Who Lives Here
Demographics
A Portrait of Malden
Malden is a small city with a big-city feel: roughly 66,000 people packed into about five square miles, which makes it one of the densest and most diverse communities in Massachusetts. More than four in ten residents were born outside the United States, and that mix is the city’s defining feature.
Key Figures
Sources: US Census Bureau (data.census.gov).
Population & Households
- Population: 66,263 (2020 Census).
- Land area: about 5.0 square miles.
- Density: roughly 13,100 people per square mile.
- Median age: about 35.8 years.
Race & Ethnicity
- White: about 41%.
- Asian: about 26%.
- Black or African American: about 15%.
- Hispanic or Latino (any race): about 10% and growing.
- Foreign-born: about 41% of residents.
Economy & Education
- Median household income: about $95,000.
- Poverty rate: roughly 9 to 11%.
- Commuting: many residents ride the MBTA Orange Line to Boston from Malden Center and Oak Grove.
- Median home value: well above $600,000.
Registered Voters
Here is something worth noticing: most Malden voters belong to no party at all. As of the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s February 1, 2025 count, the city had 36,839 registered voters, and the largest group by far is unenrolled.
- Unenrolled (independent): 23,248 (63.11%)
- Democrat: 11,593 (31.47%)
- Republican: 1,674 (4.54%)
- Other parties / designations: 324 (0.88%)
Students
- Enrollment: about 6,072 in the Malden Public Schools.
- Schools: seven, Pre-K through grade 12.
- Diversity: among the most diverse districts in the state.
Sources
U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Census and American Community Survey); Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, voter enrollment as of August 24, 2024; Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), 2025-26.
See how Malden stacks up against the rest of the Commonwealth.