Languages

The most common varieties of American English spoken in Massachusetts, other than General American, are the cot-caught distinct, rhotic, western Massachusetts dialect and the cot-caught merged, non-rhotic, eastern Massachusetts dialect (popularly known as a "Boston accent").^[172]

Top 11 Non-English Languages Spoken in Massachusetts

Language	Percentage of population (as of 2010)[173]
Spanish	7.50%
Portuguese	2.97%
Chinese (including Cantonese and Mandarin)	1.59%
French (including New England French)	1.11%
French Creole	0.89%
Italian	0.72%
Russian	0.62%
Vietnamese	0.58%
Greek	0.41%
Arabic and Khmer (Cambodian) (including all Austroasiatic languages) (tied)	0.37%
Massachusett (Wampanoag)	0.001%

As of 2010, 78.93% (4,823,127) of Massachusetts residents age 5 and older spoke English at home as a first language, while 7.50% (458,256) spoke Spanish, 2.97% (181,437) Portuguese, 1.59% (96,690) Chinese (which includes Cantonese and Mandarin), 1.11% (67,788) French, 0.89% (54,456) French Creole, 0.72% (43,798) Italian, 0.62% (37,865) Russian, and Vietnamese was spoken as a primary language by 0.58% (35,283) of the population over the age of five. In total, 21.07% (1,287,419) of Massachusetts' population age 5 and older spoke a first language other than English.^[7][173]

Built in 1681, the Old Ship Church in Hingham is the oldest church in America in continuous ecclesiastical use.^[174]

Religion

Massachusetts was founded and settled by the Puritans in 1620^[82][80] and most people in Massachusetts today remain Christians.^[7] The descendants of the Puritans belong to many different churches; in the direct line of inheritance are the various Congregational churches, the United Church of Christ and congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association. The headquarters of the Unitarian Universalist Association, long located on Beacon Hill, is now located in South Boston.^[175][176] Many Puritan descendants also dispersed to other Protestant denominations. Some disaffiliated along with Roman Catholics and other Christian groups in the wake of modern secularization.

Boston's Cathedral of the Holy Cross was built in 1875 to serve the area's growing Catholic population.

Today, Christians make up 57% of the state's population, with Protestants making up 21% of them. Roman Catholics make up 34% and now predominate because of massive immigration from primarily Catholic countries and regions – chiefly Ireland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Quebec, and Latin America. Both Protestant and Roman Catholic communities have been in decline since the late 20th century, due to the rise of irreligion in New England. It is the most irreligious region of the country, along with the Western United States. A significant Jewish population immigrated to the Boston and Springfield areas between 1880 and 1920. Jews currently make up 3% of the population. Mary Baker Eddy made the Boston Mother Church of Christian Science the world headquarters. Buddhists, Pagans, Hindus, Seventh-day Adventists, Muslims, and Mormons also can be found. Kripalu Center in Stockbridge, the Shaolin Meditation Temple in Springfield, and the Insight Meditation Center in Barre are examples of non-Abrahamic religious centers in Massachusetts. According to 2010 data from The Association of Religion Data Archives, (ARDA) the largest single denominations are the Roman Catholic Church with 2,940,199 adherents; the United Church of Christ with 86,639 adherents; and the Episcopal Church with 81,999 adherents.^[177] 32% of the population identifies as having no religion.^[178]