After months of pandemic-induced delays, the U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday released the local-level population and demographic data from the 2020 count of the nation’s population, triggering a sprint to redraw the boundaries of the state’s legislative and Congressional districts over the coming months.

The 2020 Census counted 7,029,917 people living in Massachusetts, a 482,288-person or 7.4 percent increase over the last decade that outpaced the 4.1 percent average in the Northeast and equaled the growth rate of the country as a whole. The state’s growth has been uneven, likely requiring the western Massachusetts districts represented by U.S. Rep Richard Neal and U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern’s western/central district to be expanded in size to meet the 781,497-constituent target set by Census officials, while the footprint of eastern districts close to Boston may need to shrink or shift west.

Armed with the detailed local data showing population gains in all 10 of the largest Bay State cities — Boston (+58,053), Worcester (+25,473), Springfield (+2,869), Lowell (+9,035), Cambridge (+13,241), New Bedford (+6,007), Brockton (+11,833), Quincy (+9,365), Lynn (+10,924) and Fall River (+5,143) — and decreases in Holyoke (-1,642), Pittsfield (-810), North Adams (-747) and Westfield (-260), the Legislature can truly begin the process of reshaping voting districts to account for shifting population centers with a few sometimes-conflicting priorities in mind, like maximizing minority representation and protecting incumbents.

Outside the 10 most populous cities, Lawrence saw the greatest population growth (+12,766) followed by Revere (+10,431), Everett (+7,408), Haverhill (+6,908) and Malden (+6,813). Secretary of State Bill Galvin said Thursday afternoon that Massachusetts now has nine cities with more than 100,000 residents and Worcester, the state’s second-largest city, has surpassed 200,000 residents for the first time.

“We’ve had significant changes within our state. We’ve seen cities grow dramatically … Many of the suburban communities grow as well,” Galvin, the state’s liaison to the Census, said. He added, “Particularly gratifying was seeing some of the communities that we were most concerned about, where we knew there were significant populations of non-native born persons, being fully counted. So, for instance, the city of Lawrence is now at 89,000, a dramatic gain. The city of Revere had the greatest percentage gain. The city of Chelsea, one of the concerns we constantly expressed, is now at 40,000 people. The city of New Bedford is at 102,000 people. These are all communities that, even to the last days of the Census, we were constantly struggling to make sure people were counted in those communities.”

The only two counties in Massachusetts to shed residents over the last decade were Berkshire (-2,193) and Franklin (-343). Every other county saw population growth, led by the gains of 128,917 people in Middlesex County, 75,913 people in Suffolk County and 66,670 people in Essex County. By growth percentage, Nantucket County led the way with a 40.1 percent gain (an increase of 4,083 people).

That’s at odds with the national trend, the U.S. Census Bureau said Thursday. Across the country, less than half (47 percent) of the nation’s 3,143 counties gained population over the last decade.

Galvin said the new numbers from the Census mean that Congressional districts will include 781,000 people, state Senate districts will include more than 175,000 people and state House of Representative districts will include almost 44,000 people.

“So all of these districts are going to have to change. And there’s going to have to be some significant adjustment made,” Galvin said. “Just to take Boston because it’s the largest city as an example, Boston appears to have gained — did gain — 58,000 people. That means it probably would gain an additional, potentially an additional, seat in the House of Representatives.”

The Special Joint Committee on Redistricting, led by Assistant House Majority Michael Moran and Senate President Pro Tempore William Brownsberger, has already held more than 18 hearings on the redistricting process and is expected to hold more public hearings once its proposed district maps are available.

Moran told the News Service on Thursday that the committee’s third-party vendor is working now to put the latest Census data into a format that meets the committee’s parameters. Once it is, lawmakers will begin diving into the numbers and digesting it with the testimony from redistricting hearings.

But he is also mindful of the Census Bureau’s plan for another data release — the Census says it will be the same data but presented in different formats — by Sept. 30. Moran said the committee has to use official Census data and “given the Census’ credibility in the last year and a half,” he is not considering the data released Thursday to be the official numbers.

