Gayest places in Massachusetts research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to research the cities in Massachusetts with the highest percent of same-sex households for 2026. The data comes from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year vintage, which counts same-sex married spouses and same-sex unmarried partners at the city level.
The city with the highest rate of same-sex houesholds in Massachusetts is Northampton. 2.79% of households in Northampton are gay.
The city in Massachusetts with the most same-sex houesholds is Boston with 5,344 gay households.
Massachusetts is the 4th most gay in the United States.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
An estimated 1.32% of Massachusetts residents are gay.
That means there are a total of 36,747 gay households in The Bay State.
Our goal with this post is to use Saturday Night Science and data to determine the gayest cities in Massachusetts.
After analyzing 48 cities with over 1,000 households, we’ve determined these are The Gayest Cities in Massachusetts for 2026.
The 10 Gayest Places In Massachusetts For 2026
What’s the gayest place in Massachusetts? According to the facts, Northampton is the gayest place in Massachusetts for 2026.
For more on how we calculated the top ten, and for more information about these places, read on.
For more Massachusetts reading, check out:
- Gayest cities in the United States
- Best Places To Live In Massachusetts
- Cheapest Places To Live In Massachusetts
- Most Dangerous Cities In Massachusetts
The 10 Gayest Cities In Massachusetts For 2026
/10
Households: 13,467
Gay Households: 376 (16th highest)
% Gay Households: 2.79% (1st highest)
More on Northampton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Households: 20,267
Gay Households: 469 (10th highest)
% Gay Households: 2.31% (2nd highest)
More on Salem: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Households: 25,498
Gay Households: 558 (8th highest)
% Gay Households: 2.19% (3rd highest)
More on Waltham: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Households: 49,444
Gay Households: 1,004 (2nd highest)
% Gay Households: 2.03% (4th highest)
More on Cambridge: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Households: 5,496
Gay Households: 109 (42nd highest)
% Gay Households: 1.98% (5th highest)
More on Palmer Town: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Households: 16,432
Gay Households: 322 (23rd highest)
% Gay Households: 1.96% (6th highest)
More on Woburn: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Households: 26,042
Gay Households: 506 (9th highest)
% Gay Households: 1.94% (7th highest)
More on Malden: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Households: 16,980
Gay Households: 328 (22nd highest)
% Gay Households: 1.93% (8th highest)
More on Beverly: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Households: 7,899
Gay Households: 152 (35th highest)
% Gay Households: 1.92% (9th highest)
More on Winthrop Town: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Households: 35,715
Gay Households: 679 (5th highest)
% Gay Households: 1.9% (10th highest)
More on Somerville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
How do you determine the best cities for same-sex households in Massachusetts for 2026
In order to rank the gayest cities in Massachusetts, we used Saturday Night Science and the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the U.S. Census. We looked at:
- Percentage of all households that are unmarried, same sex partners
We limited the analysis to non-CDPs that have over 1,000 households.
We ranked each place from 1 to 48 with the city containing the highest percentage of unmarried, same sex partners households being the most gay.
In the end, ended up being the the most gay place with 2.79% gay households.
Skip to the end to see the list of all the places in the state from gayest to straighest.
We updated this report for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the gayest places in Massachusetts.
There You Have It – The Most LGBT Friendly Cities In Massachusetts For 2026
If you’re looking at the number of gay households in Massachusetts, this is an accurate list.
The gayest cities in Massachusetts are .
If you’re curious enough, here are the least gay places in Massachusetts:
- Brockton
- Gardner
- Southbridge Town
For more Massachusetts reading, check out:
- Richest Cities In Massachusetts
- Safest Places In Massachusetts
- Worst Places To Live In Massachusetts
- Most Expensive Places To Live In Massachusetts
Table: Gayest Places To Live In Massachusetts
| Rank | City | Households | % Gay Households |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northampton | 13,467 | 2.79% |
| 2 | Salem | 20,267 | 2.31% |
| 3 | Waltham | 25,498 | 2.19% |
| 4 | Cambridge | 49,444 | 2.03% |
| 5 | Palmer Town | 5,496 | 1.98% |
| 6 | Woburn | 16,432 | 1.96% |
| 7 | Malden | 26,042 | 1.94% |
| 8 | Beverly | 16,980 | 1.93% |
| 9 | Winthrop Town | 7,899 | 1.92% |
| 10 | Somerville | 35,715 | 1.9% |
| 11 | Boston | 283,374 | 1.89% |
| 12 | Fall River | 41,991 | 1.83% |
| 13 | Melrose | 12,401 | 1.73% |
| 14 | Medford | 24,339 | 1.64% |
| 15 | Haverhill | 26,545 | 1.62% |
| 16 | Weymouth Town | 25,759 | 1.56% |
| 17 | Revere | 22,178 | 1.55% |
| 18 | Newburyport | 8,107 | 1.48% |
| 19 | Taunton | 24,063 | 1.42% |
| 20 | Holyoke | 15,618 | 1.39% |
| 21 | Quincy | 45,285 | 1.32% |
| 22 | Pittsfield | 19,510 | 1.24% |
| 23 | Worcester | 79,501 | 1.21% |
| 24 | Lawrence | 31,142 | 1.2% |
| 25 | Lynn | 36,414 | 1.2% |
| 26 | Fitchburg | 16,659 | 1.17% |
| 27 | Springfield | 57,772 | 1.07% |
| 28 | Everett | 17,466 | 1.06% |
| 29 | Lowell | 43,183 | 1.03% |
| 30 | Gloucester | 13,444 | 1.03% |
| 31 | Newton | 32,194 | 1.03% |
| 32 | Barnstable Town | 21,413 | 0.99% |
| 33 | Attleboro | 17,933 | 0.93% |
| 34 | Westfield | 15,822 | 0.9% |
| 35 | Chicopee | 24,424 | 0.9% |
| 36 | Franklin Town | 12,370 | 0.86% |
| 37 | New Bedford | 42,271 | 0.85% |
| 38 | Peabody | 22,390 | 0.84% |
| 39 | Leominster | 18,483 | 0.84% |
| 40 | Chelsea | 13,716 | 0.8% |
| 41 | Braintree Town | 14,432 | 0.78% |
| 42 | Marlborough | 16,665 | 0.76% |
| 43 | North Adams | 5,948 | 0.76% |
| 44 | West Springfield Town | 12,732 | 0.75% |
| 45 | Agawam Town | 11,979 | 0.72% |
| 46 | Southbridge Town | 7,260 | 0.65% |
| 47 | Gardner | 8,940 | 0.48% |
| 48 | Brockton | 36,042 | 0.48% |