Since 2010, the population of Massachusetts has gone up 7.4 percent, bringing it above 7 million, according to the 2020 United States Census data released last week.
Within that rise can be seen a trend of diversifying populations, with the portion of white residents dropping from 76.1 to 67.6 percent over the last decade. Populations of color are rising, with the biggest changes reflected among Hispanic and Latino (9.6 percent in 2010 to 12.6 percent in 2020), Asian (5.3 to 7.2 percent) and multiracial residents (1.9 to 4.7 percent).
This trend is also visible when examining the country as a whole, where, although white residents are still the majority, the population dropped by 8.6 percent. In comparison, residents identifying as more than one race went from approximately 9 million to 33.8 million, a 276 percent increase, and the Hispanic or Latino population grew by 23 percent.
On the North Shore, these trends are mirrored nearly across the board, with the proportion of residents of color rising in every local community.
Lynn
The city’s population reached six digits over the past decade, coming in at 101,253, a 12 percent rise. Lynn remains a majority-minority city, with 34.1 percent of residents identifying as white, compared to 47.6 percent in 2010.
The largest demographic group in the city is Hispanic and Latino residents, who overtook white residents at 44 percent of the population. This is also the largest demographic shift in the city, representing an increase of nearly 12 percentage points.
Other racial groups remained largely the same. Black residents make up 10.6 percent of Lynn, compared with 10.5 percent in 2010, an increase of 1,241; the Asian population dropped slightly from 6.9 to 6.7 percent (the Asian population in Lynn rose by just over 600, but makes up a smaller portion of Lynn’s growing number of residents).
The remaining population in Lynn identified as American Indian or Alaska Native (0.1 percent), Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (0.03 percent), other (1.1 percent) or more than one race (3.3 percent).
Lynnfield
Lynnfield’s total population grew by an impressive 12.1 percent over the past decade. The town has gained 1,404 residents since the 2010 census, bringing its population to exactly 13,000.
While that population is 86.5 percent white, Lynnfield did become more diverse during that time period. The Black population in town more than doubled from 48 to 110 residents, or 0.8 percent of the population, and the Latino population nearly doubled, reaching 3.1 percent. The biggest change, however, came in the group of people who identified as more than one race, which nearly quadrupled to 418, or 3.2 percent.
The largest non-white demographic in Lynnfield is its Asian residents, who make up 5.8 percent of the population, up from 3.3 percent. The town has a negligible population of residents of other races. Only one person identified in the 2020 census as American Indian or Alaska Native, down from five in 2010. No census respondents identified as Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander in 2020 or 2010.
Marblehead
Marblehead’s population grew by just 3.2 percent since the 2010 census, making it the smallest increase in the area analyzed by The Item. This increase did, however, bring the town just over 20,000 residents. It also has the second-highest percentage of white residents, at 90.77 percent, down from 95 percent.
The largest demographics after white are Hispanic and Latino at 3.8 percent, up from 2.1 percent; multiracial, with 2.9 percent, up from 1 percent; and Asian at 1.3 percent, up from 1 percent. All other ethnic groups make up less than 1 percent of the town’s population.
Nahant
The area’s smallest community is also the only one where the population dropped. Nahant lost 76 residents, or 2.2 percent, between 2010 and 2020, bringing its total population to 3,334.
The peninsula is also the community with the lowest diversity, with 91 percent of its population identifying as white in the 2020 census (95.5 percent identified as white in 2010).
The populations of Black residents and Hispanic and Latino residents approximately doubled during that time period, bringing the Black population to 37 (1.1 percent) and the Latino population to 102 (3.1 percent). The multiracial population grew even faster, rising from 20 to 95 (2.9 percent). All other ethnic groups make up less than 1 percent of the town’s population.
Peabody
Of the city’s 54,481 residents (a 6.3 increase over 2010), 77.3 percent are white, compared with 87.6 percent in 2010. The change is made up for by a rise in the number of Black residents, a figure which almost doubled to 1,775 (3.3 percent of the total), and the number of multiracial residents, which more than quadrupled, rising to 2,719 (5 percent).
In addition, Peabody’s Latino population rose from 3,212 to 5,414, or 9.9 percent of its population, up from 6.3 percent in 2010. The Asian population also rose slightly, from 940 to 1,323, or 2.4 percent.
The number of American Indian and Alaska Native residents rose by just 10 to 55 people. There are just 5 Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander residents — no change from the 2010 census results.
Revere
Revere saw perhaps the most dramatic change between the 2010 and 2020 census. The city saw a 20.2 percent increase in its total population, bringing it up to 62,186 residents, and for the first time, white residents make up less than half the population, at 44.9 percent (down from 62.4 percent in 2010).
While white residents are still the largest demographic in the city, Hispanic and Latino residents are a close second at 37.3 percent, up from 24.4 percent. Asian residents come in next, trailing behind at 5.5 percent, the same portion as they held in 2010 (the city gained 575 Asian residents). Multiracial residents make up 4.9 percent of Revere, up from 1.7 percent, followed by Black residents, who form 4.7 percent of the city’s population, up from 4.3 percent.
Salem
Salem saw a 7.6 percent increase in its total population in the 2020 census, bringing it to 44,480. Of that population, 68.5 percent is white, down from 75.9 percent in 2010.
Like other cities in the area, the next-largest racial group is those that identified as Hispanic or Latino, coming in at 19.8 percent, up from 15.6 percent in 2010. The next-largest groups are Black at 4.1 percent, up from 3.5 percent; multiracial at 3.9 percent, up from 1.7 percent; and Asian at 2.8 percent, up from 2.6 percent.
Saugus
Saugus is the largest town in the area with a population of 28,619, a 7.5 percent rise. The town saw a significant change in its demographics over the last decade, with its white population dropping from 89.6 percent in 2010 to 75.1 percent in 2020.
The next-largest racial groups in Saugus are Hispanic and Latino, which more than doubled to reach 9.1 percent; multiracial, which quadrupled to reach 5.1 percent; Asian, which also doubled, reaching 4.9 percent; and Black, coming in at 3.8 percent. The remaining ethnic categories received less than 1 percent of respondents, and 2 percent identified as some other race.
Swampscott
Swampscott saw a sizable population increase of 9.6 percent, bringing the town’s residents to 15,111. The densely-populated town remains majority-white, with 85.8 percent of census respondents identifying as such, down from 93 percent in 2010.
The biggest demographic shift in Swampscott came among Hispanic and Latino residents, going from 355 to 1,002, or 9.1 percent of the population. There was also a much larger number of respondents in the “other” category, with 107 people marking that box compared to just 21 in 2010.
Multiracial residents make up 3 percent of Swampscott’s population, up from 1.1 percent; Asian residents make up 2.2 percent, up from 1.9; and Black residents make up 1.7 percent, up from 1.1 percent. All other groups make up less than 1 percent of the town’s population.
