Population explosion

Changes in community size between '70-'09

By Matt Carroll

Globe Staff / June 17, 2009

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Community▴	1970 population	2007 population	Change	Rank
Yarmouth	12,033	24,010	99.5%	63
Wrentham	7,315	11,116	52.0%	125
Worthington	718	1,272	77.2%	85
Worcester	176,572	175,521	-0.6%	293
Woburn	37,406	37,042	-1.0%	297
Winthrop	20,335	20,154	-0.9%	296
Windsor	468	856	82.9%	80
Winchester	22,269	21,137	-5.1%	319
Winchendon	6,682	10,130	51.6%	126
Wilmington	17,102	21,679	26.8%	199
Williamstown	8,454	8,108	-4.1%	315
Williamsburg	2,342	2,440	4.2%	274
Wilbraham	11,984	14,032	17.1%	228
Whitman	13,059	14,385	10.2%	250
Whately	1,145	1,555	35.8%	164
Weymouth	54,610	53,272	-2.5%	305
Westwood	12,750	14,010	9.9%	252
West Tisbury	453	2,628	480.1%	2
West Stockbridge	1,354	1,447	6.9%	263
West Springfield	28,461	27,603	-3.0%	309
Westport	9,791	15,136	54.6%	118
Weston	10,870	11,698	7.6%	261
West Newbury	2,254	4,269	89.4%	72
Westminster	4,273	7,388	72.9%	93
Westhampton	793	1,586	100.0%	62
Westford	10,368	21,790	110.2%	47
Westfield	31,433	40,774	29.7%	182
West Brookfield	2,653	3,826	44.2%	143
West Bridgewater	7,152	6,679	-6.6%	323
West Boylston	6,369	8,208	28.9%	185
Westborough	12,594	18,459	46.6%	140
Wenham	3,849	4,615	19.9%	224
Wendell	405	1,003	147.7%	27
Wellfleet	1,743	2,748	57.7%	115
Wellesley	28,051	26,985	-3.8%	314
Webster	14,917	16,705	12.0%	245
Wayland	13,461	13,017	-3.3%	310
Watertown	39,307	32,521	-17.3%	339
Washington	411	548	33.3%	170
Warwick	492	750	52.4%	123
Warren	3,633	5,071	39.6%	152
Wareham	11,492	21,154	84.1%	79
Ware	8,187	9,933	21.3%	221
Waltham	61,582	60,325	-2.0%	302
Walpole	18,149	23,086	27.2%	197
Wales	852	1,844	116.4%	43
Wakefield	25,402	24,706	-2.7%	308
Uxbridge	8,253	12,634	53.1%	121
Upton	3,488	6,526	87.1%	76
Tyringham	234	343	46.6%	139
Tyngsborough	4,204	11,860	182.1%	16
Truro	1,234	2,134	72.9%	92
Townsend	4,281	9,374	119.0%	41
Topsfield	5,225	6,067	16.1%	231
Tolland	172	451	162.2%	24
Tisbury	2,257	3,805	68.6%	100
Tewksbury	22,755	29,607	30.1%	180
Templeton	5,863	7,783	32.7%	172
Taunton	43,756	55,783	27.5%	193
Swansea	12,640	16,237	28.5%	188
Swampscott	13,578	13,994	3.1%	279
Sutton	4,590	9,015	96.4%	65
Sunderland	2,236	3,721	66.4%	102
Sudbury	13,506	17,159	27.0%	198
Sturbridge	4,878	9,102	86.6%	77
Stow	3,984	6,327	58.8%	113
Stoughton	23,459	26,951	14.9%	236
Stoneham	20,725	21,508	3.8%	276
Stockbridge	2,312	2,232	-3.5%	312
Sterling	4,247	7,874	85.4%	78
State	5,689,170	6,449,755	13.4%
Springfield	163,905	151,342	-7.7%	326
Spencer	8,779	12,006	36.8%	159
Southwick	6,330	9,431	49.0%	134
South Hadley	17,033	16,952	-0.5%	292
Southbridge	17,057	16,926	-0.8%	295
Southborough	5,798	9,484	63.6%	106
Southampton	3,069	5,962	94.3%	66
Somerville	88,779	74,405	-16.2%	338
Somerset	18,088	18,268	1.0%	289
Shutesbury	489	1,834	275.1%	6
