2020 Census

One of the most important documents for understanding the historical trajectory of any community in the United States is the decennial census. Preliminary statistics from the 2020 US Census were released yesterday. Some highlights from the Melrose results in historical perspective:

Melrose’s population rose 10.5% over the past decade, from 26,983 to 29,817. This is a dramatic reversal of a half-century of demographic stagnation, but it is still well below Melrose’s population high of 33,180 in 1970.

All population growth can be attributed to the arrival of people of color, as the total white population of the city continues to decline slowly. The city is now 79.6% white, down from 91.15% ten years ago. This is by far the most racially diverse the city ever has been.

Black people now make up just over 3% of the city’s population, which is the highest percentage recorded since 1765, when the number was just under 5%. While Black population has grown year over year since 1950, when the census recorded just 24 Black residents in Melrose, it is worth noting that Black population growth was slower between 2010 and 2020 than it was in the decade prior.

The Asian-American population in Melrose more than doubled in the past ten years. The census only began to separate out statistics on Asian-American people in its aggregate data in 1990, so it is currently impossible to get a complete picture of Asian-American population trajectory over time in Melrose, but population growth has been accelerating over the past three decades. In 1990, Melrose’s Asian-American population stood at 321.

The Latino population likewise more than doubled in the past decade. “Spanish origin” first appeared as a discrete category in the census of 1980, when Melrose reported a population of 165. Since then, Latino population growth has been steady.

In short, the results from the census show a trajectory of greater racial diversity and overall population growth in the next ten years.

The graphic below was taken from the Boston Globe; for full census data on every city and town in Massachusetts, please visit their website.