Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
Local News
Four out of five cities and towns in Massachusetts added residents between 2023 and 2024, with the state’s population rising 1.9% since 2020, according to new Census Bureau estimates, offering a counterpoint to fears of decline.
While experts credit immigration for the growth, they caution it may be short-lived as federal policies grow more restrictive.
“When you look at statewide figures as longer term trends, immigration has been saving our butts,” said Peter Ciurczak, a senior research analyst at Boston Indicators.
In 2024, according to a summary by UMass Amherst based on Census Bureau data, approximately 90,000 international immigrants arrived in Massachusetts from abroad, compared to roughly 27,500 domestic migrants who left Massachusetts.
From July 1, 2023, to 2024, the state population increased by 69,603 people, representing an increase of just under 1%, the most significant rise in annual percentage the state has seen in over a decade.
The annual estimates of the resident population for cities and towns in Massachusetts from April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2024. Data is from the U.S. Census Bureau.
| City / Town | 2023 Population | 2024 Population | Number of residents gained | Percent Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | 664,603 | 673,458 | 8,855 | 1.3% |
| Worcester | 209,211 | 211,286 | 2,075 | 1% |
| Cambridge | 119,315 | 121,186 | 1,871 | 1.6% |
| Woburn | 42,083 | 43,895 | 1,812 | 4.3% |
| Revere | 58,966 | 60,702 | 1,736 | 2.9% |
| Lynn | 101,868 | 103,489 | 1,621 | 1.6% |
| Stoneham | 23,098 | 24,550 | 1,452 | 6.3% |
| Newton | 89,261 | 90,700 | 1,439 | 1.6% |
| Lowell | 119,153 | 120,418 | 1,265 | 1.1% |
| Quincy | 102,304 | 103,434 | 1,130 | 1.1% |
Population growth is essential because it leads to increased federal appropriations for funding resources and greater representation in Congress.
However, with new federal immigration policies slowing down border crossings, cutting research grants that sponsor international students, and even revoking student visas outright, experts say that the next round of numbers in the fall should come as no surprise if they decline.
“It’s hard to say where we’re going to wind up,” said Ciurczak. “I think we’re in uncharted territory in terms of all of the potential impacts.”
Mark Melnik, director of economic and public policy research at UMass Donahue Institute, agrees, saying, “Immigration drives so much of the story in Massachusetts.”
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, policymakers expressed concerns that the state’s population was declining due to domestic outmigration, primarily among young adults, and a decrease in immigration resulting from COVID-19 restrictions.
Foreign-born workers have driven nearly 80% of the state’s labor force growth since the 1990s.
So the increase in outmigration and slowdown in immigration was a “double whammy,” said Melnik.
The annual estimates of the resident population for cities and towns in Massachusetts from April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2024. Data is from the U.S. Census Bureau.
| City or Town | 2023 Population | 2024 Population | Population Difference | Percent Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concord | 18,273 | 18,092 | -181 | -1.0% |
| Barnstable | 49,958 | 49,831 | -127 | -0.3% |
| Dennis | 14,962 | 14,862 | -100 | -0.7% |
| South Hadley | 18,104 | 18,031 | -73 | -0.4% |
| Pittsfield | 43,193 | 43,121 | -72 | -0.2% |
| Northampton | 31,384 | 31,315 | -69 | -0.2% |
| Amherst | 41,049 | 40,989 | -60 | -0.1% |
| Sandwich | 20,555 | 20,507 | -48 | -0.2% |
| Southampton | 6,223 | 6,181 | -42 | -0.7% |
| Easthampton | 16,057 | 16,020 | -37 | -0.2% |
The increase in population also comes with a caveat — some of the numbers may be skewed slightly due to the method the Census Bureau used to interpret the data.
The Census Bureau made revisions in December to improve the representation of humanitarian migrants by incorporating additional data in proportion to where immigrants have historically settled.
As a result, Massachusetts, a significant destination for immigrants, appeared to experience an increase in its total population.
There was no surprise in seeing that places that tend to host a lot of immigrants, such as Boston, Cambridge, and gateway cities, also experienced an uptick in population relative to other parts of the state.
