City of Cambridge population counts and estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau:
- 2020 decennial census population count: 118,403
- 2019–2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year population estimate: 117,794
- 2023 ACS 1-year population estimate: 118,208
- 2023 Population and Housing Unit Estimates Program population estimate (as of July 1, 2023): 118,214
Self-reported race of Cambridge residents from the 2020 decennial census:
- White alone: 57.3%
- Asian alone: 19.2%
- Black or African American alone: 10.6%
- American Indian and Alaska Native alone: 0.2%
- Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone: 0.05%
- Some Other Race alone: 3.4%
- Population of two or more races: 9.2%
Self-reported Hispanic or Latino origin from the 2020 decennial census:
- Hispanic or Latino: 9.1%
- Not Hispanic or Latino: 90.9%
Race and Hispanic or Latino origin are asked as separate questions in the decennial census. People of Hispanic or Latino origin can be of any racial background.
A household includes all the people who occupy a housing unit, whether related or unrelated. Households may be family households or non-family households. Family households include at least two persons (one of whom is the householder) who are related by birth, marriage or adoption, but may also include additional unrelated people. Non-family households include groups of unrelated people living together or one person living alone.
City of Cambridge household counts and estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau:
- 2020 decennial census household count: 49,564, of which 20,257 (40.8%) are family households
- 2019–2023 ACS 5-year household count estimate: 49,592, of which 19,680 (39.7%) are family households
Average household size is obtained by dividing the number of people in households by the total number of households.
Average family size is obtained by dividing the number of members of families by the total number of families. All people in a household who are related to the householder are regarded as members of their family. Any unrelated people living in family households are excluded from the average family size calculation.
Average size of Cambridge households:
Average size of Cambridge families:
Residents of group quarters include all persons residing in dormitories, hospitals, nursing homes, jails and group homes.
City of Cambridge group quarter population count from the 2020 decennial census:
- 16,550 persons, or 14.0% of the total population
- College/university student housing: 15,437 (93.3% of the group quarter population)
- Other non-institutional facilities: 944
- Other institutional facilities: 169
The 2024 Town Gown Reports filed by four higher education institutions in Cambridge (Lesley, Harvard, Hult and MIT) reported 14,456 Cambridge-based dormitory residents.
City of Cambridge density estimates based on the population and housing unit estimates from the 2019-2023 ACS:
- 18,434 persons per square mile (or 28.8 persons per acre)
- 8,546 housing units per square mile (or 13.3 housing units per acre)
These calculations are based on a land area for Cambridge of 6.39 square miles (or 4092 acres) in the 2020 TIGER/Line shapefile published by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Highest education level of Cambridge residents over 25 years of age based on the 2019-2023 ACS:
- Bachelor’s degree or higher: 80.2%
- Associate degree or some college but no degree: 9.5%
- High school diploma or equivalent: 6.0%
- Less than a high school diploma: 4.3%
Cambridge residents who are enrolled in college or graduate school, based on the 2019-2023 ACS:
- 28,418 (or 24.1% of the total population)
Student population data from the 2024 Annual Town Gown Reports (which covers students attending Lesley, Harvard, Hult and MIT):
- Total student population, regardless of where they live:
- 14,264 undergraduates
- 21,025 graduate students
- Students who live in Cambridge in institutional housing or off-campus:
- 12,106 undergraduates
- 12,376 graduate students
Foreign-born status and naturalization status of Cambridge residents from the 2019-2023 ACS:
- Born in a foreign country (excludes U.S. citizens born abroad of American parent(s)): 33,920 (or 28.8% of the total population)
- Naturalized citizens: 13,691 (or 11.6% of the total population)
Percent of the population who speak languages other than English at home from the 2019-2023 ACS:
- Spanish: 6.1%
- Chinese: 4.1%
- Mandarin: 2.1%
- Amharic: 1.8%
- Korean: 1.6%
- Hindi: 1.5%
- Portuguese: 1.4%
- French: 1.3%
- Haitian: 1.3%
- Arabic: 1.2%
- German: 1.0%
Additional languages that are spoken by less than 1% of the population are not shown above.
Income of Cambridge households and families in the past 12 months in 2023 inflation-adjusted dollars, from the 2019-2023 ACS:
- Median household income: $126,469
- Median family income: $167,993
Percent of persons/families with incomes below the poverty line based on the 2019-2013 ACS:
- All persons: 12.4%
- Persons under 18: 14.2%
- Persons 65 and older: 10.2%
- All families: 7.2%
- Families with related children (under 18 years) of the householder: 11.8%
- Families with a female householder, no spouse present and related children (under 18 years) of the householder: 32.2%
From the MA Department of Transportation vehicle census:
- Number of vehicles registered in Cambridge as of Jan 1, 2025: 43,860
- Vehicles for passenger use: 41,823
- Vehicles that are fully electric, plug-in electric, or hybrid: 7,286
Cambridge housing unit counts and estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau:
- 2020 decennial census housing unit count: 53,907
- 2019–2023 ACS 5-year housing unit estimate: 54,612
- 2023 ACS 1-year housing unit estimate: 55,678
The Cambridge Community Development Department (CDD) also compiles its own inventory of housing units, including designated affordable units, across the city. The CDD inventory is not comparable to the U.S. Census Bureau counts because the CDD inventory includes apartment-style graduate student housing and permitted units under construction that are excluded by census counts. Affordable units are all rental and homeownership units subject to long-term rent or sale price restrictions and income-eligibility restrictions.
