Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Massachusetts
Table of Contents
References & Edit History Facts & Stats
Images & Videos
Massachusetts: flag The state seal of Massachusetts has remained in essentially the same form since 1780, though details changed and were standardized in 1898. The arms, as on the state flag, include a crest (an arm holding a sword) and a ribbon with the motto "EnsePetit Pl The mayflower is the state flower of Massachusetts. Map of Massachusetts Cape Cod Massachusetts Boston: Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge Boston Massachusetts United States: New England
For Students
Shoppers' paradise
Massachusetts summary
Quizzes
Texas State Capitol building in Austin, Texas. United States
U.S. State Capitals Quiz
Extruded map of the United States of America with states borders on national flag background. (3-d rendering)
Guess the U.S. State by Its Neighbors
USA, United States watercolor map Illustration in rainbow colors
50 States, 50 Fun Facts Quiz
State capitol building in Austin, Texas.
USA Capitals and Nicknames Quiz
Illustration. Montage of Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Constitution of the United States and headshots of Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington.
Historical USA
Related Questions
Read Next
Close up of a hand placing a ballot in a ballot box. Election vote voter voting
Have Any U.S. Presidents Decided Not to Run For a Second Term?
President Kennedy address on Test Ban Treaty, White House, Oval Office, July 26, 1963. President John F. Kennedy, President Kennedy
11 Memorable Quotes from U.S. Presidential Debates
Portrait of American President Gerald Ford dressed in a blue, pin-striped suit as he stands with his arms crossed, taken during his first month in office, August 1974. First official portrait of President Gerald R. Ford.
5 Fascinating Facts about the Births and Deaths of U.S. Presidents
Painting titled: "Washington as Statesman at the Constitutional Convention" oil on canvas by Junius Brutus Stearns, 1856; in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. (Note from museum) The painting represents George Washington's role as president of the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. The normally reserved Washington urges passage of a new federal constitution, a draft of which he holds in his hands.
How Many of the Signers of the U.S. Constitution Were Enslavers?
Detail of a concept image of the Preamble of the U.S. Constitution. We the People
How Many People Signed the U.S. Constitution?
Discover
World map. Continents. Oceans. Mendel thumb ok
Just How Many Oceans Are There?
Calendar marking march 15th
22 Questions About Time and Timekeeping Answered
Young boys working in a thread spinning mill in Macon, Georgia, 1909. Boys are so small they have to climb onto the spinning frame to reach and fix broken threads and put back empty bobbins. Child labor. Industrial revolution
The Rise of the Machines: Pros and Cons of the Industrial Revolution
Panoramic view at sunrise of moai, Ahu Tongariki, Easter Island (Rapa Nui), Chile
6 Lost Civilizations
Statue of Liberty in front of the skyline of Manhattan, New York City, New York.
Who Was the Woman Behind the Statue of Liberty?
Aphrodite. Greek mythology. Sculpture. Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love and beauty.
12 Greek Gods and Goddesses
The Colosseum, Rome, Italy. Giant amphitheatre built in Rome under the Flavian emperors. (ancient architecture; architectural ruins)
New Seven Wonders of the World

Massachusetts: Facts & Stats

verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/facts/Massachusetts
Written and fact-checked by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Border czar makes the city of Boston his latest immigration target • Mar. 1, 2025, 1:03 PM ET (AP)
Luxury home at risk of tumbling into Cape Cod Bay over removal dispute is demolished • Feb. 25, 2025, 5:43 PM ET (AP)
One-armed basketball player makes women's Division III history with basket • Feb. 21, 2025, 3:59 PM ET (AP)
Florida is rushing to enforce new immigration laws. Here's what to know • Feb. 18, 2025, 5:09 PM ET (AP)