But Melnik believes that once the numbers are revised, the total will decrease.
Massachusetts has a demographic problem, Melnik said. It has a relatively low birth rate and is an aging state. It is also a highly educated state, with the highest proportion of the population holding a college degree in the nation. The state also has the highest female labor force participation rates.
When all of this adds up, it means later family formations, smaller household sizes, and lower birth rates.
Immigration is a key part of replenishing the population and the labor market, Melnik said.
On a side note, demographic maps outlining the shift in populations by county in the state show that during the pandemic, people moved away from major cities into the western portions of the state and to the Cape and Islands.
That trend has since reversed course, Melnik said, and is back to levels seen before the pandemic.
Ciurczak said people move for opportunities. People are moving to Massachusetts to improve their lives, their families, and their economic situations. And Massachusetts has a lot going for it, especially in the knowledge economy and schools.
Concerns over slowing or declining population growth are troublesome, he said.
“It’s hard to say population growth isn’t beneficial generally, and … to our economy and our culture and to the diaspora of citizens who come here,” Ciurczak said.
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
Twenty-eight lawmakers dissented Wednesday as the Massachusetts House voted to set new terms around what state Auditor Diana DiZoglio would be able to review in the legislative audit voters authorized her to carry out in 2024.
Almost all House Democrats voted for the measure, which also proposes to make more state government records accessible to the public. Three Democrats — Cambridge Rep. Mike Connolly, Attleboro Rep. Jim Hawkins and Fall River Rep. Alan Silvia — joined the body’s 25 Republicans in voting no.
Speaker Ron Mariano said the bill responds to an ongoing call from voters for more transparency out of Beacon Hill and provides a path forward in lieu of a what he called “politically motivated audit conducted in violation of the Constitution.”
Leaders of the House and Senate have resisted DiZoglio’s audit push, arguing that a probe by the auditor’s office would run afoul of the separation of powers laid out in the state Constitution, bringing the legislative branch under the review of a piece of the executive branch.
“We are not accountable to any constitutional officer,” said Rep. Mindy Domb, an Amherst Democrat. “We are only accountable to our constituents.”
Taunton Rep. Lisa Field, a Democrat in her first term, said she was among the 72% of Massachusetts voters who backed the audit ballot question in 2024.
“Due to legitimate concerns and questions about constitutional privileges and separation of powers, we have been stuck on this audit issue for more than a year,” Field said. “Let’s not be like Washington, D.C. and accept such gridlock — not about the audit and not about public records. Let’s not let perfect be the enemy of good progress.”
The House’s bill would authorize DiZoglio to review what it defines as the “administrative functions” of the Legislature, going back to the 2021 fiscal year. Those areas include the adoption of annual budgets, official audits of the House and Senate by independent firms, spending by both chambers, and the execution of any financial settlements with lawmakers and employees.
It would also newly apply the state’s public records law to the governor’s office, and create a process by which people could request and receive certain legislative files.
Massachusetts is currently the only state where the Legislature, governor and judiciary all claim to be exempt from the public records law.
Warren Republican Rep. Todd Smola described the process that led up to Wednesday’s vote as opaque in and of itself. Mariano last week said the House would take up what he called comprehensive transparency legislation, but did not say when or what, specifically, the bill would do.
The bill was circulated to members of the House Ways and Means Committee around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, and committee members had a little over a half hour to vote on whether to advance it. Smola, the ranking Republican on the committee, said during that 34-minute window, “we had members on both sides of the political aisle that were calling each other back and forth to say, ‘Can you explain this portion to me?’”
“We are so much better than the process that has unfolded,” he said. “And for the sake of people that are asking us for transparency, that is not transparency. That’s the opposite of transparency.”
Rep. Michael Soter, a Bellingham Republican, said he was particularly concerned with a part of the bill that removes the courts from settling disputes between the auditor and the Legislature.
He said that by setting its own rules around an audit, the House would be “ensuring the auditor can only see exactly what we allow her to see and nothing more.”
