Indian Population in Massachusetts: Cities, Jobs, Income & Community Trends
Massachusetts has a research- and student-heavy Indian community concentrated around Boston and Cambridge, plus suburbs like Burlington, Lowell, Shrewsbury, and Worcester. It skews toward biotech, academia, medicine, and software. Exact counts vary by definition, but per-capita concentration is high.
Last updated: July 21, 2026
Indian Population in Massachusetts — Quick Facts
- 2020 Census (Asian Indian alone)
- 125,534 — 1.79% of Massachusetts's population
- National rank by total count
- ≈11th — Just outside the top 10 by total count nationally, but a high per-capita concentration in the Boston research corridor.
- Growth, 2010→2020 Census
- +63%
- Major Indian metro areas
- Boston, Cambridge
- Main employers
- Biotech and pharma lead — Moderna, Vertex, Takeda, Biogen and the wider Kendall Square cluster — alongside the teaching hospitals, the universities themselves as employers, and a deep-tech and robotics base along Route 128.
- University hubs
- MIT, Harvard, Boston University, Northeastern, and UMass make Massachusetts one of the top U.S. destinations for Indian students.
- Community drivers
- Academia, biotech, tech, students
- Best-known Indian areas
- Boston, Cambridge, Burlington, Lowell, Shrewsbury
How many Indians live in Massachusetts?
The 2020 Census counted 125,534 people as “Asian Indian alone” in Massachusetts — 1.79% of the state's population, and ≈11th nationally by that measure, up +63% from the 2010 Census. Massachusetts has a high per-capita Indian-origin population in the Boston research corridor.
Massachusetts Census snapshot — Asian Indian alone
2020 Census
125,534
1.79% of Massachusetts's population
2010 Census
77,177
Same definition, for comparison
Growth, 2010→2020
+63%
Approx. national rank
≈11th
Just outside the top 10 by total count nationally, but a high per-capita concentration in the Boston research corridor.
Fees, timelines, forms, and agency rules can change. Always verify with official government sources before filing or making decisions.
Both years use “Asian Indian alone”, so the growth figure is comparable; the rank is approximate. Full definitions and sources are on the pillar guide.
Where Indians live in Massachusetts
Indian neighbourhoods and commercial hubs in Massachusetts
Route 9 through Shrewsbury and Westborough
Central Massachusetts' Indian commercial strip, serving the Worcester and MetroWest communities.
Burlington and Woburn
North-of-Boston clusters tied to the Route 128 technology and biotech employers.
Cambridge and Somerville
Student and postdoc heavy, turning over every few years with the academic calendar.
Why Indians move to Massachusetts
- Biotech, academia, and medicine jobs
- World-class universities (MIT, Harvard)
- Software and deep-tech employers
- Strong schools in the western suburbs
- Research and startup ecosystem
Who hires Indian professionals in Massachusetts
Biotech and pharma lead — Moderna, Vertex, Takeda, Biogen and the wider Kendall Square cluster — alongside the teaching hospitals, the universities themselves as employers, and a deep-tech and robotics base along Route 128.
Biotech, academia, medicine, and software.
Indian students in Massachusetts
MIT, Harvard, Boston University, Northeastern, and UMass make Massachusetts one of the top U.S. destinations for Indian students.
What Massachusetts costs an Indian family
Massachusetts taxes income at a flat rate with an additional surtax on income above an annual threshold, which now catches senior engineering and medical households that used to sit under it. Rents in Cambridge and Somerville are among the highest in the country, and many families move out to the Route 9 or 128 suburbs once children arrive.
Massachusetts' Indian community is concentrated in biotech, academia, medicine, and software, contributing significantly to the innovation economy — though exact tax contribution by state is not published as a simple official number.
Visa and immigration patterns in Massachusetts
Student- and H-1B-heavy early on, moving to green cards.
Indian communities by region in Massachusetts
South Indian communities
Large Tamil, Telugu, and Malayali research and tech community.
Bengali communities
Strong academic and cultural presence.
North Indian / Hindi-belt communities
Growing professional community in the suburbs.
Settlement patterns, not Census counts — the Census does not record Indian state of origin.
Indian Population in Massachusetts — FAQ
How many Indians live in Massachusetts?
The 2020 Census counted 125,534 people as "Asian Indian alone" in Massachusetts — 1.79% of the state, up from 77,177 in 2010. Just outside the top 10 by total count nationally, but a high per-capita concentration in the Boston research corridor.
Where do most Indians live in Massachusetts?
Boston, Cambridge, Burlington hold the densest communities. Route 9 through Shrewsbury and Westborough is the commercial centre: central Massachusetts' Indian commercial strip, serving the Worcester and MetroWest communities.
Why do Indians move to Massachusetts?
Biotech, academia, and medicine jobs; World-class universities (MIT, Harvard); Software and deep-tech employers. Massachusetts has a high per-capita Indian-origin population in the Boston research corridor.
Who hires Indian professionals in Massachusetts?
Biotech and pharma lead — Moderna, Vertex, Takeda, Biogen and the wider Kendall Square cluster — alongside the teaching hospitals, the universities themselves as employers, and a deep-tech and robotics base along Route 128.
Are there many Indian students in Massachusetts?
MIT, Harvard, Boston University, Northeastern, and UMass make Massachusetts one of the top U.S. destinations for Indian students.
Which Indian communities are common in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts has visible South Indian, Bengali, North Indian / Hindi-belt communities. South Indian: large Tamil, Telugu, and Malayali research and tech community. These are settlement patterns, not Census counts — the Census does not record Indian state of origin.
Is the Indian population in Massachusetts growing?
Yes — +63% between the 2010 and 2020 Censuses on one consistent definition, from 77,177 to 125,534.
What does living in Massachusetts cost an Indian family?
Massachusetts taxes income at a flat rate with an additional surtax on income above an annual threshold, which now catches senior engineering and medical households that used to sit under it. Rents in Cambridge and Somerville are among the highest in the country, and many families move out to the Route 9 or 128 suburbs once children arrive.
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Written / reviewed by Deepak Middha · CA, Series 65
Last updated: July 21, 2026