Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Metro Area
The Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area is made up of 7 counties in Massachusetts and New Hampshire; the largest are Middlesex County, Essex County, and Suffolk County. About 5,034,221 people lived there on July 1, 2025 (Census estimate), 1.8% more than in April 2020.
- Population, July 2025
- 5,034,221 1.8% more than in April 2020
- Type
- Metropolitan statistical area
- Counties
- 7: 6 central, 1 outlying
- Land area
- 3,486 sq mi (9,030 km²)
- Time zone
- Eastern TimeUTC-05:00 in January; UTC-04:00 in July
- States
- Massachusetts, New Hampshire
- Combined statistical area
- Boston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH
- CBSA code
- 14460
Counties in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, largest first
| County | Role | Population, July 2025 | Share of the area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middlesex CountyMassachusetts | Central | 1,669,979 | 33.2% |
| Essex CountyMassachusetts | Central | 826,653 | 16.4% |
| Suffolk CountyMassachusetts | Central | 791,891 | 15.7% |
| Norfolk CountyMassachusetts | Central | 739,749 | 14.7% |
| Plymouth CountyMassachusetts | Central | 546,829 | 10.9% |
| Rockingham CountyNew Hampshire | Central | 324,077 | 6.4% |
| Strafford CountyNew Hampshire | Outlying | 135,043 | 2.7% |
A central county holds the area’s core, an urban area of at least 50,000 people. An outlying county is in the area because of commuting: at least a quarter of its workers have jobs in the central counties, or at least a quarter of the people working there live in them. A county belongs to one metro or micro area at most, and it counts whole, countryside included.
Principal cities, largest first
- Boston666,442 people
- Cambridge118,796 people
- Newton89,044 people
- Framingham72,399 people
- Waltham64,902 people
OMB names the area after its largest principal cities. A principal city is the area’s largest city, plus any other city that is very large or a big job center, and smaller ones with at least as many jobs as working residents (2020 Census and commuting figures). People counts are American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates.
Metropolitan divisions
The Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area is big enough to be split into 3 metropolitan divisions, each a job center with the counties that commute to it.
- Boston, MA: Norfolk County, Plymouth County, and Suffolk County
- Cambridge-Newton-Framingham, MA: Essex County and Middlesex County
- Rockingham County-Strafford County, NH: Rockingham County and Strafford County
Part of the Boston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH combined statistical area
OMB joins neighboring metro and micro areas into a combined statistical area when enough people commute between them. The other 6 areas in this one, largest first:
- Providence-Warwick, RI-MA Metro Area1,708,161 people
- Worcester, MA Metro Area888,502 people
- Manchester-Nashua, NH Metro Area433,415 people
- Barnstable Town, MA Metro Area233,539 people
- Concord, NH Micro Area158,078 people
- Laconia, NH Micro Area65,147 people
Bordering metro and micro areas, nearest first
Areas with a county on this area’s edge. Distances are straight lines between the areas’ largest cities.
- Worcester, MA Metro Area41 mi west
- Providence-Warwick, RI-MA Metro Area41 mi southwest
- Manchester-Nashua, NH Metro Area50 mi northwest
- Barnstable Town, MA Metro Area58 mi southeast
- Concord, NH Micro Area68 mi northwest
- Laconia, NH Micro Area89 mi north
- Portland-South Portland, ME Metro Area99 mi northeast
Before using this answer on a form
A metro or micro area is a statistical area that OMB draws for federal statistics. It is not a city, a local government or a mailing address, and it is not a measure of urban and rural: whole counties count, rural parts included. Programs that use metro areas, such as housing income limits or wage rates, can use their own version of these lists; check the program’s own list for an address.
Find the metro area where you are now, find your county, or see every metro and micro area by population.