See MA Cities That Grew, Shrunk After 2020 Census: New Estimates

MASSACHUSETTS — A majority of cities in Massachusetts lost population between the 2020 decennial census and 2023, according to new estimates released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Out of 58 Massachusetts cities, only 15 added residents between 2020 and July 1, 2023, according to the new estimates.

In a news release Thursday, the U.S. Census Bureau said smaller cities in the Northeast saw growth of about 0.2 percent on average. In Massachusetts, places like Worcester, Taunton, Everett and Revere saw four-digit population growth. Boston was the biggest population loser at close to 25,000 residents.

Other Boston-area cities like Cambridge, Chelsea and Newton also lost residents. The Census Bureau only counts people, and doesn't say why residents might leave a city. But the pandemic and the cost of housing might be factors. A recent Boston Chamber of Commerce poll found that about 25 percent of young people plan to leave the Boston area due to high rent and home prices.

The new Census estimates found that the fastest growing areas of the nation are mostly in the Southeast. Out of the top 10 fastest-growing cities, seven are in Texas.

Here's a look at how other cities* in Massachusetts changed between the counts:

*Fourteen cities in Massachusetts retain the title of "town" but are cities. Those include Agawam, Amherst, Barnstable, Braintree, Bridgewater, East Longmeadow, Franklin, North Attleborough, Palmer, Randolph, Southbridge, West Springfield, Weymouth and Winthrop.