MassachusettsDemographicsDiversityUS-BornNative PopulationCensus DataCommunity ResearchTown Rankings

Massachusetts Towns Ranked by US-Born Diversity: Native Population Racial and Ethnic Composition (2025)

While overall diversity includes foreign-born residents, US-born diversity reveals how native populations are distributed across racial and ethnic groups. This ranking of all 248 Massachusetts municipalities by non-foreign diversity shows where native-born Americans create multicultural communities versus where demographic homogeneity persists among US-born residents.

November 27, 2025
20 min read
Boston Property Navigator Research TeamDemographic Analysis & Community Intelligence

US-born diversity (non-foreign diversity) measures racial and ethnic diversity among native-born Americans—separate from foreign-born diversity. This analysis ranks all 248 Massachusetts places by diversity of their US-born populations using Census ACS 2022 5-year data, revealing where native-born Americans create multicultural communities and where demographic homogeneity persists among US-born residents.

🎯

Why US-Born Diversity Matters

US-born diversity (non-foreign diversity) measures racial and ethnic diversity among native-born Americans—separate from foreign-born diversity which measures origin diversity of immigrants.

Understanding US-born diversity helps:
- Identify where native populations create multicultural communities
- Understand demographic patterns among US-born residents
- Compare diversity patterns between native and foreign-born populations
- Evaluate community integration and demographic mixing

Note: This analysis uses overall race/ethnicity data as a proxy for US-born diversity, as Census doesn't provide race/ethnicity broken down by nativity for all places. For precise US-born diversity, we'd need detailed nativity-by-race cross-tabulations.

Data source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2022 5-year estimates (2018-2022), Tables B03002 (Race/Ethnicity) and B05002 (Nativity).

📊US-Born Diversity Methodology

US-born diversity is calculated using Simpson's Diversity Index applied to the racial/ethnic composition of native-born populations. However, Census data limitations require using overall race/ethnicity as a proxy, since detailed nativity-by-race cross-tabulations aren't available for all places. Methodology: 1. Calculate overall race/ethnicity diversity (proxy for US-born diversity) 2. Note that this approximates US-born diversity since most diversity comes from native populations in many towns 3. For towns with high foreign-born percentages, this may underestimate US-born diversity Future enhancement: When detailed nativity-by-race data becomes available, we'll calculate precise US-born diversity indices.

This ranking complements our other diversity analyses: - Massachusetts Overall Diversity Rankings: Complete racial/ethnic diversity including all residents - Massachusetts Foreign-Born Diversity Rankings: Origin diversity of foreign-born residents - Massachusetts Demographic Sorting 2000-2024: How migration reshaped communities

📋

Data Limitations

Current methodology: Uses overall race/ethnicity diversity as proxy for US-born diversity, since detailed nativity-by-race cross-tabulations aren't available for all places.

Future enhancement: When Census provides detailed nativity-by-race data, we'll calculate precise US-born diversity indices.

For now: This ranking provides a reasonable approximation of US-born diversity patterns, especially in towns with lower foreign-born percentages.

Data Methodology

Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2022 5-year estimates (2018-2022)

Tables: B03002 (Race/Ethnicity), B05002 (Nativity)

Coverage: All 248 Massachusetts places (cities, towns, CDPs)

Diversity Index: Simpson's Diversity Index (1 - Σ(pi²)) converted to 0-100 scale

Note: Uses overall race/ethnicity as proxy for US-born diversity due to data limitations

Last Updated: November 2025

Need Custom Analysis?

Want deeper insights for a specific property or neighborhood? Get a custom research report tailored to your needs—from individual property analysis to comprehensive market overviews.

Request Custom Analysis

Subscribe to Market Pulse

Get weekly Boston suburban real estate insights, market analysis, and strategic buyer intelligence delivered every Friday.

Weekly updates • No spam • Unsubscribe anytime

Related Posts

MassachusettsDemographics

Massachusetts Towns Ranked by Foreign-Born Diversity: Origin Diversity of Immigrant Populations (2025)

Some towns have diverse immigrant populations from multiple continents (Europe, Asia, Latin America, Africa). Others have concentrated immigrant populations from single regions. This ranking of Massachusetts municipalities by foreign-born diversity reveals where immigrant communities represent multiple origins versus where immigration is regionally concentrated.

Foreign-born diversity measures the origin diversity of immigrant populations—whether immigrants come from multiple continents (high diversity) or are concentrated from single regions (low diversity). This analysis ranks Massachusetts towns by foreign-born diversity using Census ACS 2022 5-year nativity data, revealing where immigrant communities represent multiple origins and where immigration is regionally concentrated.

November 27, 2025
25 min
MassachusettsDemographics

Massachusetts Towns Ranked by Overall Diversity: From Homogeneous Suburbs to Multicultural Hubs (2025)

Lawrence is 82% Hispanic, Dover is 89% white. This comprehensive ranking of all 248 Massachusetts municipalities by racial and ethnic diversity reveals where multicultural communities thrive, where demographic homogeneity persists, and why diversity matters for community character, school quality, and economic opportunity.

Massachusetts exhibits extreme diversity sorting: Gateway Cities like Lawrence (82% Hispanic), Chelsea (67% Hispanic), and Holyoke (52% Hispanic) anchor the diverse end, while affluent suburbs like Dover (89% white), Weston (87% white), and Carlisle (85% white) anchor the homogeneous end. This analysis ranks all 248 Massachusetts places by overall diversity using Simpson's Diversity Index calculated from Census ACS 2022 5-year race/ethnicity data, revealing where multicultural communities thrive and where demographic homogeneity persists.

November 27, 2025
25 min
MassachusettsDemographics

Massachusetts Towns Ranked by Median Age: From College Towns to Retirement Communities (2025)

Amherst's median age is 21.3 years—younger than most college students. Provincetown's is 58.2—older than most retirees. This comprehensive ranking of all 248 Massachusetts municipalities reveals where young professionals cluster, where families settle, and where retirees migrate. Age structure predicts community character, school enrollment, housing demand, and economic vitality more accurately than any other demographic metric.

Massachusetts exhibits extreme age sorting: college towns like Amherst (21.3 years) and Northampton (32.1) anchor the youth end, while Cape Cod retirement communities like Provincetown (58.2) and Wellfleet (57.8) anchor the senior end. Greater Boston suburbs cluster in the 38-45 range—prime family-raising years. This analysis ranks all 248 Massachusetts places by median age using Census ACS 2022 5-year data, revealing where different life stages concentrate and why age structure matters more than income or education for predicting community fit.

November 27, 2025
25 min