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CITY · 2020 ACS

Cambridge

Massachusetts · 118,403 residents · 6.40 sq mi
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The short version

Cambridge is home to 118,403 people in Massachusetts. 79% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, against 33% nationally. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $843,100. Owners hold 30% of the housing stock. The median age is 30.6, younger than the US median of 38.8. Median rent is $2,293 a month.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $66,278
Younger
median age 30.6
US median: 38.8
More educated
79% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
Less affordable
home values up 69%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01

Population & growth

118,403
+17%since 2000
from 101,355 in 2000
1990 – 2025
30.6
+1%since 2000
from 30.4 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Land area
6.40 sq mi
Population, 19902024
94K100K107K114K121K19902000201020202024Cambridge
2024119K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 53.9%(4,656)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 93.3%(3,864)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 142.8%(3,285)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 196.2%(7,306)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 2414.8%(17,535)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3429.3%(34,729)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 4412.1%(14,287)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 547.9%(9,350)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 647.7%(9,138)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 747.1%(8,351)
US avg: 10%
75 to 843.6%(4,298)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over1.4%(1,604)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

$107,490
+49%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $47,979 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
$61,036
+96%since 2000
from $31,156 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
63.8%
+19.8 ptssince 2009
from 44.0% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
12.0%
−1.0 ptssince 2000
from 12.9% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Retail trade6.5%
US avg: 10%
Other services6.4%
US avg: 6.6%
Information5.4%
US avg: 11.1%
Public administration5%
US avg: 4.7%
Arts, entertainment, food3.2%
US avg: 2%
Finance & insurance1.8%
US avg: 5.5%
Professional, scientific, technical1.4%
US avg: 4.7%
Wholesale trade1.3%
US avg: 6.7%
Transportation & warehousing0.7%
US avg: 2.5%
Education & health services0.4%
US avg: 0.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.1%
US avg: 1.7%
Construction0.1%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

$843,100
+69%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $331,600 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
$2,293
+59%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $962 in 2000
US average: $1,124
30.1%
−2.2 ptssince 2000
from 32.3% in 2000
69.9% rent
2.13 people
+2%since 2009
from 2.08 people in 2009
US average: 2.61
7.8
−11%since 2009
from 8.8 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic64.6%(65,425)
Black11.5%(11,627)
Hispanic / Latino7.4%(7,455)
Asian11.8%(11,984)
Other0%
2020
White, non-Hispanic55.4%(65,553)
Black10.1%(12,016)
Hispanic / Latino9.1%(10,738)
Asian19.1%(22,628)
Other4.8%(5,633)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Puerto Rican2.2%(2,568)
South American1.9%(2,269)
Mexican1.4%(1,685)
Central American1.2%(1,427)
Dominican0.9%(1,010)
Salvadoran0.6%(744)
Colombian0.6%(716)
Argentine0.5%(638)
Spaniard0.5%(545)
Cuban0.3%(356)
Venezuelan0.3%(299)
Guatemalan0.2%(221)
+ 9 more hispanic origin groups with data
Ecuadorian0.2%(204)
Peruvian0.2%(187)
Chilean0.1%(134)
Panamanian0.1%(116)
Honduran0.1%(69)
Uruguayan0%(53)
Bolivian0%(31)
Asian origin
Chinese7.4%(8,774)
Asian Indian3.9%(4,649)
Korean2.3%(2,713)
Japanese0.7%(883)
Vietnamese0.4%(506)
Bangladeshi0.4%(438)
Taiwanese0.3%(385)
Filipino0.3%(299)
Pakistani0.2%(294)
Nepalese0.2%(260)
Malaysian0.2%(206)
Thai0.2%(183)
+ 6 more asian origin groups with data
Cambodian0.1%(174)
Sri Lankan0.1%(143)
Laotian0.1%(87)
Indonesian0.1%(64)
Burmese0%(29)
Mongolian0%(24)
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0.1%(91)
Samoan0%(22)
Ancestry
Irish10.6%(12,522)
Italian7.9%(9,365)
English7.6%(8,968)
German7.4%(8,718)
Polish3%(3,570)
American2.8%(3,300)
West Indian2.8%(3,281)
French2.5%(3,001)
Russian2.4%(2,841)
Scottish1.8%(2,071)
Haitian1.7%(2,033)
+ 50 more ancestry groups with data
Portuguese1.7%(1,965)
British1.5%(1,752)
Swedish1.3%(1,516)
French Canadian1.1%(1,297)
Ethiopian1%(1,130)
Greek0.9%(1,036)
Dutch0.7%(839)
Ukrainian0.7%(766)
Hungarian0.6%(736)
Lithuanian0.6%(702)
Norwegian0.6%(692)
Jamaican0.6%(675)
Iranian0.6%(668)
Welsh0.6%(649)
Turkish0.5%(646)
Scotch-Irish0.5%(645)
Canadian0.5%(638)
Lebanese0.5%(602)
Nigerian0.4%(467)
Czech0.4%(462)
Austrian0.4%(453)
Danish0.4%(414)
Swiss0.3%(382)
Armenian0.3%(363)
Romanian0.3%(343)
Arab0.3%(332)
Israeli0.2%(289)
Finnish0.2%(275)
Slovak0.2%(272)
Serbian0.2%(265)
Croatian0.2%(245)
Egyptian0.2%(244)
Brazilian0.2%(239)
Cape Verdean0.2%(238)
Moroccan0.2%(187)
Australian0.1%(171)
Barbadian0.1%(167)
Bulgarian0.1%(165)
Latvian0.1%(152)
Syrian0.1%(111)
Belgian0.1%(108)
Slovene0.1%(104)
Kenyan0.1%(102)
Ghanaian0.1%(83)
Iraqi0.1%(79)
Guyanese0%(17)
Jordanian0%(16)
Section 05

