Census Data for Springfield

Population ...

The most recent Census Estimate<1> was for 2019 and it gave Springfield a population of 153,404 people.

The last Decennial Census<2> was in 2010, which gave Springfield a population of 153,060 people.

The city of Springfield is located in Hampden County. The 2010 Census gave Hampden County; a population of 464,237 people. This means that Springfield had 32.97% of the county's total population, making it Hampden's most populous community.

At the same time, Massachusetts had a population of 6,547,629 people, meaning that Springfield had 2.34% of the total population of Massachusetts - making it the state's 3rd most populous community.

Area ...

The 2010 Census shows that the sampling area for Springfield has a total area of 33.07 square miles [85.7 km²]. Of this total, 31.86 square miles [82.5 km²] is land, with the balance (3.65%) being water (1.21 square miles [3.1 km²]).

Hampden County has a land area of 617 square miles [1,598.4 km²]. At 31.86 square miles [82.5 km²], Springfield has 5.16% of the county's total land area.

• Continue Reading ...
  • When the Census Bureau conducts a census for a city like Springfield, 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 city.
  • Things like population, area and housing for Springfield reflect the sampling area. Since the shape of the sampling area and the actual boundaries of Springfield 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° 6' 55"   (or 42.12°)
  • Lon:   -72° 32' 23"   (or -72.54°)
  • 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, Springfield had 61,706 Housing Units<3> and with its population of 153,060 people, this averages 2.48 people per Housing Unit.

• Continue Reading ...
  • The 2010 Census shows Springfield had a land area of 31.86 square miles [82.5 km²]. This translates to 1,865 Housing Units per square mile [720 housing units/km²].
  • From the Census of 2000: Springfield had 61,172 Housing Units, a population of 152,082 people and a land area of 32.1 square miles [83.1 km²]. This gives a density of 2.49 people per Housing Unit and 1,842 Housing Units per square mile [711 housing units/km²].
  • Note: Repeating the caution above (under Population Density), be aware that when comparing Housing Units between the 2010 Census and the 2000 Census, there were changes in the sampling area for Springfield and you need to be careful when comparing between the censuses. More information about the nature of these the changes can be found in the section called Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Hampden County ...

Springfield is located in Hampden County<4> and is the County Seat for Hampden County.

The county had a population of 464,237 people at the 2010 Census. With it's population of 153,060 people, Springfield represented 32.97% of the county's total.

In addition, where the city of Springfield has a population density of 4,627 people per square mile [1,786 people/km²], Hampden County averages 752 people per square mile [290.4 people/km²].

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

Census-to-Census Observations ...

Introduction ...

When the Census Bureau takes a census count (or enumeration) for Springfield, 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 Springfield. 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 Springfield 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 Springfield, the latitude and longitude given by the Census Bureau actually indicates the GPS location of the polygon for Springfield.

• Continue Reading ...
  • For the 2010 Census, the location was given as:
  • Lat:   42.115454°   (or 42°6'55" N)
  • Lon:   -72.539978°   (or -72°32'23" W)
  • For the 2000 Census, the location given was:
  • Lat:   42.112411°   (or 42°6'44" N)
  • Lon:   -72.547455°   (or -72°32'50" W)
  • The difference indicates that the U.S. Census Bureau moved the location of the polygon for the 2010 Census 2,306 feet to the northeast<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 (#619388) to Springfield. This identifier also marks a GPS point on the map, and that point lies within the boundaries of Springfield. The GNIS point has been mapped to the latitude/longitude:
  • Lat:   42.115466°   (or 42°6'55" N)
  • Lon:   -72.539401°   (or -72°32'21" W)
  • The GPS location given for the 2010 Census lies 156.1 feet to the west<6> of the point given by the GNIS for Springfield. For more information about this and the relationship of the various Federal Codes, please visit our Misc Page for Springfield.

Miscellaneous Information for Springfield ...

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 Hampden County or the city of Springfield:

• The GNIS Codes ...
  • The current system of identification is called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The following GNIS codes relate to Springfield:
  • GNIS ID for Springfield: 619388
  • GNIS ID for Hampden County: 606933
  • 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: 013 (Hampden County)
  • Place Code: 67000 (Springfield)
  • State & County Code: 25/013 (Massachusetts / Hampden County)
  • State & Place Code: 25/67000 (Massachusetts / Springfield)

• Misc. Census Codes ...
  • Springfield 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 ZIP codes to identify a community, the ZIP codes were actually created to make mail delivery more efficient by grouping addresses together. Although a ZIP Code doesn't specifically identify a city like Springfield, they do identify addresses that are in (or near) the city. It's important to remember that the boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes.
  • Our list of ZIP codes for Springfield:<7>
  • 01101, 1102, 1103, 1104, 01107, 1108, 01111, 01114, 01118, 01128, 01133, 01138, 01144, 01152 & 01199.

• 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 Springfield.

Off-the-Road Links ...

The official website for Springfield: www.cityofspringfieldmass.com/

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)