Biggest Cities in Massachusetts

Rank	City	1850 Population	Growth Rate (Annual)
1	Boston	136,881	3.9%
2	Lowell	33,383	4.8%
3	Salem	20,264	3.0%
4	Roxbury	18,364	7.3%
5	Charlestown	17,216	4.1%
6	Worcester	17,049	8.6%
7	New Bedford	16,443	3.1%
8	Cambridge	15,215	6.1%
9	Lynn	14,257	4.3%
10	Springfield	11,766	0.7%
11	Fall River	11,524	5.5%
12	Taunton	10,441	3.2%
13	Newburyport	9,572	2.9%
14	Nantucket	8,452	-0.6%
15	Chicopee	8,291	–
16	Lawrence	8,282	–
17	Danvers	8,109	4.9%
18	Dorchester	7,969	5.0%
19	Gloucester	7,786	2.1%

In 1850, the largest city in Massachusetts was Boston, with a population of 136,881. The second largest city is Lowell, with a population of 33,383.