New Bedford, MA

Census Place

2024 Population

100,998

US Senator

Elizabeth Warren

Democratic Party

US Senator

Ed Markey

Democratic Party

2024 Poverty Rate

20.6%

3.47% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$56,981

1.71% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$357,300

10.1% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

Population & Diversity

New Bedford, MA is home to a population of 101k people, from which 88.9% are citizens.

As of 2024, 21.6% of New Bedford, MA residents were born outside of the country (21.8k people).

In 2024, there were 4.1 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (54.7k people) in New Bedford, MA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 13.3k Other (Hispanic) and 8.06k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

88.9%

2024 Citizenship

89.1%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 88.9% of New Bedford, MA residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in New Bedford, MA was 89.1%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in New Bedford, MA

White (Non-Hispanic)
54.7k ± 1.96k
Other (Hispanic)
13.3k ± 1.6k
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
8.06k ± 1.26k

25.8%

Hispanic Population

26.1k people

25.8% of the people in New Bedford, MA are hispanic (26.1k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in New Bedford, 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

21.6%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

21.8k people

21.6%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

21.8k people

As of 2024, 21.6% of New Bedford, MA residents (21.8k 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 New Bedford, MA was 21.6%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
940 ± 270
Gulf War (2001-)
518 ± 165
Gulf War (1990s)
432 ± 178

New Bedford, MA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.81 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of New Bedford, MA employs 45.6k people. In 2024, the largest industries in New Bedford, MA were Health Care & Social Assistance (9,227 people), Retail Trade (5,568 people), and Manufacturing (5,060 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($80,257), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($74,432), and Public Administration ($72,553).

Employment

Occupations

45.6k

2024 Value

± 1,706

0.449%

1 Year growth

± 5.25%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in New Bedford, MA grew at a rate of 0.449%, from 45.4k employees to 45.6k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in New Bedford, MA, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (5,279 people), Sales & Related Occupations (4,031 people), and Construction & Extraction Occupations (3,810 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of New Bedford, 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

45.6k

2024 Value

± 1,706

0.449%

1 Year growth

± 5.25%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in New Bedford, MA grew at a rate of 0.449%, from 45.4k employees to 45.6k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in New Bedford, MA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (9,227 people), Retail Trade (5,568 people), and Manufacturing (5,060 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of New Bedford, MA, though some of these residents may live in New Bedford, MA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$50,541

Median earning men ± $2,153

$36,614

Median earning women ± $1,831

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($81,786), Information ($78,798), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($60,577).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($60,482), Public Administration ($60,131), and Information ($54,222).

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 New Bedford, 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.

Education

The student population of New Bedford, MA in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 0 male students and 15 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in New Bedford, MA are White (9 and 69.2%), Hispanic or Latino (3 and 23.1%), and Two or More Races (1 and 7.69%).

The largest universities in New Bedford, MA by number of degrees awarded are Rob Roy Academy-New Bedford (13 and 100%).

The most popular majors in New Bedford, MA are General Cosmetology (13 and 100%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2024 there were 15 students enrolled in New Bedford, MA, 0% men and 100% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 7 records, of which 100% were women and 0% men.

Completions

Concentrations

General Cosmetology

Most Common

13 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for 1 to 2 Year Postsecondary Certificate recipients in New Bedford, MA was General Cosmetology with 13 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a 1 to 2 Year Postsecondary Certificate from schools in New Bedford, MA according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Rob Roy Academy-New Bedford

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

13 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Rob Roy Academy-New Bedford with 13 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2024, 1 men were awarded degrees from institutions in New Bedford, MA, which is 0.0833 times less than the 12 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 9 degrees mean that there were 3 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 3 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Housing & Living

The median property value in New Bedford, MA was $357,300 in 2024, which is 1.07 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $324,400 to $357,300, a 10.1% increase. The homeownership rate in New Bedford, MA is 40.3%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in New Bedford, MA have an average commute time of 24.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in New Bedford, MA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$357,300

Median Property Value 2024

±$5,595

$17,040

Median Property Taxes

±$943

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 New Bedford, MA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

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

Rent vs Own

40.3%

Homeownership

2024

58.6%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 40.3% of the housing units in New Bedford, MA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 40%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in New Bedford, 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.

$56,981

Median Household Income

± $3,070

42.3k

Number of Households

± 1,622

In 2024, the median household income of the 42.3k households in New Bedford, MA grew to $56,981 from the previous year's value of $56,025.

The following chart displays the households in New Bedford, 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 New Bedford, 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 (72.1%)
Carpooled (15.2%)
Worked At Home (5.4%)

In 2024, 72.1% of workers in New Bedford, MA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (15.2%) and those who worked at home (5.4%).

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

24.7 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in New Bedford, MA have a shorter commute time (24.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.25% of the workforce in New Bedford, MA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in New Bedford, MA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in New Bedford, MA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

20.6% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in New Bedford, MA (20.5k out of 99.7k 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 35 - 44, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Males 18 - 24.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in New Bedford, MA is White, followed by Hispanic 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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