Chelsea, MA

Census Place

2024 Population

39,908

US Senator

Elizabeth Warren

Democratic Party

US Senator

Ed Markey

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

34.4

0.29% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

20.7%

0.677% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$72,179

0.0568% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

Population & Diversity

Chelsea, MA is home to a population of 39.9k people, from which 69% are citizens.

As of 2024, 46% of Chelsea, MA residents were born outside of the country (18.4k people).

In 2024, there were 1.38 times more Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents (10.5k people) in Chelsea, MA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 7.58k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Hispanic) and 7.07k White (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

69%

2024 Citizenship

69.9%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 69% of Chelsea, MA residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Chelsea, MA was 69.9%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Chelsea, MA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Chelsea, MA

Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
10.5k ± 1.59k
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Hispanic)
7.58k ± 1.65k
White (Non-Hispanic)
7.07k ± 971

67.3%

Hispanic Population

26.9k people

67.3% of the people in Chelsea, MA are hispanic (26.9k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Chelsea, MA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Massachusetts.

Most Common Origin

Brazil
108,593 ± 8,028 people
Dominican Republic
106,391 ± 7,947 people
China
103,416 ± 7,837 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Massachusetts was Brazil, the natal country of 108,593 Massachusetts residents, followed by Dominican Republic with 106,391 and China with 103,416.

Foreign-Born Population

46%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

18.4k people

45%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

17.8k people

As of 2024, 46% of Chelsea, MA residents (18.4k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Chelsea, MA was 45%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Chelsea, MA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
177 ± 203
Gulf War (2001-)
117 ± 89
Gulf War (1990s)
63 ± 58

Chelsea, MA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.51 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Chelsea, MA.

Economy

The economy of Chelsea, MA employs 19.4k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Chelsea, MA were Health Care & Social Assistance (3,050 people), Construction (2,649 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (2,422 people), and the highest paying industries were Finance & Insurance ($97,098), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($96,094), and Public Administration ($77,896).

Employment

Occupations

19.4k

2024 Value

± 1,274

3.22%

1 Year growth

± 8.95%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Chelsea, MA grew at a rate of 3.22%, from 18.8k employees to 19.4k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Chelsea, MA, are Construction & Extraction Occupations (2,308 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (2,149 people), and Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations (1,873 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Chelsea, MA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Massachusetts.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Massachusetts (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

19.4k

2024 Value

± 1,274

3.22%

1 Year growth

± 8.95%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Chelsea, MA grew at a rate of 3.22%, from 18.8k employees to 19.4k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Chelsea, MA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (3,050 people), Construction (2,649 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (2,422 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Chelsea, MA, though some of these residents may live in Chelsea, MA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$44,733

Median earning men ± $3,114

$40,537

Median earning women ± $5,571

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($83,808), Public Administration ($78,171), and Manufacturing ($59,527).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Information ($103,750), Public Administration ($77,011), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($70,556).

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Massachusetts went to Kamala Harris with 61.2% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (36%), followed by Other (1.48%).

Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey are the senators currently representing the state of Massachusetts. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Massachusetts is currently represented by 9 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Chelsea, MA. Showing the available data for Massachusetts.

2024 Election Results

Kamala Harris (61.2%)
Democratic Party
Donald J. Trump (36%)
Republican Party
Other (1.48%)
Other Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Massachusetts went to Kamala Harris with 61.2% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (36%), followed by Other (1.48%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Massachusetts for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Massachusetts

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Massachusetts.

Elizabeth Warren

Senator from Massachusetts

Assumed office on January 3, 2013

Ed Markey

Senator from Massachusetts

Assumed office on July 16, 2013
Elected to the seat to succeed Mo Cowan, who had been appointed to the seat following the resignation of John Kerry, who had become Secretary of State.{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/26/us/massachusetts-special-senate-election.html |title=Democrat Wins Special Election for Kerry's Senate Seat |work=The New York Times |date=June 25, 2013 |access-date=May 21, 2020 |last1=Seelye |first1=Katharine Q. }}

Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey are the senators currently representing Massachusetts.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Massachusetts over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Chelsea, MA was $493,500 in 2024, which is 1.48 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $476,500 to $493,500, a 3.57% increase. The homeownership rate in Chelsea, MA is 26%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Chelsea, MA have an average commute time of 32.9 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Chelsea, MA is lower than the national average, with an average of 1 car per household.

Housing

Property

$493,500

Median Property Value 2024

±$23,573

$3,568

Median Property Taxes

±$439

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Chelsea, MA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Chelsea, MA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

26%

Homeownership

2024

73.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 26% of the housing units in Chelsea, MA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 29.2%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Chelsea, MA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$72,179

Median Household Income

± $7,994

13.7k

Number of Households

± 969

In 2024, the median household income of the 13.7k households in Chelsea, MA declined from $72,179 from the previous year's value of $72,220.

The following chart displays the households in Chelsea, MA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Chelsea, MA is from Massachusetts.

0.477

2024 Wage GINI in Massachusetts

0.478

2023 Wage GINI in Massachusetts

In 2024, the income inequality in Massachusetts was 0.477 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.306% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Massachusetts was higher than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed less evenly in Massachusetts in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Massachusetts across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (46.1%)
Public Transit (20.9%)
Carpooled (13.8%)

In 2024, 46.1% of workers in Chelsea, MA drove alone to work, followed by those who used public transit to get to work (20.9%) and those who carpooled to work (13.8%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

32.9 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Chelsea, MA have a longer commute time (32.9 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.87% of the workforce in Chelsea, MA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Chelsea, MA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

1 car

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Chelsea, MA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Chelsea, MA have 1 car.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

20.7% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Chelsea, MA (8.1k out of 39.1k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 45 - 54, followed by Males 25 - 34 and then Females 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Chelsea, MA is Hispanic, followed by Two Or More and Other.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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