The State:

• Profile: Click here for political history and analysis.
• Size: 10,555 square miles
• Population in 2000: 6,349,097; 91.4% urban; 8.6% rural
• Population in 1990: 6,016,425
• Population Change: Up 5.5% 1990-2000; Up 4.9% 1980-1990
• Population Rank: 13th of 50; 2.3% of total U.S. population
• Most Populous Cities: Boston (581,616); Worcester (175,706); Springfield (152,157); Lowell (104,351); Cambridge (101,587)
• Registered Voters: 1,526,711 D (37.3%); 532,319 R (13.0%); 2,039,604 unaffiliated and minor parties (49.8%)
• Presidential Votes: Click here for analysis and past returns.
• Congressional Redistricting: Click here for additional details. An expanded map of the current lines is also available.
• State Senate: 34 D 6 R
• State House: 139 D 20 R 1 I
• State Legislative Term Limits: No

The People:
For definitions and additional details regarding the data below, please see the Almanac 2006 Guide to Usage.

• Race/Ethnic Origin: 5,198,359 (81.9%) white; 318,329 (5.0%) black; 236,786 (3.7%) Asian; 11,264 (0.2%) American Indian; 1,706 (0.0%) Pacific islander/Hawaiian; 110,338 (1.7%) two-plus races; 43,586 (0.7%) other; 428,729 (6.8%) Hispanic origin
• Ancestry: 16.8% Irish, 10.1% Italian, 8.5% English, 6.0% French, 4.4% German
• State Natives: 66.1% of residents were born in-state.
• Non-Citizens: 6.9% of residents are foreign-born and not U.S. citizens
• Language Spoken, by Household: 78.8% English; 11.4% Other Eur.; 6.3% Spanish
• Education: 84.8% high school graduates; 33.2% college graduates
• Military Veterans: 558,933 (11.5%); WWII: (25.7%); Korea: (15.7%); Vietnam: (28.4%); First Gulf War: (6.6%)

The Economy:
For definitions and additional details regarding the data below, please see the Almanac 2006 Guide to Usage.

• Industry: 0.4% agriculture; 5.5% construction; 8.2% finance; 3.7% information; 17.0% manufacturing; 35.3% professional; 4.3% public administration; 14.4% trade; 11.2% other
• Work Force: 18.7% blue collar; 67.0% white collar; 14.3% gray collar
• Work Sector: 80.0% private; 13.5% government; 6.4% self-employed; 0.2% unpaid family workers
• Unemployment: 0.2% unemployed
• Median Household Income: $50,502
  • 9.3% are below the poverty line
  • 14.4% less than $15,000
  • 20.5% $15-35,000
  • 14.5% $35-50,000
  • 32.9% $50-100,000
  • 10.9% $100-150,000
  • 6.8% more than $150,000
• Median Home Value: $182,800
  • 1.5% less than $50,000
  • 10.2% $50-100,000
  • 45.1% $100-200,000
  • 23.6% $200-300,000
  • 14.0% $300-500,000
  • 5.6% more than $500,000