshine 58 58 58 56 57 60 63 61 62 61 50 52 58
Average ultraviolet index 1 2 4 6 7 8 8 8 6 4 2 1 5
Source 1: NOAA (relative humidity, dew point, and sun 1961–1990)[34][35][36]
Source 2: Weather Atlas [37]
Climate data for Providence
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average sea temperature °F (°C) 41.4(5.2) 38.1(3.4) 38.7(3.8) 44.1(6.7) 50.9(10.5) 59.6(15.3) 67.0(19.4) 69.3(20.7) 66.7(19.3) 61.6(16.4) 54.2(12.3) 47.7(8.8) 53.3(11.8)
Source: Weather Atlas [37]

St. Patrick's Day Parade in Scituate, Massachusetts, in Plymouth County, the municipality with the highest percentage identifying Irish ancestry in the United States, at 47.5% in 2010.[38] Irish Americans constitute the largest ethnicity in Greater Boston.

Boston's Chinatown, with its paifang gate, is home to many Chinese and also Vietnamese restaurants.

Boston gay pride march, held annually in June

Greater Boston has a sizable Jewish community, estimated at between 210,000 people,[39][40] and 261,000[41] or 5–6% of the Greater Boston metro population, compared with about 2% for the nation as a whole. Contrary to national trends, the number of Jews in Greater Boston has been growing, fueled by the fact that 60% of children in Jewish mixed-faith families are raised Jewish, compared with roughly one in three nationally.[39] The 2020 PRRI Atlas found that 35% of the Boston metro area identified as Protestant while 26% identified as Catholic.[42]

The City of Boston also has one of the largest LGBT populations per capita. It ranks fifth of all major cities in the country (behind San Francisco, and slightly behind Seattle, Atlanta, and Minneapolis), with 12.3% of the city identifying as gay, lesbian, or bisexual.[43]

County 2021 Estimate 2020 Census Change Area Density
Middlesex County, Massachusetts 1,614,742 1,632,002 −1.06% 817.82 sq mi (2,118.1 km2) 1,974/sq mi (762/km2)
Essex County, Massachusetts 807,074 809,829 −0.34% 492.56 sq mi (1,275.7 km2) 1,639/sq mi (633/km2)
Suffolk County, Massachusetts 771,245 797,936 −3.35% 58.15 sq mi (150.6 km2) 13,263/sq mi (5,121/km2)
Norfolk County, Massachusetts 724,505 725,981 −0.20% 396.11 sq mi (1,025.9 km2) 1,829/sq mi (706/km2)
Plymouth County, Massachusetts 533,003 530,819 +0.41% 659.07 sq mi (1,707.0 km2) 809/sq mi (312/km2)
Rockingham County, New Hampshire 316,947 314,176 +0.88% 694.72 sq mi (1,799.3 km2) 456/sq mi (176/km2)
Strafford County, New Hampshire 132,416 130,889 +1.17% 368.97 sq mi (955.6 km2) 359/sq mi (139/km2)
Total 4,899,932 4,941,642 −0.84% 3,487.40 sq mi (9,032.3 km2) 1,405/sq mi (542/km2)

The 40 most diverse Census tracts in the Boston CSA:[44]

Rank City or neighborhood Census tract Population % White % Black % Hispanic % Asian % multiracial or other
1 Dorchester 916 3,138 12 32 15 26 14
2 Pawtucket 161 4,607 28 24 28 1 18
3 Pawtucket 151 4,472 24 24 29 1 23
4 Pawtucket 164 4,938 29 26 21 2 20
5 Dorchester 912 3,234 30 24 22 6 18
6 Dorchester 92101 6,451 30 22 11 31 6
7 Brockton 5115 4,308 21 32 13 2 32
8 Brockton 511 3,040 28 33 15 1 24
9 New Bedford 6519 1,942 26 11 33 1 29
10 Mission Hill 80801 3,885 32 20 35 10 2
11 Pawtucket 154 2,258 35 20 35 0 11
12 Brockton 5114 3,716 24 36 14 2 23
13 Brockton 5109 2,531 24 36 16 1 24
14 Brockton 5103 3,798 23 38 15 2 24
15 Brockton 5104 3,706 19 38 15 2 25
16 Dorchester 90901 3,730 38 18 21 20 4
17 Worcester 733 3,762 38 10 37 12 4
18 Providence 26 3,098 23 22 39 10 6
19 Malden 3415 4,780 39 23 14 19 5
20 Cambridge 3524 2,126 27 39 16 12 5
21 South End 71202 3,131 39 19 24 15 3
22 Brockton 511301 5,334 39 31 11 2 17
23 Providence 15 2,994 28 13 41 14 4
24 South Boston 61 3,098 41 15 29 11 4
25 Lynn 2072 2,939 30 12 42 13 2
26 Cambridge 3549 6,058 35 30 9 20 5
27 South Boston 61101 2,232 20 21 42 14 2
28 Brockton 5116 7,211 42 29 10 2 16
29 Roxbury 801 3,350 15 43 28 1 11
30 Lowell 3114 5,986 44 11 14 26 5
31 Brockton 5108 6,339 18 44 12 2 22
32 Mission Hill 81001 4,890 45 14 19 19 2
33 Malden 3418 6,554 46 20 13 16 5
34 South Boston 607 1,893 19 20 46 10 5
35 Brockton 5107 5,656 46 31 8 4 11
36 Brockton 5112 4,849 47 26 11 1 13
37 Somerville 351404 4,289 47 7 22 13 11
38 Lynn 2071 3,513 18 11 48 19 3
39 Framingham 383101 4,923 23 10 48 1 18
40 Mission Hill 811 4,091 48 21 15 13 2