It’s not clear yet if the Senate will pass the bill. Last week, state senators voted to turn over a limited set of documents to DiZoglio. The documents the Senate plans to provide mirror the records she would be allowed to review under the House bill.
Asked if he expected the Senate to agree to the legislation, Mariano on Tuesday said only, “I talked to the Senate.”
BOSTON, MA — An international restaurant group with locations across the globe is preparing to open its first Massachusetts restaurant this year.
LPM Restaurant & Bar, a French Riviera-inspired restaurant founded in London, is set to open on the second floor of the Four Seasons Hotel One Dalton Street in Back Bay, according to Four Seasons. The hotel lists the restaurant as “Opening Summer 2026,” while the Boston Business Journal reported the restaurant plans to open in September.
The Boston restaurant will mark LPM’s debut in the Northeast and its third U.S. outpost, following locations in Miami and Las Vegas, according to a Four Seasons announcement.
LPM, also known as La Petite Maison, was founded in London in 2007 and is known for French-Mediterranean food, Mediterranean ingredients and dining rooms influenced by Belle Époque design.
The business operates locations in London, Dubai, Miami, Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong, Riyadh, Limassol, Doha, Mykonos, Kuwait, Boston, Maldives and Bangkok.
Four Seasons said LPM will take over the space that formerly housed One Dalton’s breakfast concept, One + One. The restaurant will join other dining options at the hotel, including Zuma and Trifecta.
See Also:
A Massachusetts high school is under investigation after “several” teachers have been diagnosed with breast cancer or precancerous conditions.
The state Department of Public Health is set to visit Uxbridge High School on Thursday to “conduct a series of air quality tests,” to determine whether the multiple cases are potentially connected.
Superintendent David Ljungberg and Principal Michael Rubin alerted families and district staff on Monday of the “sombering news,” after Uxbridge High School’s graduation over the weekend.
“We are writing to inform you about a concern we are investigating at Uxbridge High School,” Ljungberg and Rubin stated in the letter. “Several female teachers have been diagnosed with breast cancer or precancerous conditions over the past few years.”
“It is, of course, possible that these multiple cases are not connected to one another,” the leaders added, “but out of abundance of caution, we are looking into any environmental factors at the school that may be a factor in their diagnoses.”
The 123,000-square-foot school, with an enrollment of roughly 600, was constructed in 2012 at a cost of $45 million, including a $22-million state reimbursement.
Uxbridge school leaders say they notified the state Department of Health and local health board as soon as they became aware of the cases, seeking “counsel about how best to proceed.”
“Massachusetts DPH officials have indicated that there is no evidence of immediate danger in the building and no reason to limit access to or use of the facility at this time,” they wrote in their letter. “In fact, the public health officials have commended our decision to approach them with these concerns, our readiness to partner with them in support of the evaluation process.”
Health officials are assessing the school’s interior and exterior to “ensure there are no issues with the infrastructure that would present risks (including electrical, plumbing, mechanical, HVAC, and other systems)” and the indoor and outdoor air quality on campus.
The superintendent and principal said that state officials have ruled out water supply as a “risk factor” after “thorough testing.”
“The team has reached out to the women who have been diagnosed, requesting data to evaluate whether there may be a connection among their cases,” Ljungberg and Rubin wrote. “We are grateful for their cooperation.”
They added that the state has said discovering an environmental “smoking gun” is “rare” in workplace investigations.
“However, even if a direct causal link is not established,” the leaders wrote, “the administration is utilizing this process to rigorously test the building and guarantee that it meets all safety standards moving forward.”
Several injured in I-91 crash involving multiple vehicles in Hartford: Officials
Delaware Lottery Powerball, Play 3 Day winning numbers for June 3, 2026
Now hitting deadline, Florida flunks Everglades pollution cleanup
Lambert rising freshman is second-youngest winner of Georgia Women’s Amateur
Gov. Green responds to lawsuit challenging Hawaiian Homes program | Maui Now
Idaho State Police: Driver runs stop sign, hits hay-stacker truck in Twin Falls
Consumer advocacy groups oppose Illinois American Water $142.4M rate hike and potential major acquisition
PHOTOS | Restored fountains at Garfield Park Sunken Garden