Census Data for Harvard

Population ...

The most recent Census Estimate<1> was for 2019 and it gave Harvard a population of 6,612 people.

The last Decennial Census<2> was in 2010, which gave Harvard a population of 6,520 people.

The community of Harvard is located in Worcester County. The 2010 Census gave Worcester County; a population of 798,552 people. This means that Harvard had 0.82% of the county's total population, making it Worcester's 38th most populous community.

At the same time, Massachusetts had a population of 6,547,629 people, meaning that Harvard had 0.1% of the total population of Massachusetts - making it the state's 222nd most populous community.

Area ...

The 2010 Census shows that the sampling area for Harvard has a total area of 27.17 square miles [70.4 km²]. Of this total, 26.43 square miles [68.5 km²] is land, with the balance (2.7%) being water (0.73 square miles [1.9 km²]).

Worcester County has a land area of 1,510 square miles [3,912.9 km²]. At 26.43 square miles [68.5 km²], Harvard has 1.75% of the county's total land area.

• Continue Reading ...
  • When the Census Bureau conducts a census for a community like Harvard, they draw a boundary around the area in which they are going to conduct their count - this defines the sampling area (usually a polygon). The shape of the sampling area can be quite complex and it's important to keep in mind that the boundaries of the sampling area may or may not match the recognized boundaries of the community.
  • Things like population, area and housing for Harvard reflect the sampling area. Since the shape of the sampling area and the actual boundaries of Harvard might be different, it's best to check with the U.S. Census Bureau to resolve any difference between the two.
  • Not only does the sampling area define boundaries, it also has a GPS location (latitude & longitude) that indicates a point within the sampling area (usually the center of the polygon, known as the centroid). At the time of the 2010 Census, the sampling area was located at:
  • Lat:   42° 30' 17"   (or 42.5°)
  • Lon:   -71° 35' 20"   (or -71.59°)
  • More information on this topic and the changes between the 2000 Census and the 2010 Census can be found in the section for our Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Housing Units ...

At the time of the 2010 Census, Harvard had 2,047 Housing Units<3> and with its population of 6,520 people, this averages 3.19 people per Housing Unit.

• Continue Reading ...
  • The 2010 Census shows Harvard had a land area of 26.43 square miles [68.5 km²]. This translates to 75.3 Housing Units per square mile [29.09 housing units/km²].
  • From the Census of 2000: Harvard had 2,225 Housing Units, a population of 5,981 people and a land area of 26.36 square miles [68.3 km²]. This gives a density of 2.69 people per Housing Unit and 82.5 Housing Units per square mile [31.85 housing units/km²].
  • Note: Repeating the caution above (under Population Density), be aware that when comparing Housing Units between the 2010 and the 2000 Census, there were changes in the sampling area for Harvard and you need to be careful when comparing results between the censuses. More information about the changes can be found in the section called Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Worcester County ...

Harvard is located in Worcester County<4>.

The county had a population of 798,552 people at the 2010 Census. With it's population of 6,520 people, Harvard represented 0.82% of the county's total.

In addition, where the community of Harvard has a population density of 240 people per square mile [92.7 people/km²], Worcester County averages 528 people per square mile [204.1 people/km²].

For more information, please visit our Census Page for Worcester County.

Census-to-Census Observations ...

Introduction ...

When the Census Bureau takes a census count (or enumeration) for Harvard, they start by specifying the boundaries of the area to be counted. This area (or sampling area) is a polygon and its shape can be quite complex - it may or may not match the geographical boundaries of Harvard. It's important to note that from one Census to the next, the shape and location of the polygon can change.

• Continue Reading ...
  • Although we don't have specific information about the shape of the polygon for Harvard or how it changed has over time, there is some information that can give us some hints. For example, since the shape of the sampling area is directly related to the shape of the polygon, any change to area probably indicates a new shape for the polygon.
  • If you need precision or details about the methodology of the Census, you should visit the U.S. Census Bureau for a definitive answer.

Location ...

While generally coinciding with the GPS location (latitude/longitude) of Harvard, the latitude and longitude given by the Census Bureau actually indicates the GPS location of the polygon for Harvard.

• Continue Reading ...
  • For the 2010 Census, the location was given as:
  • Lat:   42.504823°   (or 42°30'17" N)
  • Lon:   -71.588889°   (or -71°35'20" W)
  • For the 2000 Census, the location given was:
  • Lat:   42.516793°   (or 42°31'0" N)
  • Lon:   -71.595994°   (or -71°35'45" W)
  • The difference indicates that the U.S. Census Bureau moved the location of the polygon for the 2010 Census 4,763 feet to the southeast<5> of the location that was used in the 2000 Census.
  • The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) have assigned a unique GNIS identifier (#619482) to Harvard. This identifier also marks a GPS point on the map, and that point lies within the boundaries of Harvard. The GNIS point has been mapped to the latitude/longitude:
  • Lat:   42.500092°   (or 42°30'0" N)
  • Lon:   -71.582844°   (or -71°34'58" W)
  • The GPS location given for the 2010 Census lies 2,369 feet to the northwest<6> of the point given by the GNIS for Harvard. For more information about this and the relationship of the various Federal Codes, please visit our Misc Page for Harvard.

Miscellaneous Information for Harvard ...

The Federal government has assigned various identifying codes to each community, county and state. At one time or another, the US Census Bureau has used one (or more) of the following identifiers when referring to either Worcester County or the community of Harvard:

• The GNIS Codes ...
  • The current system of identification is called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The following GNIS codes relate to Harvard:
  • GNIS ID for Harvard: 619482
  • GNIS ID for Worcester County: 606940
  • GNIS ID for State of Massachusetts: 606926

• The FIPS Codes ...
  • An earlier (and largely obsolete) identification method was called the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS):
  • State Code: 25 (Massachusetts)
  • County Code: 027 (Worcester County)
  • Place Code: 28915 (Harvard)
  • State & County Code: 25/027 (Massachusetts / Worcester County)
  • State & Place Code: 25/28915 (Massachusetts / Harvard)

• Misc. Census Codes ...
  • Harvard is located in Census Region #1 (the Northeast Region) and Division #1 (the New England Division).

• The US Postal Service ZIP Code ...
  • While some people have used a ZIP code to identify a community, the purpose of the ZIP code was to make mail delivery more efficient by grouping addresses together. Although the ZIP Code doesn't specifically identify a community like Harvard, it does identify addresses that are in (or near) Harvard. It's important to remember that the boundaries of a ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned or overlapped with other ZIP Codes.
  • The ZIP code for Harvard:01451<7>

• Census ZCTA Codes ...
  • The US Census Bureau created statistical entities that they call ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) and these ZCTAs are frequently confused with the ZIP codes that come from the US Postal Service (USPS).
  • ZCTAs were first created for the 2000 Census and at that time, they were based upon the USPS ZIP codes. While largely covering the same areas, the boundaries of a ZCTA do not necessarily match the boundaries of a postal ZIP code with the same number. For example, while a postal ZIP code can cross a county or state line, a Census ZCTA can not. They should be treated as separate entities with no correlation between them.

For more information about the various Federal identification codes, please visit our Misc Page for Harvard.

Off-the-Road Links ...

The official website for Harvard: www.harvard.ma.us/

The official website for State of Massachusetts: https://www.mass.gov/

The official website of the U.S. Census Bureau

The official website of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN)

The official website of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)