Massachusetts

Immigration, fertility drops show Massachusetts losing people

Published

2 weeks ago

February 15, 2026

Immigration, fertility drops show Massachusetts losing people

BOSTON — On the heels of federal estimates that reflect slowing population growth in Massachusetts, an expert on the topic cited dropping international immigration levels and long-term fertility trends as she told lawmakers that the drain could get even worse.

Immigration accounts for the biggest change in the state and nation’s population growth rate, Susan Strate, senior program manager for the UMass Donahue Institute’s Population Estimates Program, said Tuesday.

U.S. Census estimates released in January suggest Massachusetts’ population increased by about 0.2% between July 1, 2024 to July 1, 2025, to 7,154,084. The figure represents a slowdown in population growth compared to the previous year-over-year period, when Massachusetts saw its largest population increase in 60 years, almost 1%, between 2023 and 2024. It was fueled largely by high immigration levels.

Estimated net international immigration rates fell in Massachusetts in July 2025 to 40,240, compared to July 2024 at 77,957, Strate said. The Census Bureau named “a historic decline in net international migration” as the cause of slower overall U.S. population growth, showing a year-over-year increase of .5%.

Population growth is critical for any state but in Massachusetts in particular immigrants have played a major role across sectors over the years, helping to boost an economy where high living costs can deter new arrivals and cause longtime residents to look out of state for more affordable lifestyles.

The recent estimate captured six months during the Biden administration, and six months under the administration of President Donald Trump, Sen. Will Brownsberger, D-Boston, noted while chairing a Senate Committee on the Census hearing. He asked Strate whether the majority of those 40,000 immigrants came to Massachusetts during the first half of that timeframe.

“I’d hesitate to put numbers on it,” Strate said. “I’m not an expert on federal policy, but as you know — mass deportations, and also this kind of, death by a thousand paper cuts, where a lot of the administrative processes for people are getting much harder, much more difficult to navigate, a lot more barriers being put up.”

“Absolutely, we would expect that number to continue to drop,” Strate added, referring to the state’s net international immigration figure.

The Trump administration has accelerated deportations and taken actions that will “secure” U.S. borders and “end illegal immigration,” according to the Department of Homeland Security. The administration has escalated federal immigration enforcement tactics since the recent estimates’ cutoff in July 2025, and there are no signs that the approach will change in the nearly three years remaining on the president’s term.

Net immigration into Massachusetts has historically offset domestic outmigration. That held true in July 2025 estimates, which show that year-over-year immigration estimates still outweighed the estimated 33,340 people who left the state for other parts of the U.S., according to the Donahue Institute.

“Absent immigration, Massachusetts would already be losing population,” the Boston-based Pioneer Institute’s Economic Research Associate Aidan Enright said in a policy brief responding to the Census estimates. “Domestic out-migration rose again in 2025, and that’s a clear signal that the state is becoming less competitive as a place to live, work, and do business.”

Pioneer is among several groups that continue to warn about outmigration and are backing two tax-related ballot measures that could go before voters in November. Pioneer on Thursday released a report suggesting that domestic outmigration is “hollowing out” the state’s workforce and economy. The report also suggested Massachusetts lost an estimated 182,000 residents to net domestic outmigration from 2020 through 2025.

“We have sustained population growth entirely based on international migration,” Brownsberger told the News Service. “Over the past 12 months, international immigration has slowed to a trickle as a result of federal policy changes. That means that our projections of future population growth and future household formation need to be reviewed. All of our existing projections are based on immigration rates which are no longer to be expected.”

“It’s also hard to imagine the immigration trends will suddenly reverse, even if we have different policies coming from Washington,” the Boston Democrat added.

In longer-term projections, Strate tied fertility rates into the mix. The median age of millennials was about 34 years old in 2025, Strate said, and the peak fertility cohort is aged 30 to 34 years old in Massachusetts.

“For the next 10 years, the folks who are aged 20-to-24 now will be aged 30-to-34, so they will be passing through that higher fertility period. But then kind of looking forward 20 years, to 2045, there’s no next wave of large population coming behind them,” Strate said.

Population projections begin to start falling after 2035, she said, in part because the population aging into that fertile group is smaller. The combination of baby boomers aging, and millennials passing through fertile range is a “perfect storm” for increased death and declining birth rates, Strate added.

Declining immigration will reduce births even further in Massachusetts, she said, referring to 2024 American Community Survey data measuring births by year and mother’s nativity.

“I think it’s quite striking that by 2024, about 38% of all of the births in Massachusetts are to mothers who were born outside of the U.S. So you can kind of imagine if immigration continues to fall off, that births will also be undercut to the tune of 38% or more going forward,” Strate said.

