While the population of New Bedford has grown in recent years, the population in other Massachusetts communities has also increased. So how does the Whaling City stack up?

In the early part of the second half of the last century, New Bedford and Fall River had the fourth and fifth-highest populations in Massachusetts.

That has changed.

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According to the most recent information from the U.S. Census Bureau, New Bedford now has the state's ninth-highest population, with 101,079 people. Fall River has the 10-highest population, with 94,000 people.

Boston has the largest population (675,647), followed by Worcester (206,518), Springfield (159,929), Cambridge (118,403), Lowell (115,554), Brockton (105,643), Quincy (103,636), Lynn (101,253), New Bedford and Fall River.

Where New Bedford Ranks Among 351 Massachusetts Communities
Courtesy Aerial New England
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Completing the top 20, Lawrence is 11th (89,143), followed by Newton (89,923), Somerville (81,045), Framingham (72,362), Haverhill (67,787), Malden (66,263), Waltham (65,218), Brookline (63,191), Revere (62,186) and Plymouth (61,217).

Taunton is 22nd (59,408), Dartmouth 51st (33,783), Westport 123rd (16,339), Fairhaven 128th (15,924), Acushnet 177th (10,559) and Freetown 191st (9,206).

Massachusetts has 351 communities – 59 cities and 292 towns. The town of Gosnold on Cuttyhunk in the offshore Elizabeth Islands chain has the smallest population, just 70 people.

Massachusetts had a population of 7,001,399 in 2023, making it the 16th-most populated state in the nation. The median age in Massachusetts is 40.3 years, slightly higher than the national average of 39. Fifty-one percent of the population is female.

The United States Census Bureau website contains more information about the Massachusetts population.

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