The 2020 US Census has affirmed that the Buzzards Bay watershed remains a fast-growing area. Between 1990 and 2020, the Town of Rochester led Buzzards Bay towns, with a growth rate of 31%.

U.S. Census Data, population not adjusted for watershed boundaries.

TOWN	SQ MILES	1930	1940	1950	1960	1970	1980	1990	2000	2010	2020
ACUSHNET	18.88	4092	4145	4401	5755	7767	8704	9554	10161	10303	10559
BOURNE	41.08	2895	3315	4720	14011	12636	13874	16064	18721	19754	20452
CARVER	39.72	1381	1469	1530	1949	2420	6988	10590	11163	11509	11645
DARTMOUTH	61.96	8778	9011	11115	14607	18800	23966	27244	30666	34032	33783
FAIRHAVEN	12.41	10951	10938	12764	14339	16332	15759	16132	16159	15873	15924
FALMOUTH	45.07	4821	6878	8662	13037	15942	23640	27960	32660	31531	32517
GOSNOLD	13.39	120	136	56	66	83	63	98	86	75	70
MARION	14.12	1638	2030	2250	2881	3466	3932	4496	5123	4907	5347
MATTAPOISETT	17.49	1501	1608	2265	3117	4500	5597	5850	6268	6045	6508
MIDDLEBOROUGH	72.11	8608	9032	10164	11065	13607	16404	17867	19941	23116	24245
NEW BEDFORD	20.28	112597	110341	109189	102477	101777	98478	99922	93768	95072	101079
PLYMOUTH	102.02	13042	13100	13608	14445	18606	35913	45608	51701	56468	61217
ROCHESTER	36.03	1141	1269	1328	1559	1770	3205	3921	4581	5232	5717
WAREHAM	37.14	5686	6364	7569	9461	11492	18457	19232	20335	21822	23303
WESTPORT	52.10	4408	4134	4989	6641	9791	13763	13852	14183	15532	16339

The population trends are actually complex. Because one third of the watershed population is found in New Bedford, a city with a declining population until the 2020 census. Between 2010 and 2020, the population in the entire watershed increased 4.6% , with Dartmouth and Gosnold showing the only declines.

Construction and New Development

Like most coastal areas, the Buzzards Bay watershed is losing more and more open land to development. One of the strongest indicators of population trends and changes in land use are the number of permits municipalities issue for the construction of single-family homes. The population growth outside of New Bedford has consistently been high, with the greatest increase during the 1980s when Baby Boomers drove home construction.