The 40 census tracts in the Boston CSA with the highest percentage of residents who identify as Hispanic or Latino:[44]

Rank City or Neighborhood Census Tract Population % Hispanic or Latino
1 Lawrence 2525 3,810 94
2 Lawrence 2509 2,193 93
3 Lawrence 2504 3,858 90
4 Lawrence 2503 2,101 89
5 Lawrence 2513 3,721 89
6 Lawrence 2512 1,356 86
7 Lawrence 2507 4,756 86
8 Lawrence 251 1,782 85
9 Chelsea 1602 4,043 83
10 Lawrence 2506 5,599 83
11 Lawrence 2514 5,053 77
12 Chelsea 160101 7,551 76
13 Lawrence 2501 2,329 75
14 Lawrence 2516 5,977 74
15 Lawrence 2511 2,937 73
16 Lawrence 2502 5,524 72
17 Chelsea 1604 2,716 71
18 Chelsea 160501 5,604 71
19 Providence 16 8,540 70
20 Lawrence 2515 6,149 70
21 Worcester 732001 3,327 67
22 East Boston 506 2,063 67
23 East Boston 502 5,231 66
24 East Boston 507 4,504 65
25 East Boston 50901 4,165 65
26 Providence 2 6,452 64
27 Providence 4 3,761 64
28 Providence 14 6,693 63
29 Providence 5 3,040 63
30 Central Falls 11 5,534 63
31 Lawrence 2508 6,932 63
32 Chelsea 160502 4,460 62
33 Methuen 2524 4,175 62
34 Providence 17 3,744 62
35 Providence 18 7,114 61
36 Central Falls 111 4,176 61
37 East Boston 50101 5,115 61
38 Lawrence 2517 5,145 61
39 Providence 3 7,714 60
40 Central Falls 108 4,763 59

Census tracts in the Boston CSA with the highest percentage of residents who identify as Black American:[44]

Rank City or Neighborhood Census Tract Population % Black
1 Mattapan 101101 3,115 84
2 Mattapan 101102 4,396 84
3 Mattapan 101001 5,480 83
4 Mattapan 1003 3,303 80
5 Mattapan 1002 2,787 78
6 Mattapan 101002 4,979 77
7 Dorchester 923 2,893 77
8 Roxbury 82 2,815 74
9 Roxbury 817 3,820 71
10 Hyde Park 1404 7,650 71
11 Roxbury 901 4,571 71
12 Dorchester 919 3,860 70
13 Dorchester 1004 4,865 68
14 Roxbury 819 3,115 66
15 Roxbury 924 5,277 66
16 Roxbury 818 2,898 65
17 Mattapan 1001 5,510 64
18 Roxbury 815 2,134 62
19 Roxbury 821 5,025 62
20 Roxbury 803 1,769 60
21 Roxbury 903 3,179 58
22 Dorchester 1009 4,072 58
23 Dorchester 1005 5,909 55
24 Hyde Park 1403 6,382 54
25 Dorchester 92 4,945 54
26 Roxbury 902 2,233 53
27 Dorchester 918 3,452 52
28 Roxbury 904 3,659 52
29 Roxbury 814 3,003 50
30 Roxbury 80401 2,710 50
31 Roslindale 140106 1,901 49
32 Dorchester 917 3,069 47
33 Dorchester 914 2,741 46
34 Brockton 5108 6,339 44
35 Roxbury 805 3,096 44
36 Roxbury 801 3,350 43
37 Randolph 420302 7,703 42
38 Roxbury 813 4,760 42
39 Dorchester 922 3,349 42
40 Randolph 420202 6,303 40