Concerns about reaching immigrant communities for the Census have already been reflected upon by Brownsberger, and Secretary of State William F. Galvin recently cited concerns about “efforts now underway to limit the process and procedures for the count” in a reelection message.

While those count concerns and immigration projections are different issues, they’re linked in that they’re both a consequence of federal policy, Brownsberger said. It will be harder to count immigration populations, and those populations will be smaller, he said.

“The challenge in the 2030 census count is to include marginalized populations, especially immigrant populations,” Brownsberger said. “That’s always a challenge, but the events of the last 12 months have enormously reduced trust in immigrant communities and they’re less likely to stand up to be counted in the 2030 Census.”

Ella Adams is a reporter for the State House News Service and State Affairs Massachusetts. Reach her at ella.adams@statehousenews.com.

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Massachusetts

Crews battle fire at Townsend home

Published

7 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

A fire broke out Sunday morning in Townsend, Massachusetts.

The Townsend Fire department said shortly before 7 a.m. that firefighters were on scene for a structure fire on Dudley Road.

People have been asked to avoid the area.

The Massachusetts Department of Fire Services said state police fire investigators assigned to the state fire marshal’s office are responding to assist the Townsend Fire Department.

There was no immediate word on any injuries, or any information on what caused the fire. It’s also unclear if the large snow piles in the area impeded access to fire hydrants, as was the case at the house explosion in Taunton last week.

This developing story will be updated when we learn more

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Massachusetts

Eight high school takeaways from the midst of the state tournaments, plus a new Attleboro football coach – The Boston Globe

Published

19 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Eight high school takeaways from the midst of the state tournaments, plus a new Attleboro football coach – The Boston Globe

Throw in Newton North winning its first state gymnastics title in 54 years, two Natick runners (and one from Oliver Ames) capturing New England titles, a last-minute goal from St. John’s (Shrewsbury) boys’ hockey to eliminate BC High, and plenty of overtime thrillers, and you get an all-time action-packed day.

Find all the scores here, and take a moment to browse all of our coverage:

Not seeing your team’s highlights in Takeaways? Here are all the ways to submit scores and stats to Globe Schools via phone, email, and social media.

▪ With a deep 3-pointer in the first quarter of Greater New Bedford’s 68-43 win over Springfield International, junior Jai-Ana Silva became the program’s leading scorer, surpassing Stephanie Antoine’s 1,493 points, set in 2012. Silva finished with 31 points and now sits at 1,513. Earlier this season, she became the fourth female 1,000-point scorer in school history.

▪ With 30 points in a 90-68 win over Quincy, Beverly senior Jacob Klass surpassed Peter Wynne’s scoring mark of 1,351, set in 1981. Klass, who reached 1,000 earlier this season, has 1,371.

▪ Concord-Carlisle senior goalie Sam Griswold made 44 saves, including the 1,000th of his career, in a 2-1 win over Woburn.

▪ Hoosac Valley senior Qwanell Bradley joined the 1,000-point club on a 3-pointer during a 78-59 Division 5 first-round win over Pacific Rim Charter.

▪ A pair of Bulldogs reached 100 points in Canton’s 9-0 smackdown of Somerset Berkley. Senior defenseman Teddy Shuman got there with a goal and three assists, and senior center Joey Ryan also reached the mark with three helpers.

▪ Taunton junior Jamie Vallarelli matched the school’s points record, joining Jeff Gallagher (’94) with 139, by notching a goal and adding an assist on the overtime tally that kept the Tigers’ season alive with a 3-2 win over Middleborough.

The single-digit seeds are starting to fall.

Saturday saw the first three top-five seeded teams sent home, with No. 3 St. John’s Prep boys’ hockey getting taken down by No. 14 Arlington Catholic in Division 1 action — the highest seed sent home through the first five days of the tournament.

The highest-ranked team to be bounced from the Division 2 boys’ hockey bracket became No. 5 Woburn. It fell, 2-1, to No. 12 Concord-Carlisle, which got an incredible 44-save performance from senior Sam Griswold and goals from Ben Brooks and Joe Grasso.

Division 3 also saw a top-five falter, as No. 5 Pembroke was clipped by No. 13 Norwood, 3-1, in the second round. John Lynch, Anthony Parise, and Mark Trahon provided the goals.

Not to be left out, Division 4 boys’ hockey also saw a significant upset, with No. 23 Bourne riding Jackson Palmborg’s 26 saves to a 3-2 first-round win over No. 10 Hudson.

On the hardcourt, No. 24 Pembroke boys’ basketball didn’t mind a morning ferry ride to Martha’s Vineyard, taking down the ninth-seeded hosts, 65-50, behind Will Farrell’s 24 points.

