Is population growing or shrinking?

Updated annually
It grew by 15,500 between 2024 and 2025. Changes in population reflect birth and death rates, immigration patterns, regional shifts, and even the overall health of the economy. Massachusetts's 0.22% annual increase was primarily driven by immigration to the state. In the decade between 2015 and 2025, Massachusetts's population grew by 4.2%.

+15.5K

population change (2024 to 2025)

+0.22%

percent change in population (2024 to 2025)
Since 2000, Massachusetts' population increased in 22 of 25 years. The largest increase occurred between 2023 and 2024, when it gained 65,100 residents. The state's largest decline during the 21st century occurred between 2019 and 2020 when it lost 31,500 residents.

Massachusetts gained 15,500 residents between 2024 and 2025.

Annual population change

A state’s population is influenced by three factors:
  • Natural population change: If births outnumber deaths in a given year, natural population growth is positive. If deaths exceed births, it is negative. Between 2024 to 2025 natural population change was positive in Massachusetts, with births exceeding deaths by 8,400.
  • Immigration: international migration directly into or out of a state. If more people move in than move out, population change from immigration is positive. If more people move out than move in, it’s negative. Massachusetts’ population change from immigration was positive, with about 40,200 more people coming from another country to Massachusetts than leaving.
  • Domestic migration, moving between states: Massachusetts’ population change from domestic migration was negative, with about 33,300 more people leaving for another state than moving in.

Between 2024 and 2025, immigration was the primary driver of population growth in Massachusetts.

Components of population change

Among 14 county equivalents, Middlesex County had the largest population growth in Massachusetts, welcoming 24,024 new residents. Hampshire County lost the most, with a loss of 287 residents. County-level population data is available as of 2024.
Suffolk County led Massachusetts in percent population increase between 2023 and 2024 at 1.5 percent. Hampshire County ranked last with a 0.17 percent decline.

Between 2023 and 2024, Suffolk County gained 1.5% in population, the largest increase in Massachusetts.

Population change

Between 2015 and 2025, Massachusetts’s population has increased by 4.2%. During that same period, the US population grew by 6.2%. Massachusetts ranks 28 among states in population growth over that decade.

Massachusetts ranked 28th in population growth between 2015 and 2025.

Percent change in population

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Methodology

USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.

The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.

Page sources

USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.