Education

79.1%
+13.9 ptssince 2000
from 65.1% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
95.5%
+6.0 ptssince 2000
from 89.5% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
49.6%
+11.1 ptssince 2000
from 38.5% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

26.5 min
+77%since 2000
from 15.0 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
24.3%
−7.8 ptssince 2009
from 32.1% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
32.7%
+1.7 ptssince 2009
from 31.0% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

4.0%
−2.0 ptssince 2011
from 6.0% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
69.5%
+1.0 ptssince 2011
from 68.5% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
77.7%
US average: 73.3%
76.7%
+9.0 ptssince 2009
from 67.7% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

50.2%
+0.5 ptssince 2009
from 49.6% in 2009
49.8%
−0.5 ptssince 2009
from 50.4% in 2009
29.2%
+3.5 ptssince 2009
from 25.7% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
2.3%
−1.1 ptssince 2013
from 3.4% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Computer in household
95.5%
US average: 91.9%
72.8%
US average: 86.2%
Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married60.8%(31,996)
Married33.7%(17,762)
Widowed1.1%(563)
Divorced4.4%(2,323)
Women 15+
Never married57.7%(30,984)
Married31.4%(16,880)
Widowed3.6%(1,906)
Divorced7.3%(3,918)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

2.3%
−1.1 ptssince 2013
from 3.4% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
71.3%
US average: 55.4%
Direct-purchase
17.4%
US average: 13.7%
11.4%
US average: 17.6%
11.4%
US average: 20.0%
VA health care
0.4%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
85.3%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
20.6%
US average: 35.2%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2020
Gulf War (2001 or later)28.8%(498)
US avg: 20.6%
Gulf War (1990s)11.8%(204)
US avg: 21.4%
Vietnam era24.3%(420)
US avg: 35.2%
Korean War17%(294)
US avg: 7.6%
World War II5.1%(89)
US avg: 2.9%

Share of the 1,731 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
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Frequently asked

How many people live in Cambridge, Massachusetts?

Cambridge, Massachusetts has about 118,403 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Cambridge, Massachusetts?

The typical household in Cambridge, Massachusetts earns about $107,490 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Cambridge, Massachusetts expensive?

In Cambridge, Massachusetts, the median home is worth about $843,100, and the typical rent is about $2,293 a month.

How educated are people in Cambridge, Massachusetts?

About 79.1% of adults age 25 and over in Cambridge, Massachusetts hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Cambridge, Massachusetts?

About 12.0% of people in Cambridge, Massachusetts live below the federal poverty line.

Has Cambridge, Massachusetts grown since 1990?

Yes, Cambridge, Massachusetts has grown since 1990. The population has added about 22,601 residents, a change of about 24 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →