Most Asian cities in Massachusetts research summary. We analyzed Massachusetts’s most recent Census data to determine the most Asian cities in Massachusetts based on the percentage of Asian residents.
29.1% Asian · #1 most Asian in Massachusetts
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
28.1% Asian · #2 most Asian in Massachusetts
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
22.2% Asian · #3 most Asian in Massachusetts
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
22.0% Asian · #4 most Asian in Massachusetts
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
20.2% Asian · #5 most Asian in Massachusetts
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
17.4% Asian · #6 most Asian in Massachusetts
Located in
Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Newton is a suburban city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is approximately 7 miles west of downtown Boston and is bordered by Boston’s Brighton and West Roxbury neighborhoods to the east and south, respectively, and by the suburb of Brookline to the east, the suburbs of Watertown and Waltham to the north, and Wellesley and Needham to the west. Rather than having a single city center, Newton resembles a patchwork of thirteen villages. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Newton was 85,146, making it the eleventh largest city in the state.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
13.0% Asian · #7 most Asian in Massachusetts
Located in
Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Medford is a city 3.2 miles northwest of downtown Boston on the Mystic River in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. In the 2010 U.S. Census, Medford’s population was 56,173. It is home to Tufts University.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
12.6% Asian · #8 most Asian in Massachusetts
Located in
Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Waltham is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, and was an early center for the labor movement as well as a major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, the city was a prototype for 19th century industrial city planning, spawning what became known as the Waltham-Lowell system of labor and production. The city is now a center for research and higher education, home to Brandeis University and Bentley University. The population was 60,636 at the census in 2010.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
11.5% Asian · #9 most Asian in Massachusetts
Located in
Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Somerville is a city located directly to the northwest of Boston, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of 2010, the United States Census lists the city with a total population of 75,754 people, making it the most densely populated municipality in New England. As of 2010, it was the 16th most densely populated incorporated municipality in the country. Somerville was established as a town in 1842, when it was separated from Charlestown. In 2006, the town was named the best-run city in Massachusetts by the Boston Globe. In 1972, in 2009, and again in 2015, the city received the All-America City Award.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
11.0% Asian · #10 most Asian in Massachusetts
Located in
Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Melrose is a city located in the Greater Boston metropolitan area in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Its population as per the 2010 United States Census is 26,983. It is a suburb located approximately seven miles north of Boston and is situated in the center of the triangle created by Interstates 93, 95 and US Route 1.
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 Asian communities live
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In Massachusetts With The Largest Asian Population For 2026
We used Saturday Night Science to compare Census data on race across every place in Massachusetts.
The Census’s most recently available data comes from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey.
Specifically, we looked at table B03002: Hispanic OR LATINO ORIGIN BY RACE. Here are the category names as defined by the Census:
- Hispanic or Latino
- White alone*
- Black or African American alone*
- American Indian and Alaska Native alone*
- Asian alone*
- Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone*
- Some other race alone*
- Two or more races*
Our particular column of interest here was the number of people who identified as Asian alone.
We limited our analysis to cities with a population greater than 12,000 people. That left us with 48 cities.
We then calculated the percentage of residents that are Asian. The percentages ranked from 29.1% to 0.0%.
Finally, we ranked each city based on the percentage of Asian population, with a higher percentage being more Asian. Quincy took the distinction of being the most Asian, while Palmer Town was the least Asian city.
We updated this article for 2026. This report reflects our eleventh time ranking the cities in Massachusetts with the largest Asian population.
