Massachusetts

==Demographics==

{{Main|Demographics of Massachusetts|List of people from Massachusetts}}
[[File:Massachusetts population map.png|thumb|upright=1.6|Massachusetts population density map. The centers of high-density settlement, from east to west, are Boston, Worcester, Springfield, and [[Pittsfield, Massachusetts|Pittsfield]], respectively.]]
{{US Census population
| 1790= 378787
| 1800= 422845
| 1810= 472040
| 1820= 523287
| 1830= 610408
| 1840= 737699
| 1850= 994514
| 1860= 1231066
| 1870= 1457351
| 1880= 1783085
| 1890= 2238947
| 1900= 2805346
| 1910= 3366416
| 1920= 3852356
| 1930= 4249614
| 1940= 4316721
| 1950= 4690514
| 1960= 5148578
| 1970= 5689170
| 1980= 5737037
| 1990= 6016425
| 2000= 6349097
| 2010= 6547629
| 2020= 7029917
| estimate = 7001399
| estyear = 2023
| align-fn = center
|footnote=<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/censusdata/table-16.pdf|title=Population: 1790 to 1990|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|location=US|access-date=June 10, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Historical Population Change Data (1910–2020) |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/popchange-data-text.html |website=Census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=May 1, 2021 |archive-date=April 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429012609/https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/popchange-data-text.html}}</ref>}}

At the [[2020 United States census|2020 U.S. census]], Massachusetts had a population of over 7 million, a 7.4% increase since the [[2010 United States Census]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Massachusetts Population Surpasses 7 Million In 2020 Census|url=https://boston.cbslocal.com/video/5525988-massachusetts-population-surpasses-7-million-in-2020-census/|access-date=April 27, 2021}}</ref><ref name="2020Census">{{cite web |title=2020 Census Apportionment Results |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2020/dec/2020-apportionment-data.html |website=census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=April 30, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210426210008/https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2020/dec/2020-apportionment-data.html |archive-date=April 26, 2021 |url-status=live }}</ref> As of 2015, Massachusetts was estimated to be the [[List of states and territories of the United States by population density|third-most densely populated U.S. state]], with 871.0 people per square mile,<ref name=qcensus>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/popest/data/state/totals/2015/tables/NST-EST2015-01.csv|format=CSV|title=Table 1. Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for the United States, Regions, States, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015|date=December 23, 2015|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 24, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151223235718/http://www.census.gov/popest/data/state/totals/2015/tables/NST-EST2015-01.csv|archive-date=December 23, 2015}}</ref> behind [[New Jersey]] and [[Rhode Island]]. In 2014, Massachusetts had 1,011,811 foreign-born residents or 15% of the population.<ref name=qcensus/> As of July 2022, the population is estimated to have fallen to 6.98 million.<ref name="Census Quick Facts: Mass"/>

Most Massachusetts residents live within the Boston metropolitan area, also known as [[Greater Boston]], which includes Boston and its proximate surroundings but also extending to [[Greater Lowell]] and to [[Worcester, Massachusetts|Worcester]]. The [[Springfield metropolitan area, Massachusetts|Springfield metropolitan area]], also known as Greater Springfield, is also a major center of population. Demographically, the [[center of population]] of Massachusetts is located in the town of [[Natick, Massachusetts|Natick]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Centers of Population |url=http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/reference/cenpop2010/CenPop2010_Mean_ST.txt |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=April 26, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=State Centers of Population |date=February 5, 2012 |url=http://www.howderfamily.com/blog/state-centers-population/ |publisher=howderfamily.com |access-date=April 26, 2015|quote=I'll{{spaces}}... examine some individual state centers of population.}}</ref>

Like the rest of the [[Northeastern United States]], the population of Massachusetts has continued to grow in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Massachusetts is the fastest-growing state in [[New England]] and the 25th fastest-growing state in the United States.<ref name=GlobeTopgrowth>{{cite web |last1=Miller |first1=Joshua |title=Mass. population growth is tops in N.E |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/01/01/massachusetts-population-growth-rate-ahead-other-new-england-states-but-still-slow/r7PLcdbKnD9HZY3fm97XGP/story.html |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |access-date=April 26, 2015}}</ref> Population growth has been driven primarily by the relatively high quality of life and a large higher education system.<ref name=GlobeTopgrowth/>