Shrewsbury	19,196	33,489	74.5%	89
Shirley	4,909	7,726	57.4%	116
Sherborn	3,309	4,217	27.4%	194
Shelburne	1,836	2,036	10.9%	249
Sheffield	2,374	3,334	40.4%	151
Sharon	12,367	17,033	37.7%	156
Seekonk	11,116	13,593	22.3%	214
Scituate	16,973	17,881	5.3%	266
Savoy	322	720	123.6%	40
Saugus	25,110	27,192	8.3%	259
Sandwich	5,239	20,255	286.6%	5
Sandisfield	547	837	53.0%	122
Salisbury	4,179	8,521	103.9%	58
Salem	40,556	41,421	2.1%	285
Rutland	3,198	7,846	145.3%	28
Russell	1,382	1,730	25.2%	204
Royalston	809	1,380	70.6%	95
Rowley	3,040	5,839	92.1%	70
Rowe	277	347	25.3%	203
Rockport	5,636	7,633	35.4%	166
Rockland	15,674	17,780	13.4%	243
Rochester	1,770	5,218	194.8%	13
Richmond	1,461	1,591	8.9%	255
Revere	43,159	55,341	28.2%	189
Rehoboth	6,512	11,484	76.4%	86
Reading	22,539	23,129	2.6%	282
Raynham	6,705	13,641	103.4%	59
Randolph	27,035	30,168	11.6%	246
Quincy	87,966	91,622	4.2%	275
Provincetown	2,911	3,390	16.5%	230
Princeton	1,681	3,494	107.9%	54
Plympton	1,224	2,772	126.5%	39
Plymouth	18,606	55,188	196.6%	12
Plainville	4,953	8,311	67.8%	101
Plainfield	287	600	109.1%	49
Pittsfield	57,020	42,931	-24.7%	347
Phillipston	872	1,787	104.9%	57
Petersham	1,015	1,283	26.4%	201
Peru	256	838	227.3%	8
Pepperell	5,887	11,409	93.8%	67
Pembroke	11,193	18,595	66.1%	105
Pelham	937	1,404	49.8%	132
Peabody	48,080	51,441	7.0%	262
Paxton	3,731	4,530	21.4%	220
Palmer	11,680	12,849	10.0%	251
Oxford	10,345	13,641	31.9%	175
Otis	820	1,394	70.0%	97
Orleans	3,055	6,315	106.7%	55
Orange	6,104	7,796	27.7%	192
Oakham	730	1,906	161.1%	25
Oak Bluffs	1,385	3,731	169.4%	19
Norwood	30,815	28,172	-8.6%	328
Norwell	7,796	10,271	31.7%	176
Norton	9,487	19,222	102.6%	60
North Reading	11,264	14,021	24.5%	208
Northfield	2,631	2,985	13.5%	242
North Brookfield	3,967	4,819	21.5%	219
Northbridge	11,887	14,375	20.9%	222
Northborough	9,218	14,611	58.5%	114
North Attleborough	18,665	27,907	49.5%	133
North Andover	16,284	27,637	69.7%	98
Northampton	29,664	28,411	-4.2%	316
North Adams	19,195	13,874	-27.7%	348
Norfolk	4,656	10,646	128.7%	37
Newton	91,066	83,271	-8.6%	327
New Salem	474	990	108.9%	50
New Marlborough	1,031	1,521	47.5%	137
Newburyport	15,807	17,144	8.5%	258
Newbury	3,804	6,926	82.1%	81
New Braintree	631	1,112	76.2%	87
New Bedford	101,777	91,849	-9.8%	331
New Ashford	183	248	35.5%	165
Needham	29,748	28,263	-5.0%	318
Natick	31,057	31,975	3.0%	281
Nantucket	3,774	11,060	193.1%	14
Nahant	4,119	3,519	-14.6%	337
Mount Washington	52	138	165.4%	22
Montgomery	446	754	69.1%	99
Monterey	600	960	60.0%	112
Montague	8,451	8,334	-1.4%	299
Monson	7,355	8,788	19.5%	225
Monroe	216	96	-55.6%	351
Milton	27,190	26,272	-3.4%	311
Millville	1,764	2,834	60.7%	109
Millis	5,686	7,927	39.4%	153
Millbury	11,987	13,470	12.4%	244
Milford	19,352	27,263	40.9%	148
Middleton	4,044	9,347	131.1%	36
Middlefield	288	551	91.3%	71
Middleborough	13,607	21,245	56.1%	117
Methuen	35,456	43,979	24.0%	211