“My job isn’t to be first on this stuff, my job is to be correct,” Moran, who led the last round of redistricting for the House, said. He added, “As far as I’m concerned and the House is concerned — and I think you’ll see Senator Brownsberger is in a similar position — our job is to get it right. And we’re going to look at these numbers when they’re in a safe space for us to look at them.”

There could be other proposed maps in the mix as well. Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr and Republican Sen. Ryan Fattman plan to oversee the redistricting process for the Senate minority caucus and are leaving their options open as they scrutinize the fresh data, a Tarr spokesman said. For the House Republicans, Rep. Paul Frost will serve as the redistricting point person.

“Whether the caucus produces its own proposal will be dictated in large part by what the preliminary maps look like, but we certainly plan to offer our input throughout this important undertaking and will be working to ensure that the entire process remains open and transparent,” House Minority Leader Brad Jones said.

Shortly after the data was made available, advocates with the Drawing Democracy Coalition said they plan to use it to produce the organization’s own “unity map” that would keep communities together and ensure equitable representation for Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Asian-American communities, people of color, immigrants, and low-income communities. The group said it plans to eventually submit its map to the Special Joint Committee on Redistricting.

“Redistricting is a once-in-a-decade opportunity to better ensure authentic representation and open new opportunities for building power for BIPOC, immigrant and low-income communities,” the coalition said in a statement. “Especially as efforts are underway across the country to restrict access to voting, it is more important than ever to ensure that voters can elect representatives of their choice. While today’s release of the redistricting data is several months delayed, the Drawing Democracy Coalition is confident that, along with the Special Joint Committee on Redistricting, we have a strong plan in place to ensure that the process remains fair and transparent and that the new district maps are approved by the November 8, 2021 deadline.”

State representatives planning to seek reelection in 2022 must reside within their district boundaries for at least one year ahead of time, making Nov. 8, 2021 a soft deadline for the new maps that would give candidates a chance to ensure they can be eligible for next year’s election.

Drawing Democracy said it has already received and shared with the Special Redistricting Committee 99 “community of interest” map submissions “providing valuable insight from local residents into what areas of their communities are most important to keep together.”

Once the group’s unity map is drafted, it will go through “extensive legal review” to make sure that it is in compliance with the Voting Rights Act, the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, the Massachusetts Constitution and state laws. Drawing Democracy plans to solicit input from its coalition members at five virtual listening sessions, make any necessary tweaks and then present it to the legislative committee for consideration.

“During redistricting in 2011, the final maps approved by the legislature closely resembled the unity map presented by Drawing Democracy,” the group pointed out Thursday in its announcement.

Thursday’s data release from the U.S. Census Bureau follows its April release of congressional apportionment data, which provided total state headcounts to be used to determine each state’s number of U.S. House of Representatives seats and in funding formulas. Massachusetts added 482,288 people since the last Census in 2010, ensuring that its delegation to the U.S. House will remain the same size rather than shrinking by one as happened after the 2010 count.

But that April data was not enough to draw maps of voting districts within states because it did not get into the granular details like where in a state people live, or their age, race and ethnicity.

The redistricting data released Thursday gets down to the individual Census block, counts only residents (the apportionment data also includes “federally-affiliated” people living overseas), and includes race, ethnicity and some housing information. It became available Thursday in what the Census called a “legacy format” that states, redistricting software vendors and groups like the National Conference of State Legislatures are familiar with.

The Census plans to release the same data in manners more accessible to the public by the end of September, including through the data.census.gov platform. Governors, state legislative leaders and any redistricting commissions around the country will get DVDs and flash drives with an integrated data browsing software by the end of next month.

But by then, the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law said, “many states are expected to start and potentially even complete their map-drawing processes.”

In a partnership with the Massachusetts Office of Business Development and MassDevelopment, the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce will be hosting state economic development officials for one-on-one appointments with local developers, manufacturers and business owners.  The meetings are an opportunity to discuss any specific matters related to their business or the expansion of their business, as well as to review state resources available to support business growth and expansion.