▪ Seventh-grader Effie Parsons found the net with 31 seconds left in overtime as No. 2 St. Mary’s girls’ hockey escaped a strong upset attempt from No. 18 Winchester, which led, 2-1, before Alyssa Norden tied it up in the third period.

▪ Reading sophomore Payton Curran not only delivered the equalizer in the final minute of regulation, but provided the overtime winner to lift the Rockets to a 3-2 girls’ hockey win over Waltham.

▪ Nantucket’s Gaven Smith forced overtime against Swampscott with a 3-pointer with nine seconds left in regulation, but the fourth-seeded Big Blue rode 26 points from Connor Chiarello and 25 from Teddy O’Neill to a 67-61 win over the No. 29 Whalers.

▪ No. 25 Bishop Fenwick girls’ hockey nearly upset No. 8 Bishop Stang, which would have eliminated both of last year’s Division 1 finalists, but the Spartans survived, 1-0, on junior Alexis Pettinato’s overtime winner.

▪ Braden LaChance netted the overtime winner for Taunton, which survived Middleborough, 3-2, in the third matchup between the two programs in 12 days. The Tigers won, 4-1, on Feb. 16 at Aleixo Arena before Middleborough prevailed, 4-0, on Feb. 18 at Bridgewater Ice Arena.

▪ Nico Santella scored on a stick-side snipe with 42.2 seconds left to propel St. John’s (Shrewsbury) past BC High, 2-1, in a Division 1 second-round matchup of Catholic Conference rivals.

Cal Atherton, Newburyport — The senior erupted for 31 points, guiding the Clippers to a first-round win over the defending Division 2 champions, Somerset Berkley.

Allen Brown Jr., Holbrook — The senior poured in 32 points, the highest total reported to the Globe on Saturday, to lead the Bulldogs past Boston Prep, 66-45 and into the second round.

Amelia Crowe, Pentucket — Amelia Crowe caught fire from deep, draining eight 3-pointers en route to 27 points and a 40-33 first-round win over Seekonk.

Addy Harrington, Duxbury — The senior produced one of the night’s three hat tricks, scoring thrice in a 4-2 second-round win over Melrose.

Levi McNally, Barnstable — Just a sophomore, he netted a hat trick for the Red Hawks in a 5-2 first-round win over Minnechaug.

Cam Melone, Hanover — The senior went for 5 points, scoring twice and assisting thrice in a 6-1 second-round win over Lynnfield.

Georgia Murray, Bishop Feehan — The junior scored a natural hat trick in the first period and finished with four goals in a 6-2 second-round win over Acton-Boxborough.

Celia Neilson, Bishop Fenwick — The senior captain contributed across the board, providing 23 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and 8 steals for the top-seeded Crusaders in a 58-27 waxing of Wilmington.

Jackie Pohl and Jenna Oman, East Bridgewater — Pohl, a sophomore, and Oman, a junior, were everywhere in a 63-39 first-round win over Bellingham. Pohl finished with 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists, and Oman had 15 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals.

Attleboro High has a new football coach. Lamont Penn, a Bridgewater-Raynham assistant under Eian Bain, will take over the Bombardiers. They went 3-8 last year under Jim Winters, who helmed the program for four seasons, going 14-30.

Penn served as Norwood’s offensive coordinator from 2018-21. He was introduced to the team Friday.

Providence junior Jon Mignacca, a Bishop Feehan graduate from Seekonk, won the Big East high jump championship, clearing 6 feet, 8.25 inches (2.04 meters) to beat out UConn’s Enaji Muhammad (6-7).

▪ UMass Dartmouth sophomore Ancil Alexander, a Taunton graduate, was named Little East Conference Field Athlete of the Year for men’s indoor track after taking second at the LEC Championships in the shot put (51 feet, 3.75 inches). He won the event three times during the season.

▪ UMass Dartmouth freshman Michael Veegh, a Bishop Stang graduate from Tiverton (R.I.), was named Little East Conference men’s indoor track Rookie of the Year. He won the 400 at the LEC Championships (50.54 seconds) and was part of the second-place 4×400 relay (3:28.67). He was also named All-LEC first team.

▪ Keene State junior Tyler Bolaske, a Palmer graduate, was tabbed as the Little East Conference’s male Track Athlete of the Year after leading the Owls to their first indoor championship since 2008. Bolaske won the mile at the LEC Championships in 4:11 and was runner-up in the 800 (1:59.25).

