Population
5,034,221
2025
+2.3% since 2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program (Vintage 2025), 2025. Resident population, July 1 estimate.
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area: population growth, jobs and income
The Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area gained 11,991 residents between 2024 and 2025 (+0.2%).
The Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area had an estimated 5,034,221 residents in 2025, up 2.3% (112,812 more people) since 2020.
Data as of 2025 · updated
Map, parcel and listing layers cover North and South Carolina only for now.
Headline numbers
Net domestic migration
−29,132
2025
−5.8 per 1,000 residents
−151,023 in total, 2021–2025
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program (Vintage 2025), 2025. People moving in from other U.S. counties minus people moving out.
Unemployment rate
4.2%
2025
+1.5 pts since 2019
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, 2025. Annual average unemployment rate.
New homes permitted
10,072
2025
−10.4% since 2024
2.0 per 1,000 residents
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2025. Housing units authorized by building permits in the year.
Median household income
$115,863
2020–24
+23.9% since 2016–20
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–24. American Community Survey 5-year estimate.
Private-sector employment
2,681,704
2023
+5.5% since 2018
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023. Paid employees of private employers in mid-March (County Business Patterns).
Net migration (IRS tax returns)
−26,113
2022–23
Source: IRS Statistics of Income, U.S. Population Migration Data, 2022–23. People on tax returns moving in minus moving out, U.S. and abroad; the sum of the member counties (moves between them cancel out).
Population, migration, employment, permits, unemployment and income are the figures each agency publishes for the area itself (OMB Bulletin 23-01 delineation; ACS 2016-20 and CBP 2018 use the delineation of their year). IRS migration is the sum of the member counties.
What the numbers say
Net domestic migration was negative in 2025: 29,132 more people moved out to other U.S. counties than moved in.
Private employers had 2,681,704 paid employees in mid-March 2023, +5.5% since 2018 (County Business Patterns).
Unemployment averaged 4.2% in 2025, 1.5 points higher than in 2019 (before the pandemic).
Builders were authorized to start 10,072 new homes in 2025, or 2.0 per 1,000 residents.
Median household income was $115,863 in the 2020–24 American Community Survey, +23.9% since 2016–20.
Population growth over five years ranks 4th of 7 Massachusetts metro areas and 182nd of 362 U.S. metro areas.
IRS tax-return data for 2022-2023 show a net loss of 26,113 people (the sum of its counties).
Get Middlesex County’s next numbers by email
Email me when Middlesex County gets new Census numbers: population, building permits, jobs and income. About 4 emails a year, one click to stop.
How it ranks
| Measure | Among U.S. metro areas |
|---|---|
| Population growth | 182nd of 362 |
| Net domestic migration per 1,000 residents | 324th of 362 |
| Private-sector job growth | 143rd of 352 |
| Median household income | 5th of 362 |
| Lowest unemployment rate | 204th of 362 |
| New homes permitted per 1,000 residents | 270th of 362 |
1st = highest (lowest for unemployment), against areas with a figure for the same period.
Fastest-growing metro areas in the U.S.
Get the Middlesex County report — $99
The County Growth and Demographics Report for Middlesex County, MA, the principal county of the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH area, as a PDF: population and migration, housing and rents, permits, private employers and jobs, unemployment, ranks in the state and the country, and neighbouring counties, with a source next to every number. Pay once, no subscription.
Every purchase also includes a CSV of every table in the report, ready for a spreadsheet.
- Not useful? Email us within 14 days for a full refund
- Sold by Simply Stats LLC (NC)
- Secure Stripe checkout (Apple Pay/Google Pay)
- Instant PDF download
- PDF + CSV of every table
Refund terms: Terms. · How we compute every number
Counties in this metro area
Middlesex County, MA led the change: of the 112,812 residents the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area gained from 2020 to 2025 (the sum of its counties), it added 45,518 (40%).
| County | Role | Residents2025 | Share of residents2025 | Change2020–2025 | Share of the change2020–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middlesex County, MA | Central | 1,669,979 | 33.2% | +45,518 (+2.8%) | 40% |
| Essex County, MA | Central | 826,653 | 16.4% | +18,854 (+2.3%) | 17% |
| Suffolk County, MA | Central | 791,891 | 15.7% | +519 (+0.1%) | 0% |
| Norfolk County, MA | Central | 739,749 | 14.7% | +16,102 (+2.2%) | 14% |
| Plymouth County, MA | Central | 546,829 | 10.9% | +18,416 (+3.5%) | 16% |
| Rockingham County, NH | Central | 324,077 | 6.4% | +9,444 (+3.0%) | 8% |
| Strafford County, NH | Outlying | 135,043 | 2.7% | +3,959 (+3.0%) | 4% |
Census Bureau population estimates (July 1). Shares are of the member counties' total; a share of the change shows only when every county moved the same way. – means no figure for the common period.
Nearby and similar metro areas
Next to this metro area
Similar in size
Questions
Is the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area growing?
Yes. Its population grew 2.3% between 2020 and 2025, about 112,812 more people (Census Bureau population estimates).
Which county in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area is growing fastest?
Plymouth County, MA. Its population grew 3.5% between 2020 and 2025, the fastest of the 7 member counties (Census Bureau population estimates).
How many people moved to the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area?
On net, none in 2025: about 29,132 more people moved out to other U.S. counties than moved in (Census Bureau net domestic migration estimate).
What is the unemployment rate in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area?
It averaged 4.2% in 2025 (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual average).
What is the population of the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area?
About 5,034,221 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's population estimate for July 1, 2025.
Middlesex County data alerts
Email me when Middlesex County gets new Census numbers: population, building permits, jobs and income. About 4 emails a year, one click to stop.
Sources and method
- U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program (Vintage 2025)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics
- U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates
- U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns
- IRS Statistics of Income, U.S. Population Migration Data
Each number shows its own period. Changes compare the latest period with five years earlier (or the earliest period available). Beacon CRE last refreshed these figures on 2026-11-05. Figures come from public federal statistics and are informational only, not investment advice. Check the source before relying on a number. Methodology: how we compute every number. More on every layer: data sources and licences.
Jobs outside North and South Carolina use County Business Patterns (paid private-sector employees in mid-March); wages and government jobs are not included.