Census tracts in the Boston CSA with the highest percentage of residents who identify as Asian American:[44]

Rank City or Neighborhood Census Tract Population % Asian
1 South End 70402 1,723 70
2 Chinatown 702 5,218 58
3 Lowell 3112 3,267 55
4 Lowell 3118 3,513 54
5 Lowell 3117 5,098 47
6 Quincy 417502 4,639 45
7 Quincy 4172 8,182 44
8 Malden 3413 5,439 39
9 Lowell 3113 4,057 38
10 Westborough 742402 3,026 38
11 Quincy 417501 5,004 37
12 Cambridge 353102 5,040 36
13 Quincy 417802 3,150 35
14 Lowell 3111 2,410 34
15 Lowell 3115 2,974 33
16 Dorchester 92101 6,451 31
17 Quincy 417601 5,196 30
18 Fenway–Kenmore 10103 4,569 29
19 Quincy 4180002 7,020 28
20 Quincy 417602 5,155 28
21 Chinatown/Leather District/Downtown 70101 5,902 27
22 Cambridge 3539 7,090 27
23 Lowell 3114 5,986 26
24 Lowell 3116 5,295 26
25 Lowell 3107 4,441 26
26 Quincy 4171 4,264 26
27 Dorchester 916 3,138 26
28 Malden 3412 6,857 25
29 Malden 341102 4,564 25
30 Malden 341101 3,675 25
31 Acton 363102 5,909 25
32 Dorchester 911 4,861 25
33 Allston-Brighton 703 2,791 24
34 Lexington 3583 5,526 24
35 Quincy 418004 4,280 23
36 Brookline 4009 3,865 22
37 Cambridge 3532 4,897 22
38 Cambridge 352101 1,654 22
39 Shrewsbury 7391 9,557 22
40 Westborough 7612 5,780 22

Census tracts in the Boston CSA with the highest percentage of residents who identify as Irish American:[45]

City or Neighborhood Census Tract Population % Irish
South Boston 60101 3,106 68
Milton 416400 6,069 63
Charlestown 040401 2,439 63
Dorchester 1007 4,322 63
South Boston 608 3,964 62
South Boston 604 4,904 61
Milton 416101 5,724 58
Marshfield 506204 4,886 57
Weymouth 422100 5,293 57
Quincy 417801 5,443 55
Hull 500101 3,702 55
Scituate 505101 3,860 55
West Roxbury 130402 4,637 54
Quincy 417400 2,566 53
South Boston 60301 3,076 52
Abington 520100 6,458 52
Braintree 419200 5,002 52
Braintree 419600 6,766 52
Abington 520201 3,952 52
Pembroke 508200 6,031 52

Census tracts in the Boston CSA with the highest percentage of residents who identify as Italian American:[46]

City or Neighborhood Census Tract Population % Italian
Johnston 012402 2,486 63
Cranston 014501 5,179 58
Johnston 012500 5,490 57
Johnston 012200 7,187 57
Providence 011902 4,780 55
Cranston 014800 5,591 55
Saugus 208102 3,343 51
Cranston 014300 4,716 49
Cranston 014600 6,991 49
Cranston 014502 4,096 48
Johnston 012300 6,656 48
Johnston 012401 6,950 48
Stoneham 337102 5,042 45
Stoneham 337202 4,849 45
Revere 170200 4,564 45
Revere 170502 2,818 43
Cranston 013900 2,992 43
Revere 170300 9,040 43
North Providence 012103 2,965 43

Census tracts in the Boston CSA with the highest percentage of residents who identify as Portuguese American:[47]

City or Neighborhood Census Tract Population % Portuguese
New Bedford 652800 3,277 72
Fall River 640600 4,450 69
Dartmouth 653203 5,005 65
New Bedford 652400 2,664 64
New Bedford 652000 2,676 62
Fall River 640500 5,165 60
Fall River 641200 2,803 59
New Bedford 650500 3,141 58
Fall River 640901 5,071 58
New Bedford 650400 3,773 57
New Bedford 652500 2,589 56
East Providence 010400 6,661 55
New Bedford 652300 2,870 54
Fall River 641000 2,419 54
Fall River 640300 3,693 53
Westport 646101 7,356 53
Fall River 640700 2,900 53
Fall River 640400 2,682 53
New Bedford 650101 5,753 53
Fall River 640100 5,358 52

Census tracts in the Boston CSA with French or French Canadian listed as first ancestry:[48]