Georgia Murray, Bishop Feehan, 4

Addy Harrington, Duxbury, 3

Levi McNally, Barnstable, 3

Riley Bergeron, Acton-Boxborough, 2

Brayden Boczenowski, Arlington Catholic, 2

Cate Buckler, Barnstable, 2

Abigail Burke, Notre Dame (H), 2

Payton Curran, Reading, 2

Hannah D’Angelo, Pembroke, 2

Luke Dickson, Medfield, 2

Colman Donohue, Hingham, 2

Will Doucette, Canton, 2

Ryan Elrick, Canton, 2

Jack McCourt, Catholic Memorial, 2

Cam McKenna, Hingham, 2

Cam Melone, Hanover, 2

Joe Pumphret, Winthrop, 2

Nolan Russell, Arlington, 2

Sabrina Stone, Milton, 2

Ella Sullivan, Pembroke, 2

Connor Hines, Hanover, 3

Cam Melone, Hanover, 3

Joe Ryan, Canton, 3

Teddy Shuman, Canton, 3

Abigail Burke, Notre Dame (H), 2

Kellen Labanara, Canton, 2

Hunter McClain, Bourne, 2

Sam Griswold, Concord-Carlisle, 44

Stephen Camara, Arlington Catholic, 33

Jackson Palmborg, Bourne, 26

Jaxson Fleming, Catholic Memorial, 24

Jim Lyman, Winthrop, 22

Colin McCarthy, St. John’s Shrewsbury, 21

Lydia Barnes, Methuen/Tewksbury, 18

Dom Conte, BC High, 18

John Snider, Arlington, 15

Vivienne Melo, Bishop Stang, 14

8. Basketball leaderboard

Allen Brown, Holbrook, 32

Cal Atherton, Newburyport, 31

Jacob Klass, Beverly, 30

Elian Rodriguez, Salem, 30

Mike Berry, Cape Cod Academy, 28

Elian Rodriguez, Salem, 28

Tyler Staiti, Abington, 28

Amelia Crowe, Pentucket, 27

Jag Garces, West Bridgewater, 27

Connor Chiarello, Swampscott, 26

Sysy Emmanuel, St. Mary’s, 26

Dom Taylor, Somerset Berkley, 26

Michael Cimetti, Hull, 25

Grant Neal, Lynnfield, 25

Teddy O’Neill, Swampscott, 25

Will Farrell, Pembroke, 24

Logan Volkringer, Plymouth South, 24

Celia Neilson, Bishop Fenwick, 23

Julian Allison-Cardoso, Dedham, 22

Mateo Jackson, Bridgewater-Raynham, 22

Tori White, Canton, 22

Tori Adams, Walpole, 21

Liam Conneely, Hull, 20

Jackie Pohl, East Bridgewater, 20

Kingston Maxwell, Abington, 15

Krem Amparo, Latin Academy, 14

Mateo Jackson, Bridgewater-Raynham, 14

Bella Bingham, Walpole, 13

Sadie Hartley-Matteson, Old Rochester, 13

Devyn Walsh, Pentucket, 13

A’laya Colbert, North Quincy, 12

Zade Garron Ciberay, Plymouth South, 12

Mike Ekweanya, New Mission, 11

Chase Groothuis, Swampscott, 11

Teddy O’Neill, Swampscott, 11

Brooke Connor, Canton, 10

Jenna Oman, East Bridgewater, 10

Hannah Thorell, Old Rochester, 10

Jackie Pohl, East Bridgewater, 8

Kingston Maxwell, Abington, 7

Jacob Klass, Beverly, 6

Celia Neilson, Bishop Fenwick, 6

Luke Tirrell, Bridgewater-Raynham, 6

Sydney Bosma, Old Rochester, 5

Cason Faulk, Bridgewater-Raynham, 5

Manny Valentino, New Mission, 5

Grace Goudreau, Seekonk, 4

Sadie Hartley-Matteson, Old Rochester, 4

Celia Neilson, Bishop Fenwick, 8

Emma Farrell, East Bridgewater, 6

Connor Chiarello, Swampscott, 5

Sienna Miranda, Seekonk, 4

Brooke Connor, Canton, 3

Zade Garron Ciberay, Plymouth South, 3

Brendan Kurie can be reached at brendan.kurie@globe.com. Follow him on X @BrendanKurie.

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Massachusetts

20k customers without power in Revere, Winthrop areas

Published

1 day ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

20k customers without power in Revere, Winthrop areas

National Grid is reporting that roughly 20,000 customers are without power due to outages in the Winthrop and Revere areas.

The utility company’s live outages map shows that 10,753 customers are without power in the Revere area and 9,261 customers are without power in the Winthrop area as of 2:25 p.m. Saturday.

The Herald has reached out to National Grid for comment. The Herald has also reached out to Eversource for information regarding any outages in their service regions, where a Herald photographer has seen some outages. Eversource’s outage map did not display any major outages at 2:25 p.m.

This is a developing story.

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