Merrimac	4,245	6,425	51.4%	127
Mendon	2,524	5,767	128.5%	38
Melrose	33,180	26,782	-19.3%	344
Medway	7,938	12,749	60.6%	110
Medford	64,397	55,565	-13.7%	336
Medfield	9,821	12,266	24.9%	205
Maynard	9,710	10,177	4.8%	270
Mattapoisett	4,500	6,447	43.3%	145
Mashpee	1,288	14,261	1007.2%	1
Marshfield	15,223	24,576	61.4%	108
Marlborough	27,936	38,065	36.3%	163
Marion	3,466	5,217	50.5%	129
Marblehead	21,295	20,039	-5.9%	321
Mansfield	9,939	22,993	131.3%	35
Manchester-by-the-Sea	5,151	5,265	2.2%	284
Malden	56,127	55,712	-0.7%	294
Lynnfield	10,826	11,382	5.1%	268
Lynn	90,294	87,122	-3.5%	313
Lunenburg	7,419	9,948	34.1%	169
Ludlow	17,580	22,382	27.3%	195
Lowell	94,239	103,512	9.8%	253
Longmeadow	15,630	15,315	-2.0%	301
Littleton	6,380	8,714	36.6%	161
Lincoln	7,567	7,994	5.6%	265
Leyden	376	802	113.3%	45
Lexington	31,886	30,332	-4.9%	317
Leverett	1,005	1,746	73.7%	90
Leominster	32,939	41,128	24.9%	206
Lenox	5,804	5,105	-12.0%	333
Leicester	9,140	10,982	20.2%	223
Lee	6,426	5,803	-9.7%	330
Lawrence	66,915	70,066	4.7%	271
Lanesborough	2,972	2,891	-2.7%	307
Lancaster	6,095	7,047	15.6%	233
Lakeville	4,376	10,587	141.9%	29
Kingston	5,999	12,339	105.7%	56
Ipswich	10,750	13,245	23.2%	213
Huntington	1,593	2,193	37.7%	158
Hull	9,961	11,067	11.1%	248
Hudson	16,084	19,580	21.7%	218
Hubbardston	1,437	4,461	210.4%	10
Hopkinton	5,981	14,307	139.2%	31
Hopedale	4,292	6,165	43.6%	144
Holyoke	50,112	39,737	-20.7%	345
Holliston	12,069	13,941	15.5%	234
Holland	931	2,532	172.0%	17
Holden	12,564	16,581	32.0%	174
Holbrook	11,775	10,663	-9.4%	329
Hinsdale	1,588	1,937	22.0%	217
Hingham	18,845	22,394	18.8%	226
Heath	383	797	108.1%	53
Hawley	224	336	50.0%	131
Haverhill	46,120	59,902	29.9%	181
Hatfield	2,825	3,258	15.3%	235
Harwich	5,892	12,387	110.2%	46
Harvard	13,426	6,001	-55.3%	350
Hardwick	2,379	2,650	11.4%	247
Hanson	7,148	9,956	39.3%	154
Hanover	10,107	13,966	38.2%	155
Hancock	675	1,082	60.3%	111
Hampden	4,572	5,305	16.0%	232
Hamilton	6,373	8,188	28.5%	187
Halifax	3,537	7,700	117.7%	42
Hadley	3,760	4,787	27.3%	196
Groveland	5,400	6,923	28.2%	190
Groton	5,109	10,641	108.3%	52
Greenfield	18,116	17,706	-2.3%	304
Great Barrington	7,537	7,372	-2.2%	303
Granville	1,008	1,676	66.3%	104
Granby	5,473	6,285	14.8%	238
Grafton	11,659	17,525	50.3%	130
Gosnold	83	84	1.2%	286
Goshen	483	956	97.9%	64
Gloucester	27,941	30,308	8.5%	257
Gill	1,100	1,379	25.4%	202
Georgetown	5,290	8,147	54.0%	119
Gardner	19,748	20,613	4.4%	273
Freetown	4,270	8,935	109.3%	48
Franklin	17,830	31,381	76.0%	88
Framingham	64,048	64,786	1.2%	287
Foxborough	14,218	16,298	14.6%	239
Florida	672	678	0.9%	290
Fitchburg	43,343	40,243	-7.2%	325
Falmouth	15,942	33,247	108.5%	51
Fall River	96,898	90,905	-6.2%	322
Fairhaven	16,332	16,124	-1.3%	298
Everett	42,485	37,269	-12.3%	334
Essex	2,670	3,323	24.5%	209
Erving	1,260	1,537	22.0%	216
Egremont	1,138	1,350	18.6%	227
Edgartown	1,481	3,920	164.7%	23
