Since English settlers first set foot on New England soil in the 17th century, the cluster of states has been a hub for education, trade and American culture.

But when it comes to housing, welfare and population density in the 21st century, where do they differ, and how do they compare?

When it comes to the numbers, who comes out on top?

Our five competitors – Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine and Rhode Island – are located in the Northeast of the United States.

Here’s how the region is divvied up:

Population and mass

Massachusetts eclipses its neighbors when it comes to population.

Stocked with over seven million residents, the state is also home to New England’s most populous city. Boston takes the cake with 675,000 residents, and is larger in mass than any other New England city, including runners-up Providence, New Haven and Hartford. The city is often labeled the healthcare and education capital of the world.

While Massachusetts harbors the most New Englanders, Maine is the largest state in the region by land area. Spread over around 35,000 square miles, Maine is bigger than the other four states combined.

Rhode Island – nicknamed Little Rhody – is the smallest and least populated state in New England.

Here are the population totals for each state in New England:

Housing

Skyrocketing housing and rent costs are rattling markets and bleeding out bank accounts nationwide. New England has been no exception in recent years.

According to Zillow, the average value of a single-family home has risen considerably across all five states in the past decade. In Maine and New Hampshire, prices have more than doubled.

In Massachusetts – where homeownership is further out of a reach than ever before – the median home price in 2025 was around $700,000, the highest in the nation.

Median home prices in Connecticut, New Hampshire and Rhode Island aren’t far behind, leveling out at over $500,000. Maine and Vermont are considered the most affordable New England states when it comes to buying a home.

Renters have also fallen victim to soaring costs. The median gross monthly rent in Massachusetts is $1,757 – the highest in New England.

Here’s a breakdown of rent costs across the states:

Welfare and education

New England states generally have stronger social safety nets than most U.S. states.

Still, homelessness has risen in certain metro areas, rural areas struggle with education funding and inequality between districts persists.

Here’s where the states fall when it comes to poverty, insurance, employment and education rates:

Around 12.5% of the U.S. population lives in poverty. Poverty rates in all New England states fall just below that. Rhode Island has the highest rate at 10.80%, while New Hampshire sits at 7.20% – one of the lowest poverty rates in the country.

Just 2.60% of Massachusetts residents do not have health insurance. In Maine and Connecticut, that number climbs past 5.5%. Massachusetts is known as a national leader in healthcare policy and innovation, consistently topping national rankings in life expectancy and chronic disease management.

When compared to its New England neighbors, the state also boasts the largest proportion of residents with bachelor degrees.

Massachusetts is home to a whopping 104 universities. Here’s how it stacks up next to the other four states: