Massachusetts has been a destination for immigrants since the first colonist stepped ashore. Many arrive in the Commonwealth with specialized skills on work or student visas, attracted by and ready to contribute to the region’s innovative economy; others have been driven here by political and environmental crises and with an eagerness to build a new life.
The contributions of immigrants to the Massachusetts economy, in various roles and capacities, has been well documented. A study found that immigrants in Metro Boston contribute $103 billion every year to the region's economy, an outsized amount relative to their share of the population. They make up 21% of all residents but 25% of workers and 28% of business owners. Yet the needs of immigrant households are often mischaracterized and poorly understood. Understanding the diverse characteristics of immigrant households is key to planning for future housing needs of everyone.
Over half a million Massachusetts households—one fifth of the total—are headed by someone who was born outside the United States. Foreign-born householders tend to be younger than native-born householders; only 19% of foreign-born householders are age 65+ compared to 28% of native-born householders.1 Recent immigrants2 and their households tend to be even younger. 51% of recent immigrant householders are 18-34, and only 3% are 65+.
32% of foreign-born householders are white, non-Hispanic (compared to 85% of native-born householders). 26% of foreign-born householders are Asian, non-Hispanic. 22% of foreign-born householders are Hispanic or Latino. 15% of foreign-born householders are Black, non-Hispanic
36% of foreign-born householders are from Latin America (including the Caribbean), 30% are from Asia, and 22% are from Europe. Almost two thirds of foreign-born heads of households have been in the country for more than 20 years.
Most foreign householders speak English, and they are more likely to be a renter, a married couple and/or a family with children than are native-born households. Fully half of recent immigrant household members have a bachelor’s degree, including 26% that have a graduate, professional or doctoral degree—a higher share than native-born residents (47%). Only one in six adult immigrants lacks a high-school diploma.
Four-fifths of foreign-born householders speak English: 19% speak only English; 61% speak English and another language; and 19% householders do not speak English well (14%) or do not speak it at all (5%.)
Foreign-born households are more likely to be a married couple or other family unit than are native-born households. Half (51%) of foreign-born households are married couple households, which is slightly higher than 46% of native-born households that are married couples. 72% of foreign-born households are family households while only 61% of native-born households are family households.
Whether recent or well-established, foreign-born householders tend to have larger households than native-born householders. 51% of foreign-born households are three or more people as compared to only 35% of native householders.
Foreign-born householders are also more likely to have children in the household compared to native-born householders: 39% of foreign-born householders have children in the household compared to only 26% of native-born householders who have children in the household.
Foreign-born householders tend to have lower incomes than native-born householders, but the difference is not drastic. Just under half 48% of foreign-born householders have a household income below $75,000, compared to 42% of native-born householders. 31% of foreign-born households have an income above $125,000, compared to 36% of native-born households.
Net international immigration hit a recent high of 90,200 individuals in from July 2023 to June 2024 according to Population Estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2024. The recent increase in immigration marks the highest level of immigration to Massachusetts since at least 1990. Through the 2010s (2011-2019) annual immigration averaged 39,000 individuals per year. During the first Trump administration and the pandemic, immigration declined sharply to a low of 16,477 in 2021. Since 2021 immigration steadily increased until the middle of 2024. Due to rapid changes in federal immigration policy, it is very likely that the number of international immigrant and households will drop significantly in 2025.