Massachusetts statistical areas

The United States Commonwealth of Massachusetts currently has 12 statistical areas that have been delineated by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). On July 21, 2023, the OMB delineated two combined statistical area, seven metropolitan statistical areas, and three micropolitan statistical area in Massachusetts.^[1] As of 2023, the largest of these is the Boston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH CSA, comprising the area around Massachusetts' capital and largest city of Boston.

Background

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has designated more than 1,000 statistical areas for the United States and Puerto Rico.^[2] These statistical areas are important geographic delineations of population clusters used by the OMB, the United States Census Bureau, planning organizations, and federal, state, and local government entities.

The OMB defines a core-based statistical area (commonly referred to as a CBSA) as the county or counties (or county-equivalents) surrounding at least one densely-settled core of at least 10,000 population,^[2] "plus adjacent counties having a high degree of social and economic integration with the core as measured through commuting ties with the counties containing the core".^[2] The OMB further divides core-based statistical areas based on population into metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) for those with at least 50,000 and micropolitan statistical areas (μSAs) for those with 10,000 to 49,999 people.^[2]

The OMB defines a combined statistical area (CSA) as two or more adjacent core-based statistical areas where the employment interchange rate (% commuting from A to B plus % commuting from B to A) is at least 15%.^[2] The primary statistical areas (PSAs) include all combined statistical areas and any core-based statistical area that is not a constituent of a combined statistical area.

Table

The 12 United States statistical areas and 14 counties of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts^[a]
Combined statistical area^[1]	2023 population (est.)^[3]	Core-based statistical area^[1]	2023 population (est.)^[3]	County	2023 population (est.)^[3]	Metropolitan division^[1]	2023 population (est.)^[3]
Boston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH CSA	8,345,067 6,145,689 (MA)	Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH MSA	4,919,179 4,465,247 (MA)	Middlesex County, Massachusetts	1,623,952	Cambridge-Newton-Framingham, MA MD	2,434,041
				Essex County, Massachusetts	810,089	Cambridge-Newton-Framingham, MA MD	2,434,041
				Suffolk County, Massachusetts	768,425	Boston, MA MD	2,031,206
				Norfolk County, Massachusetts	727,473
				Plymouth County, Massachusetts	535,308
				Rockingham County, New Hampshire	320,689	Rockingham County-Strafford County, NH MD	453,932
				Strafford County, New Hampshire	133,243	Rockingham County-Strafford County, NH MD	453,932
		Providence-Warwick, RI-MA MSA	1,677,803 581,841 (MA)	Providence County, Rhode Island	660,615	none
				Bristol County, Massachusetts	581,841
				Kent County, Rhode Island	171,278
				Washington County, Rhode Island	129,982
				Newport County, Rhode Island	83,832
				Bristol County, Rhode Island	50,255
		Worcester, MA MSA	866,866	Worcester County, Massachusetts	866,866
		Manchester-Nashua, NH MSA	427,354	Hillsborough County, New Hampshire	427,354
		Barnstable Town, MA MSA	231,735	Barnstable County, Massachusetts	231,735
		Concord, NH μSA	157,103	Merrimack County, New Hampshire	157,103
		Laconia, NH μSA	65,027	Belknap County, New Hampshire	65,027
Springfield-Amherst Town-Northampton, MA CSA	693,629	Springfield, MA MSA	460,291	Hampden County, Massachusetts	460,291
		Amherst Town-Northampton, MA MSA	162,502	Hampshire County, Massachusetts	162,502
		Greenfield, MA μSA	70,836	Franklin County, Massachusetts	70,836
none		Pittsfield, MA MSA	126,818	Berkshire County, Massachusetts	126,818
		Vineyard Haven, MA μSA	20,819	Dukes County, Massachusetts	20,819
		Nantucket, MA μSA	14,444	Nantucket County, Massachusetts	14,444
Commonwealth of Massachusetts					7,001,399

Primary statistical areas

Primary statistical areas (PSAs) include all combined statistical areas and any core-based statistical area that is not a constituent of a combined statistical area. Of the 12 statistical areas of Massachusetts, five are PSAs comprising two combined statistical areas, one metropolitan statistical area and two micropolitan statistical areas.

The five primary statistical areas of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts^[b]
2020 rank	Primary statistical area^[1]	Population
2020 rank	Primary statistical area^[1]	2023 estimate^[3]	Change	2020 Census^[4]	Change	2010 Census^[5]
1	Boston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH CSA (MA)	6,145,689	−0.34%	6,166,874	+8.25%	5,696,761
2	Springfield-Amherst Town-Northampton, MA CSA	693,629	−0.79%	699,162	+0.90%	692,942
3	Pittsfield, MA MSA	126,818	−1.71%	129,026	−1.67%	131,219
4	Vineyard Haven, MA μSA	20,819	+1.06%	20,600	+24.58%	16,535
5	Nantucket, MA μSA	14,444	+1.33%	14,255	+40.14%	10,172
	Boston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH CSA	8,345,067	−0.06%	8,349,768	+7.39%	7,774,948

Notes

^ An out-of-state area and its population are displayed in green. An area that extends into more than one state is displayed in purple. A purple population number over a black population number show the total population versus the in-state population. The state's abbreviation is also shown next to the in-state total.
^ For PSAs comprising populations from multiple states, they are listed twice to show both their intrastate population within that PSA as well as the PSA's total population. Only the intrastate population is ranked.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Revised Delineations of Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Micropolitan Statistical Areas, and Combined Statistical Areas, and Guidance on Uses of the Delineations of These Areas (July 21, 2023). "0MB BULLETIN NO. 23-01" (PDF). Office of Management and Budget. Retrieved October 23, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "2020 Standards for Delineating Core Based Statistical Areas". Office of Management and Budget. July 16, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2023". United States Census Bureau, Population Division. March 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
^ "PROFILE OF GENERAL POPULATION AND HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS". U.S. Census Bureau. 2020. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2019". U.S. Census Bureau. 2019. Retrieved May 21, 2024.

External links

42°15′35″N 71°48′30″W / 42.2596°N 71.8083°W / 42.2596; -71.8083 (Commonwealth of Massachusetts)

[3] An out-of-state area and its population are displayed in green. An area that extends into more than one state is displayed in purple. A purple population number over a black population number show the total population versus the in-state population. The state's abbreviation is also shown next to the in-state total.

[5] For PSAs comprising populations from multiple states, they are listed twice to show both their intrastate population within that PSA as well as the PSA's total population. Only the intrastate population is ranked.

[OMB_20230721-1] Revised Delineations of Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Micropolitan Statistical Areas, and Combined Statistical Areas, and Guidance on Uses of the Delineations of These Areas (July 21, 2023). "0MB BULLETIN NO. 23-01" (PDF). Office of Management and Budget. Retrieved October 23, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[CBSA-2] "2020 Standards for Delineating Core Based Statistical Areas". Office of Management and Budget. July 16, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2021.

[PopCBSA-4] "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2023". United States Census Bureau, Population Division. March 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2024.

[USC2020-6] "PROFILE OF GENERAL POPULATION AND HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS". U.S. Census Bureau. 2020. Retrieved May 21, 2024.

[USC2010-7] "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2019". U.S. Census Bureau. 2019. Retrieved May 21, 2024.

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