Japanese Population in Massachusetts by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The Japanese population in Massachusetts totals 21,014, according to recent U.S. Census estimates. Leading cities include Boston (2,399), followed by Cambridge (1,535) and Brookline town (1,117), each hosting visible segments of the community. While these urban centers anchor much of the population, the statewide total points to a broader presence in unincorporated areas and smaller towns beyond major city boundaries. The analysis below explores how Japanese residents are distributed across Massachusetts''s urban and rural landscape.

Top 5 cities with the largest Japanese population in Massachusetts

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  • 1
    Boston
    Japanese population in Boston is 2,399
    0.36% of Boston population is Japanese
  • 2
    Cambridge
    Japanese population in Cambridge is 1,535
    1.30% of Cambridge population is Japanese
  • 3
    Brookline town
    Japanese population in Brookline town is 1,117
    1.78% of Brookline town population is Japanese
  • 4
    Arlington town
    Japanese population in Arlington town is 803
    1.75% of Arlington town population is Japanese
  • 5
    Newton
    Japanese population in Newton is 641
    0.72% of Newton population is Japanese

Overview of Japanese population in Massachusetts

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data indicate Massachusetts contains 21,014 Japanese residents (0.3% of 7.0 million total state population), positioning the state at the 68th percentile nationally among U.S. states for Japanese population concentrations.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census surveys show Massachusetts's Japanese demographic representation of 0.3% remains below the national average of 0.49%, positioning the state below typical U.S. demographic distribution patterns.
  • Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey document Massachusetts's 21,014 Japanese residents constitute 1.3% of the nation's total Japanese population of 1.6 million, providing the state with a measurable but modest share of the national demographic community.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey document Massachusetts with 2.7 Japanese Americans per square mile, more than five times the national average density of 0.46 per square mile, placing the state among jurisdictions with significantly elevated demographic concentrations nationally.
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333 Cities in Massachusetts Ranked by Japanese Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show Japanese population in Massachusetts present in Boston, Cambridge, and Brookline town, along with several other incorporated cities reporting non-zero populations. The table below provides broader statistics, including total population figures, density measures, and demographic distributions based on current ACS data for all incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in Massachusetts ranked by Japanese population count
Rank by Japanese Population
City
Japanese Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Massachusetts Japanese Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Boston 2,399 0.36% 11.42%
2 Cambridge 1,535 1.30% 7.30%
3 Brookline town 1,117 1.78% 5.32%
4 Arlington town 803 1.75% 3.82%
5 Newton 641 0.72% 3.05%
6 Somerville 455 0.56% 2.17%
7 Belmont town 451 1.67% 2.15%
8 410 0.20% 1.95%
9 360 0.36% 1.71%
10 355 0.81% 1.69%
11 336 0.99% 1.60%
12 318 0.31% 1.51%
13 304 1.27% 1.45%
14 298 0.46% 1.42%
15 271 0.74% 1.29%
16 269 1.48% 1.28%
17 258 0.67% 1.23%
18 251 0.38% 1.19%
19 249 0.84% 1.18%
20 240 0.24% 1.14%
21 218 0.37% 1.04%
22 200 0.70% 0.95%
23 183 0.57% 0.87%
24 181 0.62% 0.86%
25 162 0.29% 0.77%
25 162 2.33% 0.77%
26 161 1.16% 0.77%
27 160 0.93% 0.76%
28 156 0.37% 0.74%
28 156 2.91% 0.74%
29 155 0.40% 0.74%
30 141 0.32% 0.67%
31 140 0.22% 0.67%
31 140 0.47% 0.67%
32 130 0.49% 0.62%
33 129 0.82% 0.61%
34 127 0.35% 0.60%
35 126 0.48% 0.60%
36 123 0.35% 0.59%
37 122 0.28% 0.58%
37 122 0.66% 0.58%
38 115 1.99% 0.55%
39 112 2.54% 0.53%
40 111 0.35% 0.53%
40 111 0.54% 0.53%
41 107 0.44% 0.51%
42 105 0.53% 0.50%
43 101 0.09% 0.48%
44 99 0.75% 0.47%
45 97 0.23% 0.46%
45 97 0.17% 0.46%
46 95 0.44% 0.45%
47 94 0.73% 0.45%
48 90 1.98% 0.43%
49 89 1.29% 0.42%
50 87 0.26% 0.41%
51 86 1.60% 0.41%
52 84 0.30% 0.40%