Easton	12,157	22,969	88.9%	74
East Longmeadow	13,029	15,222	16.8%	229
Easthampton	13,012	16,064	23.5%	212
Eastham	2,043	5,445	166.5%	21
East Brookfield	1,801	2,069	14.9%	237
East Bridgewater	8,347	13,879	66.3%	103
Duxbury	7,636	14,444	89.2%	73
Dunstable	1,292	3,290	154.6%	26
Dudley	8,087	11,055	36.7%	160
Dracut	18,214	29,498	62.0%	107
Dover	4,529	5,627	24.2%	210
Douglas	2,947	7,924	168.9%	20
Dighton	4,667	6,748	44.6%	141
Dennis	6,454	15,473	139.7%	30
Deerfield	3,873	4,731	22.2%	215
Dedham	26,938	24,132	-10.4%	332
Dartmouth	18,800	34,005	80.9%	82
Danvers	26,151	26,736	2.2%	283
Dalton	7,505	6,582	-12.3%	335
Cummington	562	974	73.3%	91
Conway	998	1,884	88.8%	75
Concord	16,148	17,482	8.3%	260
Community	1970 population	2007 population	Change	Rank
Colrain	1,420	1,840	29.6%	183
Cohasset	6,954	7,182	3.3%	278
Clinton	13,383	14,030	4.8%	269
Clarksburg	1,987	1,631	-17.9%	341
Chilmark	340	963	183.2%	15
Chicopee	66,676	53,876	-19.2%	343
Chesterfield	704	1,273	80.8%	83
Chester	1,025	1,296	26.4%	200
Cheshire	3,006	3,299	9.7%	254
Chelsea	30,625	38,203	24.7%	207
Chelmsford	31,432	34,128	8.6%	256
Chatham	4,554	6,726	47.7%	136
Charlton	4,654	12,576	170.2%	18
Charlemont	897	1,367	52.4%	124
Carver	2,420	11,547	377.1%	4
Carlisle	2,871	4,882	70.0%	96
Canton	17,100	21,916	28.2%	191
Cambridge	100,361	101,388	1.0%	288
Burlington	21,980	25,034	13.9%	241
Buckland	1,892	1,990	5.2%	267
Brookline	58,886	54,809	-6.9%	324
Brookfield	2,063	3,030	46.9%	138
Brockton	89,040	93,092	4.6%	272
Brimfield	1,907	3,695	93.8%	68
Bridgewater	11,829	25,514	115.7%	44
Brewster	1,790	10,023	459.9%	3
Braintree	35,050	34,422	-1.8%	300
Boylston	2,774	4,266	53.8%	120
Boxford	4,032	8,074	100.2%	61
Boxborough	1,451	5,097	251.3%	7
Bourne	12,636	19,023	50.5%	128
Boston	641,071	608,352	-5.1%	320
Bolton	1,905	4,481	135.2%	34
Blandford	863	1,279	48.2%	135
Blackstone	6,566	9,042	37.7%	157
Billerica	31,648	42,038	32.8%	171
Beverly	38,348	39,490	3.0%	280
Bernardston	1,659	2,225	34.1%	168
Berlin	2,099	2,699	28.6%	186
Berkley	2,027	6,433	217.4%	9
Belmont	28,285	23,356	-17.4%	340
Bellingham	13,967	15,908	13.9%	240
Belchertown	5,936	13,971	135.4%	33
Bedford	13,513	13,146	-2.7%	306
Becket	929	1,797	93.4%	69
Barre	3,825	5,419	41.7%	147
Barnstable	19,842	46,738	135.6%	32
Ayer	7,393	7,369	-0.3%	291
Avon	5,295	4,303	-18.7%	342
Auburn	15,347	16,259	5.9%	264
Attleboro	32,907	43,113	31.0%	177
Athol	11,185	11,601	3.7%	277
Ashland	8,882	15,796	77.8%	84
Ashfield	1,274	1,815	42.5%	146
Ashby	2,274	2,944	29.5%	184
Ashburnham	3,484	5,959	71.0%	94
Arlington	53,524	41,144	-23.1%	346
Aquinnah	118	354	200.0%	11
Andover	23,695	33,284	40.5%	150
Amherst	26,331	35,962	36.6%	162
Amesbury	11,388	16,429	44.3%	142
Alford	302	394	30.5%	179
Agawam	21,717	28,333	30.5%	178
Adams	11,772	8,214	-30.2%	349
Acushnet	7,767	10,443	34.5%	167
Acton	14,770	20,753	40.5%	149
Abington	12,334	16,365	32.7%	173