The full plate
Cities In Massachusetts By Asian Population
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Asian Population | % Asian |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quincy | 102,114 | 29,748 | 29.1% |
| 2 | Malden | 65,906 | 18,520 | 28.1% |
| 3 | Braintree Town | 38,899 | 8,630 | 22.2% |
| 4 | Lowell | 118,368 | 26,021 | 22.0% |
| 5 | Cambridge | 118,796 | 24,049 | 20.2% |
| 6 | Newton | 89,044 | 15,454 | 17.4% |
| 7 | Medford | 59,354 | 7,743 | 13.0% |
| 8 | Waltham | 64,902 | 8,189 | 12.6% |
| 9 | Somerville | 81,036 | 9,327 | 11.5% |
| 10 | Melrose | 29,650 | 3,251 | 11.0% |
| 11 | Boston | 666,442 | 68,354 | 10.3% |
| 12 | Everett | 50,045 | 4,111 | 8.2% |
| 13 | Woburn | 41,939 | 3,365 | 8.0% |
| 14 | Weymouth Town | 58,505 | 4,599 | 7.9% |
| 15 | West Springfield Town | 28,772 | 2,109 | 7.3% |
| 16 | Worcester | 207,055 | 14,815 | 7.2% |
| 17 | Lynn | 101,709 | 6,258 | 6.2% |
| 18 | Franklin Town | 33,154 | 1,984 | 6.0% |
| 19 | Marlborough | 41,647 | 2,214 | 5.3% |
| 20 | Attleboro | 46,762 | 2,013 | 4.3% |
| 21 | Revere | 60,012 | 2,511 | 4.2% |
| 22 | North Adams | 12,606 | 500 | 4.0% |
| 23 | Northampton | 30,962 | 1,177 | 3.8% |
| 24 | Salem | 44,795 | 1,502 | 3.4% |
| 25 | Leominster | 43,909 | 1,378 | 3.1% |
| 26 | Westfield | 40,378 | 1,251 | 3.1% |
| 27 | Fall River | 94,082 | 2,560 | 2.7% |
| 28 | Springfield | 154,749 | 4,103 | 2.7% |
| 29 | Peabody | 54,695 | 1,352 | 2.5% |
| 30 | Gardner | 21,148 | 514 | 2.4% |
| 31 | Brockton | 105,386 | 2,490 | 2.4% |
| 32 | Southbridge Town | 17,928 | 418 | 2.3% |
| 33 | Fitchburg | 41,798 | 953 | 2.3% |
| 34 | Chelsea | 39,908 | 832 | 2.1% |
| 35 | Agawam Town | 28,539 | 545 | 1.9% |
| 36 | Taunton | 60,433 | 1,141 | 1.9% |
| 37 | Chicopee | 55,295 | 992 | 1.8% |
| 38 | Gloucester | 30,075 | 509 | 1.7% |
| 39 | Beverly | 42,665 | 715 | 1.7% |
| 40 | Lawrence | 88,736 | 1,477 | 1.7% |
| 41 | Winthrop Town | 18,759 | 268 | 1.4% |
| 42 | Haverhill | 67,698 | 943 | 1.4% |
| 43 | Pittsfield | 43,457 | 557 | 1.3% |
| 44 | New Bedford | 100,998 | 1,271 | 1.3% |
| 45 | Barnstable Town | 49,568 | 523 | 1.1% |
| 46 | Newburyport | 18,652 | 170 | 0.9% |
| 47 | Holyoke | 37,813 | 326 | 0.9% |
| 48 | Palmer Town | 12,381 | 0 | 0.0% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 48 cities with more than 12,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Asian Populations Across Massachusetts
If you’re looking for a breakdown of Asian populations across Massachusetts according to the most recent data, this is an accurate list.
The most Asian cities in Massachusetts are Quincy, Malden, Braintree Town, Lowell, Cambridge, Newton, Medford, Waltham, Somerville, and Melrose. Not sold on Massachusetts? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Most Asian Cities In Massachusetts FAQs
What is the most Asian city in Massachusetts?
Quincy is the most Asian city in Massachusetts for 2026, at 29.1% of residents. Malden and Braintree Town are next.
What cities in Massachusetts have the largest Asian population?
The Massachusetts cities with the largest Asian population shares are Quincy, Malden, Braintree Town, Lowell, Cambridge, Newton, Medford, Waltham, Somerville, and Melrose. We ranked all 48 places with more than 12,000 residents.
What percent of Quincy is Asian?
Asian residents make up 29.1% of Quincy, the highest share of the 48 Massachusetts places we measured. The numbers come from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.
What is the least Asian city in Massachusetts?
Palmer Town is the least Asian city in Massachusetts, at 0.0%. It sits at the opposite end of the same ranking.
Where does this data come from?
Every share is calculated from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020-2024), based on residents identifying as Asian alone. We rank each Massachusetts place with more than 12,000 residents.