Kevin Kuros, Central Massachusetts Director for MOBD and Rob Anderson,

Vice President of Business Development for MassDevelopment will be available at the Chamber office by appointment on Tuesday, September 14, 2021 between 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The appointments are in thirty minute increments and are first come, first serve. The meetings are free and confidential, available on a non-discriminatory basis, and are handicapped accessible.

MOBD helps businesses relocating to Massachusetts and businesses wishing to expand their current operations here.  MOBD is responsible for managing the state’s Economic Development Incentive Program (EDIP) which provides tax credits for qualifying business expansion projects.  In addition, they provide information on other state economic development programs, including the state’s R&D tax credit, the Mass Life Science Center tax incentives, the Workforce Training Fund grant program, the Mass Clean Energy Center programs, the STEP grant offered through the Mass Office of International Trade and Investment and other state resources.

MassDevelopment, the state’s quasi-public finance and development agency provides real estate and equipment loans and other programs to support manufacturers, non-profit organizations and developers of rental housing.  In addition, they also manage the state’s Brownfields Tax Credit Program, Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) and New Markets Tax Credit Program.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, please contact the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce at (978) 353-7600 ext. 222.

Governor Charlie Baker and Lt. Governor Karyn Polito announced the departure of Executive Office of Public Safety and Security Secretary Thomas Turco, III. Secretary Turco is retiring after more than 30 years of public service. The Administration also announced the appointment of current Undersecretary for Law Enforcement Terrence Reidy as Acting Secretary of Public Safety and Security.

“Since taking office, our Administration has been deeply committed to ensuring the safety and security of the residents, families and communities of the Commonwealth, and we are grateful for the leadership of Secretary Turco in pursuing that goal,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “Tom has played an invaluable role in many major efforts to deliver a safer Commonwealth for all, including working with law enforcement, legislators and community justice leaders to deliver landmark police reform legislation. We appreciate his expertise and commitment to public service, and look forward to continuing to work with Acting Secretary Reidy.”

“Over the past three years Secretary Turco led the team at the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security and its agencies with purpose and dedication, and we wish him well in his retirement,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “His commitment to supporting the public safety of our local communities was unsurpassed and his thoughtful leadership was invaluable to our Administration. I want to thank Secretary Turco for his years of service and welcome Acting Secretary Reidy to this new role.”

“Public safety depends on all of us working together to build a culture of preparedness, responsiveness, and care for those in our communities,” said Public Safety and Security Secretary Thomas Turco. “I would like to thank the residents of the Commonwealth for their support of our work, the Governor and Lieutenant Governor for their confidence in me and my colleagues across our agencies whose collective partnership has advanced our vision of excellence. Knowing how our team will rise to this occasion empowers me to make this decision to spend time with my family who have been a source of unwavering support to me in my life of public service.”

“Serving on Secretary Turco’s leadership team at EOPSS has prepared me for the task of succeeding such an effective leader,” said Undersecretary for Law Enforcement Terrence Reidy. “I am honored to be appointed Acting Secretary of Public Safety and Security and lead a talented group of world-class professionals. Together with our partners in the Administration, Legislature, and local communities, we will fulfill our mission to sustain and increase public safety.”

“On behalf of the Massachusetts Major City Chiefs, I would like to extend our collective congratulations to Secretary Turco on his retirement,” said President of the Major City Chiefs, Chelsea Police Chief Brian Kyes. “Tom has been a phenomenal leader who we have benefited from.  His wisdom, guidance, and ability to make the most difficult decisions has made the Commonwealth a safer place. His legacy will continue in our law enforcement community for years to come.”

“As Boston Police Commissioner, I experienced an extraordinary collaborative fusion under Tom Turco’s leadership,” said Retired Boston Police Commissioner Willie Gross. “Like Coach Belichick, he leveraged the strength of each local, state, and federal partner – challenging each to do their job and contribute to a shared mission. I thank his family for supporting Tom in his work to make the Commonwealth a safer place for all.”

