Historical U.S. Census Totals for Hampden County, Massachusetts
Encyclopedia
This article shows U.S. Census totals for Hampden County, Massachusetts, broken down by municipality, from 1900 to 2000.
Like most areas of New England
, Hampden County
is (and has been at all times since well before the 20th century) entirely divided into incorporated municipalities. There is no unincorporated territory. For any census, adding up the totals for each municipality should yield the county total.
There are two types of municipalities in Massachusetts, towns and cities. The tables below differentiate between towns and cities.
For more information on the New England municipal system, see New England town
.
For purposes of the New England town page and its attendant pages, the ten affected communities which call themselves "towns", including Agawam and West Springfield, are classified as towns. The reader should be aware, however, that some sources will identify these municipalities as cities. Agawam adopted its present form of government in 1973, West Springfield in 2000.
The Census Bureau has been inconsistent in its handling of these municipalities. The Census Bureau listed all as towns through the 1990 Census. For the 2000 Census, some were inexplicably listed as towns and some as cities, a situation which continues in current Census materials. In the 2000 Census, Agawam was one of those listed as a city. West Springfield was listed as a town in the 2000 Census; since 2002 it has been shown as a city in current Census materials.
Like most areas of New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, Hampden County
Hampden County, Massachusetts
-Demographics:As of the census of 2004, there were 461,228 people, 175,288 households, and 115,690 families residing in the county. The population density was 738 people per square mile . There were 185,876 housing units at an average density of 301 per square mile...
is (and has been at all times since well before the 20th century) entirely divided into incorporated municipalities. There is no unincorporated territory. For any census, adding up the totals for each municipality should yield the county total.
There are two types of municipalities in Massachusetts, towns and cities. The tables below differentiate between towns and cities.
For more information on the New England municipal system, see New England town
New England town
The New England town is the basic unit of local government in each of the six New England states. Without a direct counterpart in most other U.S. states, New England towns are conceptually similar to civil townships in other states, but are incorporated, possessing powers like cities in other...
.
1900
County Total: 175,603- Springfield (city) 62,059
- Holyoke (city) 45,712
- Chicopee (city) 19,167
- Westfield 12,310
- Palmer 7,801
- West Springfield 7,105
- Ludlow 3,536
- Monson 3,402
- Agawam 2,536
- Wilbraham 1,595
- Chester 1,450
- East Longmeadow 1,187
- Granville 1,050
- Southwick 1,040
- Brimfield 941
- Blandford 836
- Longmeadow 811
- Russell 793
- Hampden 782
- Wales 773
- Tolland 275
- Montgomery 273
- Holland 169
1910
County Total: 231,369- Springfield (city) 88,926
- Holyoke (city) 57,730
- Chicopee (city) 25,401
- Westfield 16,044
- West Springfield 9,224
- Palmer 8,610
- Ludlow 4,948
- Monson 4,758
- Agawam 3,501
- Wilbraham 2,332
- East Longmeadow 1,553
- Chester 1,377
- Longmeadow 1,084
- Southwick 1,020
- Russell 965
- Brimfield 866
- Granville 781
- Blandford 717
- Hampden 645
- Wales 345
- Montgomery 217
- Tolland 180
- Holland 145
1920
County Total: 300,305- Springfield (city) 129,614
- Holyoke (city) 60,203
- Chicopee (city) 36,214
- Westfield 18,604
- West Springfield 13,443
- Palmer 9,896
- Ludlow 7,470
- Agawam 5,023
- Monson 4,826
- Wilbraham 2,780
- Longmeadow 2,618
- East Longmeadow 2,352
- Chester 1,302
- Russell 1,237
- Southwick 1,194
- Brimfield 778
- Granville 655
- Hampden 624
- Blandford 479
- Wales 419
- Montgomery 229
- Tolland 192
- Holland 153
1930
County Total: 335,496- Springfield (city) 149,900
- Holyoke (city) 56,537
- Chicopee (city) 43,930
- Westfield (city) 19,775
- West Springfield 16,684
- Palmer 9,577
- Ludlow 8,876
- Agawam 7,095
- Monson 4,918
- Longmeadow 4,437
- East Longmeadow 3,327
- Wilbraham 2,719
- Chester 1,464
- Southwick 1,461
- Russell 1,237
- Brimfield 884
- Blandford 545
- Hampden 684
- Granville 674
- Wales 360
- Montgomery 141
- Holland 137
- Tolland 134
1940
County Total: 332,107- Springfield (city) 149,554
- Holyoke (city) 53,750
- Chicopee (city) 41,664
- Westfield (city) 18,793
- West Springfield 17,135
- Palmer 9,149
- Ludlow 8,181
- Agawam 7,842
- Longmeadow 5,790
- Monson 5,597
- East Longmeadow 3,403
- Wilbraham 3,041
- Southwick 1,579
- Chester 1,284
- Russell 1,242
- Hampden 1,023
- Brimfield 1,012
- Granville 668
- Blandford 479
- Wales 367
- Holland 247
- Montgomery 178
- Tolland 129
1950
