Is being in an area of Massachusetts that’s growing quickly a good thing or a bad thing?
Depends on who you ask.
Some want bigger, more exciting cities like Boston and Worcester, while others want peace and quiet like in Palmer Town and North Adams, thank you very much.
But today, we’re going to put opinions aside and look at the cold, hard facts — since 2010, which cities in Massachusetts have grown the fastest.
After getting knee-deep in the Census’s American Community Survey using Saturday Night Science, we emerged with this set of cities in the Bay State that have people climbing over each other to get in.
23.4% growth since 2010 · 9,485 net new residents
Located in
Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Everett is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, 4 miles north of Boston. The population was 41,668 at the time of the 2010 United States Census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
20.0% growth since 2010 · 10,004 net new residents
Located in
Suffolk County, Massachusetts
Revere is a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States, located approximately 5 miles from downtown Boston. It is named after the American Revolutionary War patriot Paul Revere. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city has a population of 51,755 inhabitants.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
18.0% growth since 2010 · 13,559 net new residents
Located in
Essex County, Massachusetts
Lawrence is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, on the Merrimack River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 76,377, which had risen to an estimated 78,197 as of 2014. Surrounding communities include Methuen to the north, Andover to the southwest, and North Andover to the southeast. Lawrence and Salem are the county seats of Essex County. Lawrence is part of the Merrimack Valley.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
15.6% growth since 2010 · 5,376 net new residents
Located in
Suffolk County, Massachusetts
Chelsea is a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States, directly across the Mystic River from the city of Boston. As of 2013, Chelsea had an estimated population of 36,828. It is also the second most densely populated city in Massachusetts behind Somerville. With a total area of just 2.21 square miles, Chelsea is the smallest city in Massachusetts in terms of total area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
15.0% growth since 2010 · 27,061 net new residents
Located in
Worcester County, Massachusetts
Worcester pronunciation is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city’s population was 181,045, making it the second most populous city in New England after Boston. Worcester is located approximately 40 miles west of Boston, 50 miles east of Springfield and 40 miles north of Providence. Due to its location in Central Massachusetts, Worcester is known as the “Heart of the Commonwealth”, thus, a heart is the official symbol of the city. However, the heart symbol may also have its provenance in lore that the mass-produced Valentine’s Day card was invented in the city.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
14.8% growth since 2010 · 15,290 net new residents
Located in
Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, and part of the Boston metropolitan area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
13.5% growth since 2010 · 12,084 net new residents
Located in
Essex County, Massachusetts
Lynn is the 9th largest municipality in Massachusetts and the largest city in Essex County. Situated on the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 10 miles north of downtown Boston, Lynn is part of Greater Boston’s urban inner core. An early colonial settlement and industrial center, Lynn was long colloquially referred to as the “City of Sin,” owing to its historic reputation for crime and vice. Today, however, the city is known for its large international population, historic architecture, downtown cultural district, loft-style apartments, and public parks and open spaces, which include the oceanfront Lynn Shore Reservation; the 2,200-acre, Frederick Law Olmsted-designed Lynn Woods Reservation; and the High Rock Tower Reservation. The city also is home to the southernmost portion of the Essex Coastal Scenic Byway, Lynn Heritage State Park, and the National Register-listed Diamond Historic District.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
13.3% growth since 2010 · 7,726 net new residents
Located in
Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Malden is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the time of the 2010 United States Census, the population was at 59,450 people. In 2009, Malden was named the “Best Place to Raise Your Kids” in Massachusetts by Bloomberg Businessweek.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
12.6% growth since 2010 · 13,279 net new residents
Located in
Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Lowell is a city in the U.S. Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Located in Middlesex County, Lowell was a county seat until Massachusetts disbanded county government in 1999. With an estimated population of 109,945 in 2014, it is the fourth-largest city in Massachusetts, and the second-largest in the Boston metropolitan statistical area. The city is also part of a smaller Massachusetts statistical area called Greater Lowell, as well as New England’s Merrimack Valley region.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
12.5% growth since 2010 · 11,334 net new residents
Located in
Norfolk County, Massachusetts
Quincy is the largest city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a major part of Metropolitan Boston and is Boston’s immediate southern suburb. Its population in 2014 was 93,397, making it the 8th-largest city in the state. Known as the “City of Presidents,” Quincy is the birthplace of two U.S. presidents – John Adams and his son John Quincy Adams – as well as John Hancock, a President of the Continental Congress and the first signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Massachusetts’s statewide median.
On the map
Where Massachusetts’s growth is happening
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Measured The Fastest Growing Cities In the Bay State for 2026
To figure out which cities are growing the most, we used Saturday Night Science to look at the growth rates for cities since the beginning of the decade, according to the American Community Survey put out by the census every year. Specifically:
- Current Population
- Population in 2010
- Growth rate from 2010 to Current (the latest available data, which came out in Dec 2024)
We ranked all 48 Massachusetts cities with a population over 12,000 people from highest growth rate to lowest.
The city with the highest growth rate during this time was crowned the fastest-growing city in the Bay State.