53 82 0.26% 0.39%
53 82 0.30% 0.39%
54 81 0.96% 0.39%
55 77 1.03% 0.37%
56 75 0.30% 0.36%
57 74 0.40% 0.35%
58 70 0.38% 0.33%
59 69 0.12% 0.33%
60 68 0.27% 0.32%
60 68 0.59% 0.32%
61 66 0.57% 0.31%
61 66 0.04% 0.31%
62 65 0.85% 0.31%
63 60 0.36% 0.29%
64 58 0.11% 0.28%
65 55 0.17% 0.26%
65 55 0.17% 0.26%
66 53 0.31% 0.25%
66 53 0.23% 0.25%
67 51 0.05% 0.24%
67 51 0.44% 0.24%
67 51 0.32% 0.24%
68 50 0.70% 0.24%
69 48 0.33% 0.23%
69 48 0.05% 0.23%
69 48 0.73% 0.23%
70 47 0.55% 0.22%
70 47 0.24% 0.22%
71 45 0.30% 0.21%
71 45 0.31% 0.21%
71 45 0.20% 0.21%
72 44 0.22% 0.21%
72 44 1.30% 0.21%
72 44 0.45% 0.21%
73 43 0.09% 0.20%
74 40 0.23% 0.19%
74 40 0.38% 0.19%
75 38 0.78% 0.18%
75 38 0.45% 0.18%
75 38 0.18% 0.18%
75 38 0.33% 0.18%
76 37 0.15% 0.18%
76 37 0.05% 0.18%
76 37 0.19% 0.18%
77 36 0.38% 0.17%
77 36 0.29% 0.17%
77 36 0.29% 0.17%
78 35 0.08% 0.17%
78 35 0.46% 0.17%
79 34 0.60% 0.16%
79 34 0.42% 0.16%
80 33 0.21% 0.16%
81 32 0.27% 0.15%
82 31 0.38% 0.15%
82 31 0.22% 0.15%
82 31 0.17% 0.15%
82 31 0.08% 0.15%
83 29 0.12% 0.14%
83 29 0.10% 0.14%
83 29 0.20% 0.14%
84 28 0.27% 0.13%
84 28 0.07% 0.13%
84 28 0.22% 0.13%
84 28 0.12% 0.13%
85 27 0.17% 0.13%
85 27 0.29% 0.13%
86 24 0.08% 0.11%
86 24 0.04% 0.11%
86 24 0.06% 0.11%
87 23 0.15% 0.11%
88 22 0.04% 0.10%
88 22 0.05% 0.10%
88 22 0.11% 0.10%
88 22 0.16% 0.10%
88 22 0.19% 0.10%
88 22 0.04% 0.10%
88 22 0.46% 0.10%
88 22 0.21% 0.10%
89 21 0.36% 0.10%
89 21 0.25% 0.10%
90 20 0.08% 0.10%
90 20 0.18% 0.10%
90 20 0.13% 0.10%
90 20 0.13% 0.10%
90 20 0.11% 0.10%
90 20 0.19% 0.10%
91 19 0.05% 0.09%
91 19 0.16% 0.09%
92 18 0.17% 0.09%
92 18 0.18% 0.09%
92 18 0.11% 0.09%
92 18 0.06% 0.09%
92 18 0.10% 0.09%
93 17 0.08% 0.08%
93 17 1.42% 0.08%
94 16 0.10% 0.08%
94 16 0.08% 0.08%
95 15 0.18% 0.07%
96 14 0.10% 0.07%
96 14 0.21% 0.07%
96 14 0.07% 0.07%
97 13 1.49% 0.06%
97 13 0.12% 0.06%
97 13 0.07% 0.06%
98 12 0.03% 0.06%
98 12 0.10% 0.06%
98 12 0.13% 0.06%
99 11 0.06% 0.05%
99 11 0.16% 0.05%
99 11 0.04% 0.05%
100 10 0.48% 0.05%
100 10 0.03% 0.05%
100 10 0.07% 0.05%
100 10 0.04% 0.05%
100 10 0.32% 0.05%
100 10 0.07% 0.05%
100 10 0.27% 0.05%
101 9 0.17% 0.04%
101 9 0.85% 0.04%
101 9 0.08% 0.04%
101 9 0.03% 0.04%
101 9 0.61% 0.04%
101 9 0.09% 0.04%
102 8 0.02% 0.04%
102 8 0.60% 0.04%
102 8 0.05% 0.04%
103 7 0.90% 0.03%
104 6 0.33% 0.03%
104 6 0.18% 0.03%
104 6 0.30% 0.03%
104 6 0.04% 0.03%
104 6 0.43% 0.03%
105 5 0.77% 0.02%
105 5 0.02% 0.02%
105 5 0.03% 0.02%
105 5 0.26% 0.02%
105 5 0.27% 0.02%
105 5 0.61% 0.02%
105 5 0.10% 0.02%
106 4 0.24% 0.02%
106 4 0.63% 0.02%
107 3 0.04% 0.01%
107 3 0.18% 0.01%
107 3 0.28% 0.01%
108 2 0.23% 0.01%
108 2 0.23% 0.01%
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109 0 - -
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Methodology

This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks city in Massachusetts by their Japanese population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines Japanese population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their ancestry, meaning individuals can write upto ancestries when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as having Japanese ancestry, whether alone or in combination with another ancestry.
Here are a few important things to know about how ancestry is reported:
  • Some people identify as Japanese alone, while others identify as Japanese along with another race (such as Japanese and German).
  • We’ve used the “Japanese alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the Japanese population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Japanese alone or in combination in city. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total City Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as Japanese .
  2. % of Total Massachusetts Japanese Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Japanese population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.

Things to Keep in Mind

Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
  • In places with very small Japanese populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
  • Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
  • City that don’t have any reported Japanese population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where Japanese populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

  1. 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.
  2. 2023.