Foreign immigration is also a factor in the state's population growth, causing the state's population to continue to grow as of the [[2010 United States Census|2010 census]] (particularly in [[Massachusetts gateway cities]] where costs of living are lower).<ref name=GlobeDemographics1>{{cite news |last=Mishra |first=Raja |title=State's population growth on stagnant course |url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/12/22/states_population_growth_on_stagnant_course/ |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |date=December 22, 2006 |access-date=June 5, 2010}}</ref><ref name=USAToday1>{{cite news |last=Bayles |first=Fred |title=Minorities account for state population growth |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/census/ma.htm |work=[[USA Today]] |date=March 21, 2001 |access-date=June 5, 2010}}</ref> Forty percent of foreign immigrants were from [[Central America|Central]] or [[South America]], according to a 2005 Census Bureau study, with many of the remainder from [[Asia]]. Many residents who have settled in Greater Springfield claim [[Puerto Rico|Puerto Rican]] descent.<ref name=GlobeDemographics1/> Many areas of Massachusetts showed relatively stable population trends between 2000 and 2010.<ref name=USAToday1/> [[Exburb|Exurban]] Boston and coastal areas grew the most rapidly, while [[Berkshire County, Massachusetts|Berkshire County]] in far [[Western Massachusetts]] and Barnstable County on [[Cape Cod]] were the only counties to lose population as of the [[2010 United States Census|2010 census]].<ref name=USAToday1/> In 2018, The top countries of origin for Massachusetts' immigrants were [[China]], the [[Dominican Republic]], [[Brazil]], [[India]] and [[Haiti]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/sites/default/files/research/immigrants_in_massachusetts.pdf|title=Immigrants in Massachusetts}}</ref>

By sex, 48.4% were male, and 51.6% were female in 2014. In terms of age, 79.2% were over 18 and 14.8% were over 65.<ref name=qcensus/>

According to [[United States Department of Housing and Urban Development|HUD]]'s 2022 [[Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress|Annual Homeless Assessment Report]], there were an estimated 15,507 [[Homelessness in Massachusetts|homeless people in Massachusetts]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=2007-2022 PIT Counts by State |url=https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huduser.gov%2Fportal%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fxls%2F2007-2022-PIT-Counts-by-State.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The 2022 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress |url=https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2022-AHAR-Part-1.pdf}}</ref>

===Race and ancestry===

[[File:St. Patrick Day's Parade, Scituate MA.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.15|[[Saint Patrick's Day]] parade in [[Scituate, Massachusetts|Scituate]], the municipality with the highest percentage identifying [[Irish diaspora|Irish]] ancestry in the United States, at 47.5% in 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irishcentral.com/news/the-most-irish-town-in-america-is-named-133427563-237789381.html|title=The most Irish town in America is named using US census data|first=Jane|last=Walsh|publisher=IrishCentral|date=November 25, 2015|access-date=May 8, 2016}}</ref> [[Irish Americans]] constitute the largest ethnicity in Massachusetts.]]
[[File:Ethnic Origins in Massachusetts.png|thumb|245x245px|Ethnic origins in Massachusetts]]
{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible"; text-align:right; font-size:80%;"
|+ style="font-size:90%" |Ethnic composition as of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]]
|-
! Race and Ethnicity<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/race-and-ethnicity-in-the-united-state-2010-and-2020-census.html |title=Race and Ethnicity in the United States: 2010 Census and 2020 Census
 |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=August 12, 2021 |website=census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=September 26, 2021}}</ref>
! colspan="2" data-sort-type=number |Alone
! colspan="2" data-sort-type=number |Total
|-
| [[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White (non-Hispanic)]]
|align=right| {{bartable|67.6|%|2||background:gray}}
|align=right| {{bartable|71.4|%|2||background:gray}}
|-
| [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]]{{efn|Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin are not distinguished between total and partial ancestry.}}
|align=right| {{bartable}}
|align=right| {{bartable|12.6|%|2||background:green}}
|-
| [[African Americans|African American (non-Hispanic)]]
|align=right| {{bartable|6.5|%|2||background:mediumblue}}
|align=right| {{bartable|8.2|%|2||background:mediumblue}}
|-
| [[Asian Americans|Asian]]
|align=right| {{bartable|7.2|%|2||background:purple}}
|align=right| {{bartable|8.2|%|2||background:purple}}
|-
| [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]]
|align=right| {{bartable|0.1|%|2||background:gold}}
|align=right| {{bartable|0.9|%|2||background:gold}}
|-
| [[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]]
|align=right| {{bartable|0.02|%|2||background:pink}}
|align=right| {{bartable|0.1|%|2||background:pink}}
|-
| Other
|align=right| {{bartable|1.3|%|2||background:brown}}
|align=right| {{bartable|3.6|%|2||background:brown}}
|}
The state's most populous ethnic group, non-Hispanic white, has declined from 95.4% in 1970 to 67.6% in 2020.<ref name=qcensus/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/25000.html |title=Massachusetts QuickFacts |location=US |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=June 10, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150821061951/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/25000.html |archive-date=August 21, 2015 }}</ref> As of 2011, non-Hispanic whites were involved in 63.6% of all the births,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2012/06/americas_under_age_1_populatio.html |title=Americans under age 1 now mostly minorities, but not in Ohio: Statistical Snapshot |last=Exner |first=Rich |date=June 3, 2012 |work=[[The Plain Dealer]]}}</ref> while 36.4% of the population of Massachusetts younger than age{{spaces}}1 was minorities (at least one parent who was not non-Hispanic white).<ref>{{cite web|last1=Exner|first1=Rich|title=Americans under age 1 now mostly minorities, but not in Ohio: Statistical Snapshot|url=http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2012/06/americas_under_age_1_populatio.html |website=The Plain Dealer|date=June 3, 2012|publisher=Advance Ohio|access-date=August 2, 2016|ref=June 3, 2012}}</ref> One major reason for this is that non-Hispanic whites in Massachusetts recorded a [[total fertility rate]] of 1.36 in 2017, the second-lowest in the country after neighboring Rhode Island.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr68/nvsr68_01-508.pdf |title=CDC data |publisher=Centres for Disease Control and Prevention |access-date=May 13, 2020}}</ref>

