Massachusetts Maps and Data

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Massachusetts State Profile

Population

• With 6,398,743 residents in 2005, Massachusetts is the 13th most populated state in the U.S.
• The total population of Massachusetts grew 0.8 percent from 2000 to 2005 – a growth rate well below the U.S. average of 5.3 percent (growth rate ranked 48th in the U.S.).
• Massachusetts is becoming more diverse. The percentage of Whites is declining while the percentages of Hispanics, African-Americans, and Asians are growing.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates

Massachusetts - Cities and Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs)

• The four largest cities (Metropolitan Areas) in Massachusetts are Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Worcester, Springfield, and Barnstable Town.
• The Boston metropolitan area had a total population of 4,411,835 in 2005 – the 11th largest MSA in the U.S. Boston is also the capital of Massachusetts.
• The population in Worcester was 783,262 – the 64th largest city in the U.S.
• Springfield was the 71st largest metropolitan area with 687,264 residents.
• The estimated population of Barnstable Town in 2005 was 226,514 – the 188th largest metropolitan area in the U.S.

Massachusetts - Income and Poverty

• In 2004, Massachusetts ranked 2nd among the 50 states in personal income per capita ($42,176 per resident).
• Massachusetts’s personal income was slightly above the U.S. average from 1960 to 1980, then rose steadily to 128 percent of the U.S. average by 2004 (see below).

Personal Income per Capita in Massachusetts as a Percent of the U.S. Average from 1960 to 2004

Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis

• Among the 50 states, Massachusetts has the 11th lowest percentage of its total population living in poverty (10.3%) and the 11th lowest percentage of children under 18 living in poverty (13.6%) – 2005 American Community Survey.

Massachusetts - Educational Attainment

• In 2005, Massachusetts ranked 18th among the 50 states in the percentage of its adults aged 25 to 64 with at least high school diploma (90.7%).
• Massachusetts ranked 1st among the states in the percentage of adults aged 25 to 64 with a bachelor’s degree or higher (40.2%) and 1st in the percentage with a graduate or professional degree (16.9%).
• Relative to the U.S. average, Massachusetts has much higher percentages of adults who have completed college degrees (see below).

Educational Attainment of 25 to 64 Year Olds in 2005 – Massachusetts and the U.S. Average

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2005 American Community Survey

Massachusetts - Workforce and Economy

• In 2005, Massachusetts had the 23rd lowest unemployment rate of all states – 4.8 percent compared to the U.S. average of 5.1 percent. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
• Relative to the U.S. average, Massachusetts has larger percentages of its workforce employed in management and professional occupations and smaller percentages in the remaining categories of occupations (see below).

Distribution (%) of Employment by Occupation in 2005

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2005 American Community Survey

• Relative to the U.S. average, Massachusetts has higher percentages of employment in education and healthcare, professional, finance, and information industries (see below).

Distribution (%) of Employment by Industry in 2005

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2005 American Community Survey

• Massachusetts ranked 1st among the states on the Progressive Policy Institute’s 2002 State New Economy Index – an index that measures the degree to which states are structured according to the new “knowledge-based” economy. (Located at: http://www.neweconomyindex.org/states/index.html)

Massachusetts - Health and Well-Being

• 11.7 percent of Massachusetts residents do not have health insurance – the 12th lowest percentage in the U.S. (2005 Current Population Survey)
• 18.3 percent of Massachusetts residents are overweight enough to be labeled obese – below the national average of 23.1 percent. (Centers for Disease Control)
• In Massachusetts, 208 per 100,000 residents died of cancer during the years 2000 to 2002 – slightly higher than the U.S. average of 204 per 100,000 residents (Centers for Disease Control).
• A higher proportion of Massachusetts residents (279 of 100,000) died of cardiovascular complication from 2000 to 2002 – lower than the national average of 333 per 100,000 residents (Centers for Disease Control).
• On the 2005 America’s Health Rankings (United Health Foundation), Massachusetts ranked ninth among the states in overall health. The state rankings and measures can be accessed at http://www.unitedhealthfoundation.org/ahr2005.html.

Massachusetts - Crime and Corrections

• In 2004, Massachusetts had the 18th highest rate of violent crime among the 50 states (459 incidences per 100,000 residents). The U.S. rate was 466 incidences per 100,000 residents. (FBI, Uniform Crime Reports)
• In the same year, there were 2,460 incidences of property crime per 100,000 residents in Massachusetts – well below the U.S. average of 3,517.
• Massachusetts had the second lowest incarceration rate per capita in 2004 of any state in the U.S. – with 158 prisoners under federal and state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents. The rate of incarceration in Massachusetts has remained well below the U.S. average since 1980 and has even declined in the last decade (see below).

Number of Prisoners (Federal and State) Per 100,000 Residents – Massachusetts and the U.S. Average

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau

Massachusetts Counties

State averages often mask vast disparities within states. For example, the personal income per capita in Massachusetts ranges from $30,934 in Hampshire County to $54,037 in Nantucket County. In addition, the percentage of adults aged 25 to 64 with a bachelor’s degree or higher ranges from 22.7 percent in Hampden County to 48.5 percent in Middlesex County.

Therefore, it is important to display regional and county differences. Many of these data are available to MyOnlineMaps.com subscribers at the state and county levels – and can be used to generate state and county maps or to download for research purposes. Furthermore, the “Resources” section of MyonlineMaps.com contains links to these and other valuable data sources.