These MA Cities Lost Residents During Pandemic Years: New Census Data

MASSACHUSETTS — A new Census report released Thursday showed that a majority of incorporated cities in Massachusetts lost residents during the peak pandemic years between April 2020 and July 2022.

Of the 58 incorporated cities in Massachusetts, 43 lost residents between 2020 and 2022. The Census Bureau said many of the fastest growing U.S. cities are mostly in Texas, Florida and Arizona, with one notable exception: Medford was the 15th fastest-growing city in the U.S. between July 1, 2021, and July 1, 2022, adding 5,733 residents in that period. No other city in the Northeast made the top 15.

These cities all lost more than 1,000 residents since April 2020, according to the Census data.

• Boston — 24,926
• Revere — 3,676
• Chelsea — 2,148
• Lowell — 1,942
• Springfield — 1,867
• Malden — 1,549
• Newton — 1,537
• Framingham — 1,418
• Somerville — 1,269
• Worcester — 1,200
• Lawrence — 1,199
• Waltham — 1,148

Several of the state's largest cities did gain population, including Cambridge (+93) and Quincy (+121). Here are the cities in Massachusetts that added residents:

• Medford — 5,733
• Amherst — 789
• Barnstable — 620
• Taunton — 522
• Franklin — 384
• Newburyport — 372
• Woburn — 366
• Everett — 269
• Salem — 240
• Methuen — 204
• Bridgewater — 150
• Attleboro — 142
• Quincy — 121
• Gloucester — 106
• North Attleborough — 97
• Cambridge — 93

The city-level population loss runs alongside a trend in the Bay State. Massachusetts lost 110,000 residents dating back to spring 2020, with fleeing former residents citing factors like high housing costs and the ability to work remotely. Close to 23,000 state residents also died due to COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.

Those who fled Massachusetts in recent years mostly went to New Hampshire, California and Florida, according to Internal Revenue Service migration data.

The new Census figures also slightly rearranged the ranking of the state's most populated cities, although Boston, Worcester and Springfield are still on top. Here are the 10 largest cities in Massachusetts by population as of July 1, 2022:

• Boston — 650,706
• Worcester — 205,319
• Springfield — 154,064
• Cambridge — 118,488
• Lowell — 113,608
• Brockton — 104,826
• Quincy — 101,727
• Lynn — 100,891
• New Bedford — 100,682
• Fall River — 93,682

The smallest city in Massachusetts? Palmer with a population of 12,337 — a loss of 118 residents since April 1, 2020.