As late as 1795, the population of Massachusetts was nearly 95% of English ancestry.{{sfn|Brown|Tager|2000|p=173}} During the early and mid-19th century, immigrant groups began arriving in Massachusetts in large numbers; first from Ireland in the 1840s;{{sfn|Brown|Tager|2000|pp=173–79}} today the Irish and part-Irish are the largest ancestry group in the state at nearly 25% of the total population. Others arrived later from Quebec as well as places in Europe such as Italy, Portugal, and Poland.{{sfn|Brown|Tager|2000|p=203}} In the early 20th century, a number of{{vague|date=March 2019}} [[Great Migration (African American)|African Americans migrated to Massachusetts]], although in somewhat fewer numbers than many other Northern states.{{sfn|Brown|Tager|2000|p=301}} Later in the 20th century, immigration from Latin America increased considerably. More than 156,000 [[Chinese Americans in Boston|Chinese Americans]] made their home in Massachusetts in 2014,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/14_1YR/S0201/0400000US25/popgroup~016|title=Selected Population Profile in the United States – 2014 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates—Chinese alone, Massachusetts|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=May 8, 2016|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200214001946/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/14_1YR/S0201/0400000US25/popgroup~016|archive-date=February 14, 2020}}</ref> and Boston hosts a growing [[Chinatown, Boston|Chinatown]] accommodating heavily traveled [[Chinatown bus lines|Chinese-owned bus lines]] to and from [[Chinatown, Manhattan]] in [[New York City]]. Massachusetts also has large [[Dominican American|Dominican]], [[Puerto Rican American|Puerto Rican]], [[Haitian Americans|Haitian]], [[Cape Verdean American|Cape Verdean]] and [[Brazilian American|Brazilian]] populations.<ref>{{cite web |title=Hispanic or Latino by Type: 2010 Census Summary File 1: Massachusetts (QT-P10) |url=https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/QTP10/0400000US25 |work=American Factfinder |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |accessdate=March 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213010024/https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/QTP10/0400000US25 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Boston's [[South End, Boston|South End]] and [[Jamaica Plain]] are both [[gay village]]s, as is nearby [[Provincetown, Massachusetts]] on Cape Cod.<ref>{{cite news |title=Same-Sex Couples Since 1990 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/08/25/us/same-sex-couples-since-1990.html?ref=us |access-date=December 4, 2022 |work=The New York Times}}</ref>
[[File:Boston Chinatown Paifang.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.15|[[Chinatown, Boston|Boston's Chinatown]], with its [[paifang]] gate, is home to many [[Chinese Americans in Boston|Chinese]] and also [[Vietnamese Americans in Boston|Vietnamese]] restaurants.]]
[[File:Party_goers_and_dancers_at_Back_Bay_Block_Party.jpg|thumb|Boston [[gay pride]] march, held annually in June. In 2004 Massachusetts became the first U.S. state to legalize [[same-sex marriage in Massachusetts|same-sex marriage]].]]
The largest ancestry group in Massachusetts are the [[Irish Americans|Irish]] (22.5% of the population), who live in significant numbers throughout the state but form more than 40% of the population along the South Shore in Norfolk and Plymouth counties (in both counties overall, Irish-Americans comprise more than 30% of the population). [[Italian Americans|Italians]] form the second-largest ethnic group in the state (13.5%), but form a plurality in some suburbs north of Boston and in a few towns in the Berkshires. [[English Americans]], the third-largest (11.4%) group, form a plurality in some western towns. [[French Americans|French]] and [[French Canadian]]s also form a significant part (10.7%),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|title=People Reporting Ancestry – 2012–2016 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=August 25, 2018}}</ref> with sizable populations in Bristol, Hampden, and Worcester Counties, along with Middlesex county especially concentrated in the areas surrounding Lowell and Lawrence.<ref name=citydata2000>{{cite web |title=Massachusetts—Ethnic groups |url=http://www.city-data.com/states/Massachusetts-Ethnic-groups.html |publisher=City-Data.com |access-date=April 26, 2015}}</ref><ref>For Bristol County see {{cite web