County Total: 367,971- Springfield (city) 162,399
- Holyoke (city) 54,661
- Chicopee (city) 49,211
- Westfield (city) 20,962
- West Springfield 20,438
- Agawam 10,166
- Palmer 9,533
- Ludlow 8,660
- Longmeadow 6,508
- Monson 6,125
- East Longmeadow 4,881
- Wilbraham 4,003
- Southwick 2,855
- Hampden 1,322
- Russell 1,298
- Chester 1,292
- Brimfield 1,182
- Granville 740
- Blandford 597
- Wales 497
- Holland 377
- Montgomery 157
- Tolland 107
1960
County Total: 429,353- Springfield (city) 174,463
- Chicopee (city) 61,553
- Holyoke (city) 52,689
- Westfield (city) 26,302
- West Springfield 24,924
- Agawam 15,718
- Ludlow 13,805
- Longmeadow 10,565
- Palmer 10,358
- East Longmeadow 10,294
- Wilbraham 7,387
- Monson 6,712
- Southwick 5,139
- Hampden 2,345
- Brimfield 1,414
- Russell 1,366
- Chester 1,155
- Granville 874
- Wales 659
- Blandford 636
- Holland 561
- Montgomery 333
- Tolland 101
1970
County Total: 459,050- Springfield (city) 163,905
- Chicopee (city) 66,676
- Holyoke (city) 50,112
- Westfield (city) 31,433
- West Springfield 28,461
- Agawam 21,717
- Ludlow 17,580
- Longmeadow 15,630
- East Longmeadow 13,029
- Wilbraham 11,984
- Palmer 11,680
- Monson 7,355
- Southwick 6,330
- Hampden 4,572
- Brimfield 1,907
- Russell 1,382
- Chester 1,025
- Granville 1,008
- Holland 931
- Blandford 863
- Wales 852
- Montgomery 446
- Tolland 172
1980
County Total: 443,108- Springfield (city) 152,319
- Chicopee (city) 55,112
- Holyoke (city) 44,678
- Westfield (city) 36,465
- West Springfield 27,042
- Agawam 26,271
- Ludlow 18,150
- Longmeadow 16,301
- East Longmeadow 12,905
- Wilbraham 12,053
- Palmer 11,389
- Southwick 7,382
- Monson 7,315
- Hampden 4,745
- Brimfield 2,318
- Holland 1,589
- Russell 1,570
- Granville 1,204
- Wales 1,177
- Chester 1,123
- Blandford 1,038
- Montgomery 637
- Tolland 235
1990
County Total: 456,310- Springfield (city) 156,983
- Chicopee (city) 56,632
- Holyoke (city) 43,704
- Westfield (city) 38,372
- West Springfield 27,537
- Agawam 27,323
- Ludlow 18,820
- Longmeadow 15,467
- East Longmeadow 13,367
- Wilbraham 12,635
- Palmer 12,054
- Monson 7,776
- Southwick 7,667
- Hampden 4,709
- Brimfield 3,001
- Holland 2,185
- Russell 1,594
- Wales 1,566
- Granville 1,403
- Chester 1.280
- Blandford 1,187
- Montgomery 759
- Tolland 289
2000
County Total: 456,228- Springfield (city) 152,082
- Chicopee (city) 54,653
- Westfield (city) 40,072
- Holyoke (city) 39,838
- Agawam 28,144
- West Springfield 27,899
- Ludlow 21,209
- Longmeadow 15,633
- East Longmeadow 14,100
- Wilbraham 13,473
- Palmer 12,497
- Southwick 8,835
- Monson 8,359
- Hampden 5,171
- Brimfield 3,339
- Holland 2,407
- Wales 1,737
- Russell 1,657
- Granville 1,521
- Chester 1.308
- Blandford 1,214
- Montgomery 654
- Tolland 426
Special note regarding Agawam and West Springfield
Agawam and West Springfield are among eleven municipalities in Massachusetts whose status as towns or cities is a matter of some ambiguity. This ambiguity is the result of questions around the legal status of towns which have since the 1970s, through home-rule petition, adopted forms of government that resemble city government and do not include the elements traditionally associated with town government (e.g., a board of selectmen, a town meeting). Of the eleven communities that have done so, all but one have generally continued to use the title "town" and are usually referred to by residents as "towns", but the Massachusetts Secretary of State's Office considers all eleven to be legally cities. Other sources within state government often refer to all eleven municipalities as towns, however. Massachusetts seems to be the only New England state where this type of issue has arisen, even though other New England states also have municipalities which have adopted what amount to city forms of government but continue to call themselves "towns". In the other states, it does not appear that any need to officially label such municipalities as "cities" has been identified.For purposes of the New England town page and its attendant pages, the ten affected communities which call themselves "towns", including Agawam and West Springfield, are classified as towns. The reader should be aware, however, that some sources will identify these municipalities as cities. Agawam adopted its present form of government in 1973, West Springfield in 2000.
The Census Bureau has been inconsistent in its handling of these municipalities. The Census Bureau listed all as towns through the 1990 Census. For the 2000 Census, some were inexplicably listed as towns and some as cities, a situation which continues in current Census materials. In the 2000 Census, Agawam was one of those listed as a city. West Springfield was listed as a town in the 2000 Census; since 2002 it has been shown as a city in current Census materials.
External links
- http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/decennial/index.htm has data for earlier decades