The 10 Massachusetts Cities With The Largest Asian Population For 2023


We used data and science to determine the cities in Massachusetts with the largest Asian population.

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Across most of America, the African American and Hispanic communities comprise "most of the minority". We're not totally sure that's a term, but it's an accurate reflection of the state of race in America.

Asians are a "minority of the minority", generally. But not everywhere.

There are now over 17 million people who identify as Asian living in America, making up 5.6% of the total population. According to the most recent American Community Survey, the Asian population in Massachusetts is 477,667 - at 6.8% of the total population of Massachusetts.

And, unlike African Americans that fall under one group in the Census, Asian Americans have many sub-groups -- Chinese, Filipino, and Indian being the three largest sub-groups.

So, what how does the Asian population stratify across Massachusetts? Which cities and towns in Massachusetts have seen the greatest increase in their Asian population?

Here are the cities in Massachusetts with the largest Asian population in 2023:

  1. Quincy
  2. Malden
  3. Lowell
  4. Braintree Town
  5. Cambridge
  6. Newton
  7. Waltham
  8. Watertown Town
  9. Medford
  10. Boston

Which city in Massachusetts had the largest Asian population? Quincy took the number one over all spot for the largest Asian in Massachusetts for 2023. 29.84% of Quincy identify as Asian.

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked.

To see where Massachusetts ranked as a state on diversity, we have a ranking of the most diverse states in America.

And if you already knew these places were Asian, check out the best places to live in Massachusetts or the most diverse places in Massachusetts.

The 10 Most Asian Cities In Massachusetts For 2023

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 100,544
% Asian: 29.84%
# Of Asian Residents: 30,002
Percent Change Since 2010: 46.32%
More on Quincy: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Quincy, MA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 65,602
% Asian: 27.03%
# Of Asian Residents: 17,735
Percent Change Since 2010: 59.72%
More on Malden: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Malden, MA

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 114,804
% Asian: 22.18%
# Of Asian Residents: 25,461
Percent Change Since 2010: 22.31%
More on Lowell: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Lowell, MA

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 38,712
% Asian: 19.69%
# Of Asian Residents: 7,624
Percent Change Since 2010: 213.23%
More on Braintree Town: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Braintree Town, MA

Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 116,892
% Asian: 18.22%
# Of Asian Residents: 21,293
Percent Change Since 2010: 51.91%
More on Cambridge: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Cambridge, MA

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 88,647
% Asian: 14.96%
# Of Asian Residents: 13,261
Percent Change Since 2010: 46.32%
More on Newton: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Newton, MA

Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 64,655
% Asian: 12.11%
# Of Asian Residents: 7,828
Percent Change Since 2010: 16.21%
More on Waltham: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Waltham, MA

Overall SnackAbility

7.5
/10

Population: 35,171
% Asian: 11.94%
# Of Asian Residents: 4,200
Percent Change Since 2010: 107.92%
More on Watertown Town: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Watertown Town, MA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 60,708
% Asian: 10.52%
# Of Asian Residents: 6,386
Percent Change Since 2010: 59.01%
More on Medford: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Medford, MA

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 672,814
% Asian: 9.59%
# Of Asian Residents: 64,505
Percent Change Since 2010: 20.28%
More on Boston: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Boston, MA

Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In Massachusetts With The Largest Asian Population For 2023

We still believe in the accuracy of data -- especially from the census. So that's where we went to get the breakdown of race across Massachusetts.

That lead us to the Census's most recently available data, the 2017-2021 American Community Survey data from the US Census.

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*
* Not Hispanic or latino

Our particular column of interest here was the number of people who identified as Asian alone.

We limited our analysis to non-CDPs with a population greater than 12,000 people. That left us with 52 cities.

We then calculated the percent of residents that are Asian. The percentages ranked from 29.8% to 0.8%.

Finally, we ranked each city based on the percent of Asian population with a higher score being more Asian than a lower score. Quincy took the distinction of being the most Asian, while Holyoke was the least Asian city. You can download the data here.

Read on for more information on how the cities in Massachusetts ranked by population of Asian residents or, for a more general take on diversity in America, head over to our ranking of the most diverse cities in America.

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.

If you're curious enough, here are the least Asian places in Massachusetts:

  1. Holyoke
  2. Southbridge Town
  3. Barnstable Town

For more Massachusetts reading, check out:

Table: Asian Population By City In Massachusetts

Rank City % Asian Population
1 Quincy 29.84% 100,544
2 Malden 27.03% 65,602
3 Lowell 22.18% 114,804
4 Braintree Town 19.69% 38,712
5 Cambridge 18.22% 116,892
6 Newton 14.96% 88,647
7 Waltham 12.11% 64,655
8 Watertown Town 11.94% 35,171
9 Medford 10.52% 60,708
10 Boston 9.59% 672,814
11 Woburn 9.55% 40,967
12 Somerville 9.3% 80,608
13 Melrose 8.28% 29,567
14 Everett 8.15% 48,368
15 Weymouth Town 7.02% 57,217
16 Worcester 6.76% 203,867
17 Franklin Town 6.22% 33,057
18 Marlborough 5.22% 41,505
19 Revere 5.09% 60,720
20 West Springfield Town 4.89% 28,814
21 Lynn 4.81% 100,233
22 Methuen Town 4.44% 52,536
23 Westfield 3.95% 40,922
24 North Adams 3.8% 13,024
25 Leominster 3.52% 43,478
26 Chelsea 3.51% 40,025
27 Northampton 3.49% 29,379
28 Gardner 3.11% 21,183
29 Salem 3.05% 44,452
30 Attleboro 2.68% 46,146
31 Fall River 2.66% 93,339
32 Springfield 2.65% 155,770
33 Agawam Town 2.32% 28,715
34 Beverly 2.02% 42,448
35 Brockton 1.92% 104,216
36 Easthampton Town 1.87% 16,120
37 Taunton 1.79% 59,076
38 Chicopee 1.71% 55,636
39 Palmer Town 1.7% 12,434
40 Lawrence 1.65% 87,798
41 Gloucester 1.6% 29,814
42 Haverhill 1.56% 67,093
43 Winthrop Town 1.53% 19,088
44 Newburyport 1.48% 18,282
45 Fitchburg 1.42% 41,796
46 New Bedford 1.41% 100,309
47 Pittsfield 1.35% 43,890
48 Peabody 1.34% 54,200
49 Amesbury Town 1.05% 17,286
50 Barnstable Town 0.85% 48,556
51 Southbridge Town 0.8% 17,643
52 Holyoke 0.75% 38,480

How Is The Area In ?

Editor's Note: We updated this article for 2023. This is our tenth time ranking the cities in Massachusetts with the largest Asian population.

About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.