 |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP02/0500000US25005
 |title=DP02 Selected Social Characteristics in the United States—2006–2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
 |access-date=January 12, 2016
|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]
 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213025726/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP02/0500000US25005
 |archive-date=February 13, 2020
}}
:* For Hampden County see {{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP02/0500000US25013 |title=DP02 Selected Social Characteristics in the United States—2006–2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates |access-date=January 12, 2016 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213010213/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP02/0500000US25013 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 }}
:* For Worcester County see {{cite web
 |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP02/0500000US25027
 |title=DP02 Selected Social Characteristics in the United States—2006–2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
 |access-date=January 12, 2016
|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]
 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213020310/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP02/0500000US25027
 |archive-date=February 13, 2020
}}</ref> <!-- missing information of Massachusetts residents of Portuguese ancestry, including possible temporary sources here <ref>{{cite web |url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSSPP1Y2022.S0201?q=population%20of%20portuguese%20americans&g=040XX00US25}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSSPP1Y2016.S0201?q=portuguese%20population%20in%20massachusetts%202016}}</ref> --> [[Lowell, Massachusetts|Lowell]] is home to the second-largest [[Cambodian Americans|Cambodian]] community of the nation.<ref>{{cite news |last=Schweitzer |first=Sarah |title=Lowell hopes to put 'Little Cambodia' on the map |url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/02/15/lowell_hopes_to_put_little_cambodia_on_the_map/ |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |date=February 15, 2010 |access-date=May 31, 2010}}</ref> Massachusetts is home to a small community of [[Greek Americans]] as well, which according to the [[American Community Survey]] there are 83,701 of them scattered along the state (1.2% of the total state population).<ref>{{cite web |title=2011–2015 American Community Survey Selected Population Tables |url=https://www.census.gov |access-date=August 10, 2018}}</ref> There are also [[List of American Indian Reservations in Massachusetts|several populations]] of [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] in Massachusetts. The [[Wampanoag people|Wampanoag]] tribe maintains reservations at [[Aquinnah, Massachusetts|Aquinnah]] on Martha's Vineyard and at [[Mashpee, Massachusetts|Mashpee]] on Cape Cod—with an ongoing [[Massachusett language|native language revival project underway]] since 1993, while the [[Nipmuc]] maintain two state-recognized reservations in the central part of the state, including one at [[Grafton, Massachusetts|Grafton]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Indian Reservations in the Continental United States |url=http://www.nps.gov/nagpra/DOCUMENTS/ResMAP.HTM |publisher=[[National Park Service]] |access-date=May 7, 2015}}</ref>