Under Secretary Turco’s leadership, the Baker-Polito Administration has made several advancements on key public safety and security issues for people and communities across Massachusetts. Key accomplishments include:

• Collaborated with the Legislature and key stakeholders to develop, codify into law, and implement the foundation of the comprehensive 2020 police reform bill.
• Increased opportunities for implementing body cameras, including creating grant opportunities for municipalities and a dedicated program for more than 1,500 troopers within the State Police.
• Supported the Commonwealth’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic by helping to coordinate a statewide effort to distribute personal protective equipment and other critical supplies to first responders and other frontline workers.
• Led state-wide election security planning to ensure that residents could safely exercise their right to vote in the election as well as free speech.
• Developed the first-of-its-kind “Faith-Based Organization Safety and Security Toolkit,” an e-learning course for all houses of worship, faith organizations, law enforcement organizations, and first responders in the Commonwealth, and a similar workbook for large public venues.
• Supported funding for the Department of Fire Services to redevelop a former Department of Corrections site and create an academy in Bridgewater.
• Recruited and swore in 450 new State Troopers and oversaw the recruitment of the most diverse State Police class in history.   

About Terrence Reidy:

Terrence Reidy has served as Undersecretary for Law Enforcement within the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security since 2019, where he has provided strategic leadership to the Massachusetts State Police, the Municipal Police Training Committee, and the Office of Grants and Research. In addition, Reidy served as a member of the Governor’s Task Force on Hate Crimes. Drawing on his prosecutorial experience collaborating with community leaders, he oversaw the creation of a hate crime resource guide for Massachusetts schools and partnered with police to ensure that every department in the Commonwealth has a trained, dedicated civil rights officer.

Prior to his work at EOPSS, Reidy was an Assistant Attorney General in the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office and Assistant District Attorney in Worcester and Suffolk Counties. His experience included supervising the Attorney General’s Enterprise, Major Crimes, and Cyber Crime Unit and the Worcester District Attorney’s Gang Unit. In Suffolk County, Reidy was promoted from District Court Prosecutor to Superior Court where he served in the Gang and Safe Neighborhood Initiative Units.  In these roles, he developed collaborative relationships with federal, state, and local law enforcement as well as residents and community groups.

Beyond his work in government, Reidy dedicates time to volunteering as a coach for several youth sports organizations. He completed his undergraduate studies at Colby College and earned his juris doctor from New England School of Law. 

Governor Charlie Baker and Lt. Governor Karyn Polito today announced the appointment of Jamey L. Tesler as Secretary of Transportation and CEO of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). Tesler has served as Acting Secretary since January, when he was appointed to replace former Secretary Stephanie Pollack after Pollack’s appointment as Deputy Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration for the Biden-Harris Administration.

“Jamey Tesler is a dynamic leader and with several years of experience in senior roles in the transportation sector, he and the team at the Department are ready to advance the important work underway across Massachusetts’ transportation systems,” said Governor Charlie Baker.  “From safety to planning for the mobility needs of the Commonwealth’s future, the job of Transportation Secretary is hugely important and Jamey is the right person to lead the Department.”

“In continuing in his role as Secretary, Jamey will remain a strong partner for officials at the municipal level, ensuring a commitment to local infrastructure and projects,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “We are grateful for his ongoing leadership and dedication to the transportation sector and service to the people of this Commonwealth.”

“Since January, it has been the honor of my professional career to serve as Acting Secretary of Transportation and I am grateful and humbled that Governor Baker and Lt. Governor Polito have confidence in my ability to continue to lead the organization as we deliver a transportation system that is safe, reliable, resilient and equitable,” said Secretary Jamey Tesler.  “With the support of MassDOT’s dedicated workforce and management team, I am looking forward to continuing to advance customer service improvements, programs giving municipalities resources, and infrastructure projects which connect people with where they want to go, whether they are walking, bicycling, traveling by public transportation, or riding in a vehicle.”