And for those of you who are a little rusty with their statistics, you can calculate the growth rate by the following formula: [Current Population – Population 2010] / [Population 2010].
The data has been updated for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the fastest growing cities in Massachusetts.
The full plate
Fastest Growing Places In Massachusetts For 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Population 2010 | Growth | Absolute Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Everett | 50,045 | 40,560 | 23.4% | 9,485 |
| 2 | Revere | 60,012 | 50,008 | 20.0% | 10,004 |
| 3 | Lawrence | 88,736 | 75,177 | 18.0% | 13,559 |
| 4 | Chelsea | 39,908 | 34,532 | 15.6% | 5,376 |
| 5 | Worcester | 207,055 | 179,994 | 15.0% | 27,061 |
| 6 | Cambridge | 118,796 | 103,506 | 14.8% | 15,290 |
| 7 | Lynn | 101,709 | 89,625 | 13.5% | 12,084 |
| 8 | Malden | 65,906 | 58,180 | 13.3% | 7,726 |
| 9 | Lowell | 118,368 | 105,089 | 12.6% | 13,279 |
| 10 | Quincy | 102,114 | 90,780 | 12.5% | 11,334 |
| 11 | Haverhill | 67,698 | 60,203 | 12.4% | 7,495 |
| 12 | Brockton | 105,386 | 93,869 | 12.3% | 11,517 |
| 13 | Woburn | 41,939 | 37,538 | 11.7% | 4,401 |
| 14 | Melrose | 29,650 | 26,704 | 11.0% | 2,946 |
| 15 | Braintree Town | 38,899 | 35,122 | 10.8% | 3,777 |
| 16 | Boston | 666,442 | 602,609 | 10.6% | 63,833 |
| 17 | Marlborough | 41,647 | 37,674 | 10.5% | 3,973 |
| 18 | Weymouth Town | 58,505 | 53,342 | 9.7% | 5,163 |
| 19 | Salem | 44,795 | 40,964 | 9.4% | 3,831 |
| 20 | Waltham | 64,902 | 59,771 | 8.6% | 5,131 |
| 21 | Beverly | 42,665 | 39,351 | 8.4% | 3,314 |
| 22 | Peabody | 54,695 | 50,455 | 8.4% | 4,240 |
| 23 | Winthrop Town | 18,759 | 17,311 | 8.4% | 1,448 |
| 24 | Barnstable Town | 49,568 | 45,775 | 8.3% | 3,793 |
| 25 | Taunton | 60,433 | 55,954 | 8.0% | 4,479 |
| 26 | Newburyport | 18,652 | 17,288 | 7.9% | 1,364 |
| 27 | Attleboro | 46,762 | 43,355 | 7.9% | 3,407 |
| 28 | Northampton | 30,962 | 28,709 | 7.8% | 2,253 |
| 29 | Somerville | 81,036 | 75,215 | 7.7% | 5,821 |
| 30 | Leominster | 43,909 | 40,941 | 7.2% | 2,968 |
| 31 | Medford | 59,354 | 55,451 | 7.0% | 3,903 |
| 32 | Franklin Town | 33,154 | 31,023 | 6.9% | 2,131 |
| 33 | Southbridge Town | 17,928 | 16,851 | 6.4% | 1,077 |
| 34 | New Bedford | 100,998 | 94,945 | 6.4% | 6,053 |
| 35 | Newton | 89,044 | 83,949 | 6.1% | 5,095 |
| 36 | Fall River | 94,082 | 89,482 | 5.1% | 4,600 |
| 37 | Gloucester | 30,075 | 28,893 | 4.1% | 1,182 |
| 38 | Fitchburg | 41,798 | 40,214 | 3.9% | 1,584 |
| 39 | Gardner | 21,148 | 20,386 | 3.7% | 762 |
| 40 | West Springfield Town | 28,772 | 28,287 | 1.7% | 485 |
| 41 | Palmer Town | 12,381 | 12,196 | 1.5% | 185 |
| 42 | Springfield | 154,749 | 152,906 | 1.2% | 1,843 |
| 43 | Agawam Town | 28,539 | 28,383 | 0.5% | 156 |
| 44 | Chicopee | 55,295 | 55,165 | 0.2% | 130 |
| 45 | Westfield | 40,378 | 40,974 | -1.5% | -596 |
| 46 | Pittsfield | 43,457 | 44,788 | -3.0% | -1,331 |
| 47 | Holyoke | 37,813 | 39,885 | -5.2% | -2,072 |
| 48 | North Adams | 12,606 | 13,851 | -9.0% | -1,245 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS, 2010-current. 48 Massachusetts cities with more than 12,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: These Places Grew Up So Fast In Massachusetts, You Know?
So there you have it, the fastest growing cities in Massachusetts are led by Everett which has been growing at a blistering pace this decade relative to other cities and towns around the state.
The fastest-growing cities in Massachusetts are Everett, Revere, Lawrence, Chelsea, Worcester, Cambridge, Lynn, Malden, Lowell, and Quincy.
It’ll be interesting to see if these places can keep growing at the same rate over the next couple of years. We’ll be here to let you know!
