New Bedford

Population & Demographics

New Bedford, MA

New Bedford is home to 100,998 people. Explore its demographics, housing, and economy — plus how its 47,046 resident workers commute each day.

MassachusettsCensus ACS 5-Year · LODES 2023
100,998
people
Population

100,998 residents

Median age 37.0 · U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year (2024).

New Bedford population & demographics

Who lives in New Bedford — population, age, housing, and income, from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Population
100,998
Median age
37.0yrs
Median household income
$56,981
Median home value
$357,300
Median gross rent
$1,137/mo
Bachelor’s degree or higher
17.0%
Poverty rate
20.6%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2024 5-Year Estimates. Values shown as “—” are suppressed or unavailable for this place.

Race & ethnicity in New Bedford

How New Bedford breaks down by race and ethnicity — each bar is that group’s share of the population, from the U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year (2024).

White54.1%
Hispanic or Latino25.8%
Two or more races9.8%
Some other race4.4%
Black4.4%
Asian1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander0.0%

Race across New Bedford

Each dot is a group of people, placed in their 2020 Census block and colored by race or ethnicity — the pattern shows where groups live across New Bedford.

New Bedford at a glance
Employed Residents
47,046
Fewer than the city’s total population
Median home–work distance
23.8mi
Straight-line, not road distance
Work Locally
31.3%
Share working within the area
Work from home
5.4%
Residents who work from home (ACS)
Top destination outside city
Fall River
Excludes local — most work in-city

These figures are for New Bedford proper — the Census place within its city limits — not the surrounding metro area. Metro-wide totals you’ll see elsewhere are larger because they bundle in neighboring cities and suburbs.

How New Bedford commutes

Every dot is a worker moving between home and job. Trace where the area pulls people in from — and where its residents head each day.

58
Commute Score

58 / 100

How short the typical commute is here, on an absolute 0–100 scale (higher is shorter). How it’s calculated.

New Bedford

47,046 commutes, one dot at a time

New Bedford

Where 47,046 workers commute

Each dot ≈ 75 workers

Where residents work

Top destinations for people who live in New Bedford, by worker count.

1New Bedford0.0 mi14,712
2Fall River11.6 mi2,943
3Boston47.1 mi2,431
4Smith Mills2.7 mi1,049
5Taunton19.2 mi1,008
6Brockton30.2 mi492
7Providence28.0 mi461
8West Wareham13.5 mi457

Who commutes in

Top origin places for workers who travel into New Bedford.

1New Bedford0.0 mi14,712
2Fall River11.6 mi2,148
3Bliss Corner2.9 mi513
4Smith Mills2.7 mi408
5Somerset13.3 mi382
6Acushnet Center2.7 mi348
7Taunton19.2 mi338
8Boston47.1 mi286

Top industries

The sectors that employ New Bedford’s workforce. Each bar is scaled to that sector’s share of all local jobs — the top sectors shown don’t add up to 100%.

Bar length = each sector’s share of all local jobs (0–100%)
HCHealth Care and Social Assistance24.7%
MFManufacturing12.3%
EDEducational Services9.0%
AFAccommodation and Food Services8.4%
ADAdministrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services8.2%
RTRetail Trade7.4%
PAPublic Administration4.7%
COConstruction3.9%
WSWholesale Trade3.6%
Connectivity

Internet options for New Bedford

The biggest home-internet providers in the area — tap any to compare local plans.

3 providers · 1 with fiber
Speed availabilityshare of homes a plan reaches
1 Gbps~all homes
2 Gbps100%
5 Gbps
8 Gbps
See all internet providers in New Bedford

FindBetterInternet is a CensusFlow partner site — we link out so you can compare local plans, and CensusFlow’s Census data stays independent. Provider data is from the FCC National Broadband Map (satellite + fixed wireless excluded).