Cambridge housing units under construction or completed as of June 30, 2024, based on CDD inventory:
- 58,170 total units, of which 8,931 (15.4%) are affordable
Tenure estimates based on the 2019-2023 ACS:
- 32,874 of 49,592 occupied housing units (66.3%) are renter-occupied
- 16,718 of 49,592 occupied housing units (33.7%) are owner-occupied
From the Cambridge Community Development Department (CDD) inventory of housing units under construction or completed as of June 30, 2024:
- Percentage of citywide dwelling units in residential properties with:
- 1 unit (i.e. single-family home): 6.5%
- 2 units: 12.1%
- 3 units: 10.6%
- 4-6 units: 8.8%
- 7-12 units: 5.0%
- 13-25 units: 5.7%
- 26-50 units: 7.7%
- 51-100 units: 10.3%
- Percentage of citywide dwelling units that are condominiums: 26.8%
- Percentage of citywide dwelling units that are located in mixed use buildings: 15.4%
2023 median market rate sale price, based on arm’s length, market rate sales records filed at the South Middlesex Registry of Deeds and analyzed by the City of Cambridge Assessing Office:
- Single-family home: $1,795,000
- Two-family home: $1,625,000
- Three-family home: $1,972,500
- Condominium: $885,000
2024 Q3 monthly median asking rents for Cambridge apartments, based on a survey of online rental listings undertaken by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council:
- 0-bedroom unit (studio): $2,300
- 1-bedroom unit: $2,700
- 2-bedroom unit: $3,315
- 3-bedroom unit: $4,100
This data is limited to asking rents for market rate units and does not include affordable housing or university-controlled properties.
Number of people who work in Cambridge based on the ACS:
- 2019-2023 5-year ACS: 134,450
- 2023 1-year ACS: 149,177
Average monthly number of employees in Cambridge covered by federal and state unemployment compensation law in 2023, based on data collected by the MA Department of Economic Research:
- 151,959 (this figure does not include self-employed persons or sole proprietors)
These data represent persons who work in Cambridge, not employed city residents.
From data collected by the MA Department of Economic Research on employees in Cambridge covered by federal and state unemployment compensation law in 2023:
- Percentage of employees in the following Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) industry super-sectors:
- Professional and business services: 43.0%
- Education and health services: 28.9%
- Information: 7.5%
- Leisure and hospitality: 6.3%
- Trade, transportation and utilities: 6.2%
- Financial services: 2.6%
Additional sectors that employed less than 2% of the employee total are not shown above.
Average monthly number of establishments (business locations) in Cambridge paying unemployment tax for employees in Cambridge in 2023, based on data collected by the MA Department of Economic Research:
- 5,595 establishments (this figure does not include self-employed persons)
Number of Cambridge residents 16 years and over who are self-employed in their own unincorporated business or are an unpaid family worker, from the 2019-2023 ACS:
Number of Cambridge residents 16 years and over who are self-employed in their own incorporated business, from the 2019-2023 ACS:
Average annual wage for a full-time job for employees who work in Cambridge and who are covered by federal and state unemployment compensation law in 2023, based on data collected by the MA Department of Economic Research:
Median annual earnings for a full-time, year-round civilian worker with earnings aged 16 years and over who resides in Cambridge, from the 2019-2023 ACS:
Number and percentage of Cambridge residents 16 years and over in the following civilian occupation groups from the 2019-2023 ACS:
- Management, business, science, and arts occupations: 55,421 (78.7%)
- Computer, engineering, and science occupations: 18,964 (26.9%)
- Education, legal, community service, arts, and media occupations: 17,153 (24.4%)
- Management, business, and financial occupations: 15,589 (22.1%)
- Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations: 3,715 (5.3%)
- Sales and office occupations: 6,856 (9.7%)
- Service occupations: 4,862 (6.9%)
- Production, transportation, and material moving occupations: 2,198 (3.1%)
- Natural resources, construction and maintenance occupations: 1,068 (1.5%)
Unemployment rate in Cambridge in November 2024 (not seasonally adjusted), based on data from the MA Department of Economic Research:
Estimated daytime population of Cambridge in 2024, based on Cambridge Community Development Department analysis:
This figure includes Cambridge residents who work in Cambridge or do not work, persons who work here during the daytime and live elsewhere, and college and graduate students who attend school in Cambridge but do not reside in Cambridge. This figure does not include persons visiting Cambridge to conduct business or for recreation or persons passing through Cambridge on the way to another destination.
For more information about socioeconomic and demographic statistics about Cambridge, please contact Scott Walker, Senior Manager for Data Services, at swalker@cambridgema.gov or 617-349-9462.