Prior to his appointment as Acting Secretary in January, Tesler served as Registrar of Motor Vehicles. He has years of experience across the Department of Transportation and has worked for more than 16 years in senior management roles in the public sector, including as General Counsel to the Massachusetts State Treasurer, Deputy Legal Counsel in the Office of the Governor, Deputy General Counsel for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), MassDOT Assistant Secretary for Procurement and Contract Management, Acting Chief of Staff for the Secretary of Transportation, and then as Chief Operating Officer at MassDOT. Tesler received his bachelor’s degree in Economics and International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania and his Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan.

Learn more about the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.

The Baker-Polito Administration today announced it will invest $186 million of the Commonwealth’s direct federal aid from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) toward critical priorities including support for hospitals, health and human services, mental health, and workforce development. Utilizing these federal resources now will help further the Commonwealth’s economic recovery and provide relief for residents hardest-hit by COVID-19, such as lower-wage workers and communities of color.

This $186 million is part of a total of approximately $5.3 billion in direct aid awarded to the Commonwealth through ARPA. The funding announced today is part of $200 million provided to the Administration in recently signed legislation for addressing critical needs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Governor Baker has filed legislation to put an additional $2.915 billion of this funding to immediate use to address additional urgent and pressing needs including housing and homeownership, economic development and local downtowns, job training and workforce development, health care, and infrastructure.

“Our administration is putting this $186 million to work now because many communities throughout Massachusetts – especially low-income families and communities of color – have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and cannot wait for assistance. More than 400,000 residents are due to lose enhanced unemployment benefits in the first week of September, making the workforce training funding particularly urgent,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “We look forward to working quickly with our colleagues in the Legislature in allocating additional funding and providing residents and families with relief from the housing, economic, workforce, health care, and other challenges which continue to face the Commonwealth as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“Investing this $186 million is an important step in helping those who have been hard-hit by the pandemic, and we must continue deploying federal resources to further the economic recovery,” said Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito. “These funds will help address crucial health care and workforce priorities, and we look forward to quickly getting them out the door and into our local communities.”

Highlights of this $186 million investment plan include:

Health Care

• $55 million for health and human services’ workforce development. Funding will enable 10% immediate time-limited rate enhancements from July through December 2021, helping strengthen and stabilize the state’s provider networks’ workforce in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency.

• $50 million for fiscally distressed hospitals. This funding will help stabilize safety net hospital systems that have experienced significant financial shortfalls according to the latest data published by CHIA and those serving communities that were disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. 
• $31 million for inpatient psychiatric acute facilities, both free-standing and in general hospitals. This investment will help bridge a significant staffing gap which is resulting in many individuals not being able to access licensed psychiatric beds and therefore spending extensive periods of time in emergency rooms. Funding will provide temporary supplemental payments to recruit critically needed clinical and direct care staff.

Workforce

• Up to $50 million to help train an estimated 15,000 unemployed or underemployed individuals across Massachusetts by providing industry credentials in critical areas of the economy such as advanced manufacturing, health care, information technology, and construction. Funding will also help scale up workforce development efforts in work readiness programs such as ESOL and the Signal Success soft skills-building curriculum.

The discretionary funds awarded to the Commonwealth through ARPA are intended to support urgent COVID-19 response efforts, replace lost revenue, support immediate economic stabilization for households and businesses, and address unequal public health and economic challenges in Massachusetts cities and towns throughout the pandemic. ARPA is also providing a total of $3.4 billion in direct aid for local governments throughout Massachusetts.

Massachusetts expects to benefit from a total of approximately $113 billion in COVID-related federal aid provided through the six pieces of federal legislation enacted during the pandemic. The majority of this funding is outside of the Commonwealth’s discretion. For example, over $50 billion is going directly to individuals and businesses in the form of stimulus payments, Paycheck Protection Program loans, Unemployment Assistance, and other initiatives. Over $3 billion has been awarded to the MBTA, RTAs, airports, and transportation. Approximately $2.9 billion has been awarded in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER Grants) for local schools, over $1.5 billion is being provided for higher education relief, and nearly $700 million has been awarded for child care.