Chelsea, Massachusetts Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Chelsea, MA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around average
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D
Income Well below average
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F
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Chelsea | Massachusetts Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 39,880 | 7,031,620 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 16176.7 | 666.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.52% | 0.53% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 33.3 | 39.0 | 37.3 |
| Households | 13,705 | 2,777,931 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Chelsea grew by 41.0% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 39,880 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Chelsea is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 27.9% of residents. That is 6.0 points above Massachusetts as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 8,985 22.5% +1.0 pts
- Millennials 29–44 11,129 27.9% +6.0 pts
- Gen X 45–60 7,248 18.2% -2.9 pts
- Boomers 61–79 4,184 10.5% -6.8 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Massachusetts, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 49.7% of the people living in Chelsea and men 50.3%.
- Women 49.7% Massachusetts 51.2%
- Men 50.3% Massachusetts 48.8%
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100% of everyone living in Chelsea
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Economy
Chelsea has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Chelsea | Massachusetts Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $72,289 | $104,336 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.86% | 4.91% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 9.2% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Chelsea is about 31% lower than in Massachusetts.
Housing
| Metric | Chelsea | Massachusetts Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $350,000 | $494,523 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,955 | $1,761 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 26.0% | 62.5% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Chelsea is about 14.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,955 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Chelsea spend about 62 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 257 hours, about 10.7 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Chelsea | Massachusetts Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 30.9 | 25.6 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 61.8 | 51.1 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 257 | 213 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $7,977 | $6,603 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 10.4% | 18.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 17,577 | 14,741 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 6,872 | 2,164 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Chelsea is 31 minutes, longer than the 26 minutes in Massachusetts.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Chelsea has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Chelsea | Massachusetts Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 20.4% | 42.7% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.85 | 2.44 | 2.53 |
Health
Chelsea has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Chelsea | Massachusetts Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.5 | 80.5 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 17.5% | 11.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 17.1% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
Chelsea, MA Compared With Nearby Cities
Chelsea, MA is the 5th largest of the 6 cities compared here, 39,880 residents against a local median of 60,022. Chelsea, MA's median home price, at $350,000, runs 53% below the $746,315 typical of the cities around it.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $72,289 against a local median of $97,421, 26% below it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is median household income, and at 26% below the local median it puts Chelsea, MA at the weaker end of the local range. The cities themselves spread $313,354 on median home price, so Chelsea, MA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Chelsea, MA has the 6th highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chelsea, MA | 39,880 | $72,289 #6/6 | $350,000 #6/6 | 30.9 min #2/6 |
| Everett, MA | 49,993 | $85,158 | $624,999 | 32.8 min |
| Malden, MA | 66,048 | $100,648 | $556,837 | 32.4 min |
| Revere, MA | 60,022 | $87,346 | $814,815 | 32.0 min |
| Melrose, MA | 29,648 | $133,280 | $870,192 | 32.9 min |
| Boston, MA | 660,627 | $97,421 | $746,315 | 30.2 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Chelsea, Massachusetts.
How many people live in Chelsea, Massachusetts?
About 39,880 people live in Chelsea, Massachusetts, in 13,705 households of 2.8 people on average. The median age is 33.3, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
Is Chelsea, Massachusetts urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Chelsea, Massachusetts has 16,177 people per square mile, a density typical of a city. That is about 187 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Chelsea, Massachusetts?
The median home costs 4.8 times the median household income ($350,000 against $72,289), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,955 a month takes about 32% of the median household's income, above the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Chelsea, Massachusetts?
Unemployment in Chelsea, Massachusetts is 9.2%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
How educated are people in Chelsea, Massachusetts?
20.4% of adults in Chelsea, Massachusetts hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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