Massachusetts has avoided many forms of racial strife seen elsewhere in the US, but examples such as the successful electoral showings of the [[Nativism (politics)|nativist]] (mainly [[Anti-Catholicism|anti-Catholic]]) [[Know Nothing]]s in the 1850s,{{sfn|Brown|Tager|2000|pp=180–82}} the controversial [[Sacco and Vanzetti]] executions in the 1920s,{{sfn|Brown|Tager|2000|pp=257–58}} and Boston's opposition to [[Boston busing desegregation|desegregation busing]] in the 1970s.{{sfn|Brown|Tager|2000|pp=300–4}}

===Languages===

The most common varieties of [[American English]] spoken in Massachusetts, other than [[General American]], are the [[New England English#Southwestern New England|''cot-caught'' distinct, rhotic, western Massachusetts dialect]] and the [[Boston accent|''cot-caught'' merged, non-rhotic, eastern Massachusetts dialect]] (popularly known as a "Boston accent").<ref>{{cite web |last1=Irwin |first1=Patricia |last2=Nagy |first2=Naomi |title=Bostonians /r/ Speaking: A Quantitative Look at (R) in Boston |url=http://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1009&context=pwpl |publisher=University of Pennsylvania |access-date=April 26, 2015}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin-left:1em; float:center"
|+ '''Top 11 Non-English Languages Spoken in Massachusetts'''
|-
! Language !! Percentage of population<br /><small>(as of 2010)</small><ref name="MLA Data"/>
|-
| [[Spanish language|Spanish]] || 7.50%
|-
| [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] || 2.97%
|-
| [[Chinese language|Chinese]] (including [[Cantonese]] and [[Standard Chinese|Mandarin]]) || 1.59%
|-
| [[French language|French]] (including [[New England French]]) || 1.11%
|-
| [[French-based creole languages|French Creole]] || 0.89%
|-
| [[Italian language|Italian]] || 0.72%
|-
| [[Russian language|Russian]] || 0.62%
|-
| [[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]] || 0.58%
|-
| [[Greek language|Greek]] || 0.41%
|-
| [[Arabic]] and [[Khmer language|Khmer (Cambodian)]] (including all [[Austroasiatic languages]]) (tied) || 0.37%
|}

As of 2010, 78.93% (4,823,127) of Massachusetts residents{{spaces}}5 and older spoke English at home as a [[first language]], while 7.50% (458,256) spoke Spanish, 2.97% (181,437) [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], 1.59% (96,690) Chinese (which includes [[Cantonese]] and [[Standard Chinese|Mandarin]]), 1.11% (67,788) French, 0.89% (54,456) [[French-based creole languages|French Creole]], 0.72% (43,798) Italian, 0.62% (37,865) Russian, and [[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]] was spoken as a primary language by 0.58% (35,283) of the population over{{spaces}}5. In total, 21.07% (1,287,419) of Massachusetts's population{{spaces}}5 and older spoke a first language other than English.<ref name=qcensus/><ref name="MLA Data">{{cite web |url=http://www.mla.org/map_data |title=Massachusetts |publisher=[[Modern Language Association]] |access-date=August 21, 2013}}</ref>

===Religion===
{{Pie chart
| thumb = right
| caption = Religious self-identification, per [[Public Religion Research Institute]]'s 2022 ''American Values Survey''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |date=February 24, 2023 |title=PRRI – American Values Atlas: Religious Tradition in Massachusetts|url=https://ava.prri.org/#religious/2022/States/religion/m/US-MA|access-date=April 3, 2023 |website=[[Public Religion Research Institute]]}}</ref>
| label1 = [[Irreligion in the United States|Unaffiliated]]
| value1 = 34
| color1 = White
| label2 = [[Catholic Church in the United States|Catholicism]]
| value2 = 34
| color2 = Purple
| label3 = [[Protestantism in the United States|Protestantism]]
| value3 = 22
| color3 = Blue
| label4 = [[Eastern Orthodoxy]]
| value4 = 1
| color4 = Lightblue
| label5 = [[Unitarianism|Unitarian]]/[[Unitarian Universalism|Universalist]]
| value5 = 1
| color5 = Teal
| label6 = [[Judaism in the United States|Judaism]]
| value6 = 3
| color6 = Pink
| label7 = [[Hinduism in the United States|Hinduism]]
| value7 = 2
| color7 = Orange
| label8 = [[Buddhism in the United States|Buddhism]]
| value8 = 1
| color8 = Yellow
| label9 = [[New Age]]
| value9 = 1
| color9 = Red
| label10 = Other
| value10 = 1
| color10 = Black
}}

