Dimensions Guide

The total area size of Massachusetts is 10,555 sq mi or 27,336 sq km. The width is 183 miles (295 km) and the length is 113 miles (182 km). Massachusetts’ capital is Boston.

Geographical Information

The latitude is 41 degrees, 14’ N to 42 degrees, 53’ N and the longitude is 69 degrees, 56’ W to 73 degrees, 30’ W. The highest elevation point is Mount Greylock at 3,492 ft (1,064 m). The lowest is the Atlantic Ocean (0 ft / 0 m). The mean is 500 ft (159 m).

Population and Demographics

The population as of 2008 was estimated at 6,497,967. The density is 809.8 sq mi or 312.7 sq km. The demographics show 89.23% of the population is white, 7% black, 4.22% are Asian and the rest divided among Native Americans and other races.

The size of Massachusetts’ population has changed a lot. In 1790, the figure stood at 378,787. It grew by 11.6% in 1810 to 472,040. During 1840, the population of the state was 737,699. By 1860, the residents of the state numbered 1,231,066 and by 1890 had reached 2,238,947.

The 1910 census estimated the population to be 3,366,416. There were 4,316,721 people in Massachusetts in 1940. In 1960 the census estimated the population to be 5,148,578. The figure reached 6,016,425 by the year 1990.

In terms of ancestry, the Irish are the biggest (23.5%). They are followed by the Italians at (13.5%), French Canadian / French American at 12.9%, the English at 11.5% and German ancestry (6%).

Size of Massachusetts Cities (by Population)

There are currently 298 towns and 53 cities in the state. These are divided into 15 counties. Boston is the biggest with a population of 609,023. Greater Boston is home to over 4,522,858 individuals. It is the 10th biggest metro area in the United States. Springfield, Lowell, Worcester and Cambridge all have a population exceeding 100,000.

Other cities and towns (both called municipalities in Massachusetts) are Amherst (town, pop 35,565), Arlington (town, pop: 40,993), Auburn (town, pop: 16,222) and Worthington (town pop: 12,722).

Some of the other cities are Woburn (population 36,671), Winthrop (population 21,880) and Weymouth (53,281). Westfield City has a population of 40,600 while West Springfield’s population was estimated at 27,459.

The sizes of Massachusetts’ population in other cities are as follows: for Watertown it is 32,585; at Waltham it is 60,238, Taunton (55,702) Southbridge (16,852) and Somerville 75,682. Salem’s population was 41,267; at Revere the figure was 60,204, and Haverhill 61,275. These estimates are for the year 2008.

Climate

The temperatures vary; at Stockbridge the temperature can drop to 21.5 F (-5.8 C) in the winter. At Boston it is -35 F (2 C) in January. During the summer, the temperature in Boston is 81.7 F (27 C). In central Massachusetts it’s 79 F (26 C). Summer is much cooler at the offshore islands.

The size of Massachusetts’ population has seen increases and decreases during the last few years. Currently, it is the 15th biggest in the US, but the density puts it at number 3 among all US states.