2020 Census: Framingham Added 4,000 Residents Over Decade

FRAMINGHAM, MA — Framingham may have become a city since 2010, but it's population hasn't changed too much.

New 2020 Census data released Thursday shows that Framingham's population was 72,362 as of April 1, 2020 — almost exactly 4,000 people bigger than the 68,323 recorded during the 2010 Census. It's also the first time the city's population has been officially recorded during a decennial census above 70,000.

In fact, Framingham may have even shrunk a little bit. In 2019, the Census Bureau estimated Framingham's population at 74,416, about 2,000 more than the official count found.

In a wider view, Middlesex County grew a relatively small amount over the past decade, adding about 130,000 residents for a total of 1.62 million. Statewide, Massachusetts added about 500,000 residents for a new total of 7.029 million.

The numbers released by the Census Bureau are still preliminary in many ways. In about a year, the bureau will release data on undercounts and overcounts. The April 1, 2020, Census coincided with the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, which may have affected local response rates.