Massachusetts was founded and settled by [[Brownist]] [[Puritans]] in 1620,<ref name="puritans" /> and soon after by other groups of [[Ecclesiastical separatism|Separatists]]/[[English Dissenters|Dissenters]], [[Nonconformist (Protestantism)|Nonconformist]]s and [[Independent (religion)|Independents]] from [[17th-century denominations in England|17th century England]].{{sfn|Goldfield|Abbott|Anderson|Argersinger|1998|pp=29–30}} A majority of people in Massachusetts today remain [[Christians]].<ref name="qcensus" /> The descendants of the Puritans belong to many different churches; in the direct line of inheritance are the various [[Congregational church]]es, the [[United Church of Christ]] and congregations of the [[Unitarian Universalist Association]]. The headquarters of the [[Unitarian Universalist Association]], long located on [[Beacon Hill, Boston|Beacon Hill]], is now located in [[South Boston]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uua.org/headquarters |title=Headquarters of the Unitarian Universalist Association |publisher=Unitarian Universalist Association |access-date=April 27, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uua.org/news/press-release/uua-sell-its-beacon-hill-properties-move-innovation-district |title=The UUA to Sell its Beacon Hill Properties, Move to Innovation District |publisher=[[Unitarian Universalist Association]] |access-date=April 10, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150417012851/http://www.uua.org/news/press-release/uua-sell-its-beacon-hill-properties-move-innovation-district |archive-date=April 17, 2015 }}</ref> Many Puritan descendants also dispersed to other Protestant denominations. Some disaffiliated along with Roman Catholics and other Christian groups in the wake of modern [[secularization]].<ref>{{cite thesis |last1=Pellegrino |first1=Nicholas |title=Reviving a Spirit of Controversy: Roman Catholics and the Pursuit of Religious Freedom in Early America |date=May 2015 |type=PhD dissertation |publisher=University of Nevada, Las Vegas |doi=10.34917/7646017 |url=https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations/2410/ |access-date=December 4, 2022}}</ref>

As of the 2014 Pew study, Christians made up 57% of the state's population, with [[Protestantism|Protestants]] making up 21% of them. [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholics]] made up 34% and now predominate because of massive immigration from primarily Catholic countries and regions—chiefly Ireland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Quebec, and Latin America. Both Protestant and Roman Catholic communities have been in decline since the late 20th century, due to the rise of [[irreligion]] in [[New England]]. It is the most irreligious region of the country, along with the [[Western United States]]; for comparison and contrast however, in 2020, the Public Religion Research Institute determined 67% of the population were Christian reflecting a slight increase of religiosity.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=PRRI – American Values Atlas |url=https://ava.prri.org/#religious/2020/States/religion/m/US-MA |access-date=September 17, 2022 |website=ava.prri.org}}</ref> A significant Jewish population immigrated to the Boston and Springfield areas between 1880 and 1920. [[Jews]] make up 3% of the population. [[Mary Baker Eddy]] made the [[Christian Science Center|Boston Mother Church]] of [[Christian Science]] serve as the world headquarters of this [[new religious movement]]. [[Buddhism|Buddhists]], [[Paganism|Pagans]], [[Hindu]]s, [[Seventh-day Adventist Church|Seventh-day Adventists]], [[Muslim]]s, and [[Mormons]] may also be found. [[The Satanic Temple]] has its headquarters in Salem. [[Kripalu Center]] in [[Stockbridge, Massachusetts|Stockbridge]], the Shaolin Meditation Temple in Springfield, and the Insight Meditation Center in [[Barre, Massachusetts|Barre]] are examples of non-Abrahamic religious centers in Massachusetts. According to 2010 data from The [[Association of Religion Data Archives]], (ARDA) the largest single denominations are the [[Catholic Church]] with 2,940,199 adherents; the [[United Church of Christ]] with 86,639 adherents; and the [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopal Church]] with 81,999 adherents.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/25/rcms2010_25_state_family_2010.asp |title=The Association of Religion Data Archives &#124; State Membership Report |publisher=[[Association of Religion Data Archives]] |access-date=November 22, 2013}}</ref>

In 2014, 32% of the population identified as having no religion;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/massachusetts/ |title=Adults in Massachusetts |date=May 11, 2015 |publisher=Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project}}</ref> in a separate 2020 study, 23% of the population identified as irreligious, and 67% of the population identified as Christians (including 26% as white Protestants and 20% as white Catholics).<ref name=":1" /> As of 2022, a plurality of Massachusettsans were [[Irreligion in the United States|irreligious]],<ref name=":1" /> and the state is considered to be a part of the [[Unchurched Belt]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lin |first=Joanna |date=March 16, 2009 |title=New England surpasses West Coast as least religious region in America, study finds |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-mar-16-me-beliefs16-story.html |access-date=April 11, 2023 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref>