The State of Massachusetts played a significant part in the early history of the United States. Situated on the northeastern edge of the country, this tiny territory contains the town of Plymouth, home to the Pilgrim colony of 1620, and as one of the first settled states, the population statistics have always been healthy.
Moving forward to the present day, the Massachusetts population is the 3rd most densely populated area in the United States, despite being the 7th smallest state in the country. Massachusetts also has a fairly healthy population growth rate of 0.75% annually, which ranks 28th in the United States.
Massachusetts Area and Population Density
With a surface area of just 10,555 square miles or 27,336 square kilometers, Massachusetts is the seventh smallest state in the USA. However, Massachusetts makes use of virtually every inch of its land and, for every square mile of land, there is an average of 839.4 people. Those figures make Massachusetts the third most densely populated state in the entire country, and the 14th most populated state in the US, despite its small size.
The state has two major metropolitan areas: Greater Boston in the east and the Springfield metropolitan area in the west. Approximately 2/3 of the total Massachusetts population lives in Greater Boston, while Western Massachusetts has just one urban area with a good mix of rural areas and college towns. The state is currently the most populous of the six New England states, as well as the fastest growing.
Massachusetts Gender and Religion Statistics
The median age is 39.4 years of age over the entire population of Massachusetts. The gender ratio is approximately 51.5% female and 48.5% male. In terms of religious preferences in the state, 58% prefer Christian based faiths, 9% are affiliated with non-Christian based faiths, and 32% are unaffiliated with any faith.
Massachusetts Boundary, Census, and Statehood History
Massachusetts was one of the 13 original States. Maine was legally part of Massachusetts from early Colonial times, although geographically separated; Maine became a separate State in 1820, leaving Massachusetts with nearly its present boundaries. A long-standing border dispute with Rhode Island was finally settled with a sizable exchange of territory in 1862. Census coverage included all of Massachusetts from 1790 on. The counties comprising Maine were reported separately in 1790-1810.