City or Neighborhood Census Tract Population % French
Woonsocket 018500 2,831 66
Woonsocket 017700 3,518 61
Woonsocket 017500 3,128 59
Woonsocket 017800 2,514 58
Burrillville 013001 3,479 56
North Smithfield 012802 2,391 54
North Smithfield 012803 4,776 53
Burrillville 013002 7,539 53
North Smithfield 012801 4,800 52
Manchester 002300 3,758 52
Woonsocket 017900 3,049 51
Burrillville 012900 4,937 50
Manchester 000202 2,297 49
Manchester 002100 4,782 49
Woonsocket 017600 2,560 49
Manchester 002600 5,746 48
Manchester 002200 3,232 47
Woonsocket 018400 6,527 47
Blackstone 747101 5,110 47
Woonsocket 018000 2,680 46

Largest cities and towns

[edit]

Cities and towns with a population over 50,000 as of the 2020 census include:[49][50][51][52][53]

State capital
State largest city
Rank Name State Population (2020) Population (2010) Change
1. Boston Massachusetts 675,647 617,594 +9.40%
2. Worcester 206,518 181,045 +14.07%
3. Providence Rhode Island 190,934 178,042 +7.24%
4. Cambridge Massachusetts 118,403 105,162 +12.59%
5. Manchester New Hampshire 115,644 109,565 +5.55%
6. Lowell Massachusetts 115,554 106,519 +8.48%
7. Brockton 105,643 93,810 +12.61%
8. Quincy 101,636 92,271 +10.15%
9. Lynn 101,253 90,329 +12.09%
10. New Bedford 101,079 95,072 +6.32%
11. Fall River 94,000 88,857 +5.79%
12. Nashua New Hampshire 91,322 86,494 +5.58%
13. Lawrence Massachusetts 89,143 76,377 +16.71%
14. Newton 88,923 85,146 +4.44%
15. Cranston Rhode Island 82,934 80,387 +3.17%
16. Warwick 82,823 82,672 +0.18%
17. Somerville Massachusetts 81,045 75,754 +6.98%
18. Pawtucket Rhode Island 75,604 71,148 +6.26%
19. Framingham Massachusetts 72,362 68,318 +5.92%
20. Haverhill 67,787 60,879 +11.35%
21. Malden 66,263 59,450 +11.46%
22. Waltham 65,218 60,632 +7.56%
23. Brookline 63,191 58,732 +7.59%
24. Revere 62,186 51,755 +20.15%
25. Plymouth 61,217 56,468 +8.41%
26. Medford 59,659 56,173 +6.21%
27. Taunton 59,408 55,874 +6.32%
28. Weymouth 57,437 53,743 +6.87%
29. Peabody 54,481 51,251 +6.30%
30. Methuen 53,059 47,255 +12.28%

Harvard University, a leading global university, is located in Cambridge, MA in Greater Boston

A long established center of higher education, the area includes many community colleges, two-year schools, and internationally prominent undergraduate and graduate institutions. The graduate schools include highly regarded schools of law, medicine, business, technology, international relations, public health, education, and religion. Greater Boston contains seven R1 Research Institutions as per the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. This is, by far, the highest number of such institutions in a single Metropolitan Statistical Area in the United States.

References:[54][55][56][57]

Bridges and tunnels

[edit]

The MBTA district, with Commuter Rail lines in purple

The first railway line in the United States was in Quincy. See Neponset River.

The following Regional Transit Authorities have bus service that connects with MBTA commuter rail stations:

Ocean transportation

[edit]

The Salem Ferry, 92 ft. Catamaran is photographed approaching its dock off Blaney Street at the Salem Maritime National Historic Site in Salem, Massachusetts, United States.

Club Sport League Stadium Established League titles
Boston Bruins Ice hockey National Hockey League TD Garden (Boston) 1924 6 Stanley Cups7 Eastern Conference Titles
Boston Celtics Basketball National Basketball Association TD Garden (Boston) 1946 18 NBA Championships23 Eastern Conference Titles
Boston Red Sox Baseball Major League Baseball Fenway Park (Boston) 1901 9 MLB World Series Championships14 American League Pennants
New England Patriots Football National Football League Gillette Stadium (Foxboro) 1960 6 Super Bowl Championships11 AFC Championships
New England Revolution Soccer Major League Soccer Gillette Stadium (Foxboro) 1996 1 US Open Cup1 Supporters' Shield
New England Free Jacks Rugby union Major League Rugby Veterans Memorial Stadium (Quincy) 2018 2 MLR Championships

Annual sporting events include:

The Greater Boston League, a high school athletic conference in Massachusetts.

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