Facts

Also Known As Bay State • the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Capital Boston
Population1 (2020) 7,029,917; (2023 est.) 7,001,399
Governor Charlie Baker (Republican)
Date Of Admission Feb. 6, 17882
U.S. Senators Ed Markey (Democrat) • Elizabeth Warren (Democrat)
State Nickname Bay State • Old Colony State
State Motto "Ense Petit Placidam Sub Libertate Quietem (By the Sword We Seek Peace, But Peace Only Under Liberty)"
State Bird3 black-capped chickadee • wild turkey
State Flower mayflower (trailing arbutus)
State Song “All Hail to Massachusetts”
Seats In U.S. House Of Representatives 9 (of 435)
Time Zone Eastern (GMT − 5 hours)
Total Area (Sq Km) 27,336
Total Area (Sq Mi) 10,554
1Excluding military abroad.2Original state; date shown is that of ratification of Constitution.3The wild turkey is the state game bird.

Photos and Videos

Massachusetts: flag
The state seal of Massachusetts has remained in essentially the same form since 1780, though details changed and were standardized in 1898. The arms, as on the state flag, include a crest (an arm holding a sword) and a ribbon with the motto "EnsePetit Pl
The mayflower is the state flower of Massachusetts.
Map of Massachusetts
Cape Cod
Massachusetts
Boston: Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge
Boston
Massachusetts
United States: New England
How many Americans have Irish ancestry?
See the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, home to some of the world's greatest masterpieces
Explore the Boston Children's Museum, a pioneer in hands-on, object-based exhibit experiences for children
See All Videos and Images →

Related Topics and References

Topics
Deval Patrick
Deval Patrick
American politician and lawyer
Gilbert Stuart: portrait of John Adams
John Adams
president of United States
Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
president of United States
Samuel Adams
Samuel Adams
American politician
Horace Mann
Horace Mann
American educator
Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney
United States senator
Elbridge Gerry
Elbridge Gerry
vice president of United States
portrait of Thomas Gage by John Singleton Copley
Thomas Gage
British general
James Otis
James Otis
American politician
Benjamin F. Butler
Benjamin F. Butler
United States politician and military officer
Curley, James Michael
James Michael Curley
American politician
Thomas Hutchinson
British colonial governor
Bronson Alcott
Bronson Alcott
American philosopher and educator
Nathaniel P. Banks
Nathaniel P. Banks
United States politician and general
George Sewall Boutwell
George Sewall Boutwell
American politician
Rufus King
Rufus King
American statesman
John Hancock
John Hancock
United States statesman
New English Canaan
Thomas Morton
English clergyman
Michael Dukakis
Michael Dukakis
American politician
Shirley, William
William Shirley
British colonial governor

Related Places

Salem: House of the Seven Gables
Salem
Massachusetts, United States
United States
United States
Boston
Boston
Massachusetts, United States
Lowell: Boott Cotton Mills Museum
Lowell
Massachusetts, United States
United States: New England
New England
region, United States
Cambridge
Cambridge
Massachusetts, United States
Basketball Hall of Fame, Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield
Massachusetts, United States
The Old Manse in Concord
Concord
Massachusetts, United States
Plymouth Rock: portico
Plymouth
Massachusetts, United States
Worcester: Higgins Armory Museum
Worcester
Massachusetts, United States
New Bedford
New Bedford
Massachusetts, United States
Provincetown
Provincetown
Massachusetts, United States
Fall River
Fall River
Massachusetts, United States
Marblehead
Marblehead
Massachusetts, United States
Milton, Massachusetts: Suffolk Resolves House
Milton
Massachusetts, United States

Related Quizzes and Features

Quiz
State capitol building in Austin, Texas.
USA Capitals and Nicknames Quiz
USA, United States watercolor map Illustration in rainbow colors
50 States, 50 Fun Facts Quiz
Close-up of a weathered, old American flag of the United States of America, used as a patriotic decoration on Fourth of July (Independence Day), Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and other national holidays.
U.S. State Nicknames Quiz
Extruded map of the United States of America with states borders on national flag background. (3-d rendering)
Guess the U.S. State by Its Neighbors
Illustration. Montage of Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Constitution of the United States and headshots of Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington.
Historical USA
Texas State Capitol building in Austin, Texas. United States
U.S. State Capitals Quiz