How big is Provincetown, Massachusetts?

Provincetown has a population of approximately 5,356 residents according to the latest U.S. Census American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2019–2023). It is a town by Census Place size classification.

Is housing in Provincetown affordable?

By the years-to-own measure, housing in Provincetown is very expensive. The median home value ($977,406) divided by the median household income ($105,660) gives a ratio of 9.3 — meaning the median home costs about 9.3 years of pre-tax household income. (Lower is more affordable; the U.S. median is ~4.) Methodology: /methodology/years-to-own/.

Is the climate changing in Provincetown?

Provincetown is steadily warming at a rate of 3.06°F per century, measured as the linear regression slope of annual mean temperature on year since 1970. Source: NOAA NCEI nClimDiv. Methodology: /methodology/warming-velocity/.

What is the median household income in Provincetown?

The median household income in Provincetown is $105,660, which ranks at the 88th percentile nationally — higher than 88% of U.S. Census places. Source: U.S. Census American Community Survey 5-year 2019–2023.

How did Provincetown vote in the 2024 presidential election?

Provincetown is Democratic-leaning. In the 2024 presidential election, the underlying county recorded 39% Republican and 60% Democratic. Source: MIT Election Lab.

What is the local economy like in Provincetown?

Provincetown's economy is diverse across major industry sectors, with a Herfindahl–Hirschman Index of 2,087. The single largest NAICS sector accounts for 35% of local establishments. Source: U.S. Census County Business Patterns. Methodology: /methodology/industry-hhi/.

What county is Provincetown in?

Provincetown is in Barnstable County, MA. Barnstable County has a total population of 232,112 with a years-to-own ratio of 7.7.

How old is the population in Provincetown?

The median resident in Provincetown is 60.1 years old, which is older than the U.S. median of about 38.9. Source: U.S. Census ACS.

Provincetown, Massachusetts — Commerce Institute

55 years

The slow remaking of a barnstable

Per-capita personal income from 1969 to 2024, drawn from BEA County Income data.

Per-capita personal income

BEA Personal Income · Barnstable County

Income up 22.0× in 55 years. Barnstable County per-capita personal income rose from $4,406 in 1969 to $96,768 in 2024.

Time machine

Provincetown in 2024 is what Lyons, NJ was in 2019.

Across our 8 dimensions, Provincetown's 2024 profile most closely matches Lyons, NJ's 2019 profile. Similarity score 0.91.

The setting

The lay of the land

Topography

Elevation

50 ft

Coastal — sea-level or near it.

126 years of weather, in one panel

What weather looks like here

Annual averages back to 1900 (NOAA NCEI nClimDiv), severe weather counts since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events Database).

1900–2025 — every year's average temperature

Each stripe is one year. Blue = cooler, red = warmer. The trend is the story. Dashed line marks 1970, when the modern warming era began. 126 years of NOAA nClimDiv records.

Long-run shift

+3.5°F

1900–1929 avg → 2000s+ avg

Warmest year

2012 · 53.2°F

Coldest year

1904 · 45.1°F

By the numbers

Annual avg temp

52.8°F

↗ +2.8°F since 1900

Annual precip

45.1″

Above US avg (30″)

Heating degree days

5,046

cold heating bills

Cooling degree days

624

light AC use

Severe weather, 1950–2024

Counted events from NOAA Storm Events Database

Tornadoes

75-yr record

Hail

234

≈ 3 per year

Flash floods

75-yr record

Floods

111

≈ 1 per year

Lightning

144

≈ 1 per year

Within driving distance

In Provincetown's orbit

Nearby places — neighbors, the closest county seat, the closest college town. Click through to compare.

Barnstable Town

MA · pop

Harwich Center

MA · pop

Brewster

MA · pop

North Eastham

MA · pop

South Yarmouth

MA · pop

Yarmouth Port

MA · pop

South Dennis

MA · pop

Orleans

MA · pop

Against every other US town

What stands out

Where Provincetown ranks among 32,000+ US Census places. Each dot is this place; the gray band is the national distribution; the red tick is the national median.

Industry mix

Local establishment count by NAICS sector · Census County Business Patterns · 2014–2022

Construction26%

Retail24%

Food & lodging19%

Healthcare14%

Professional13%

Manufacturing3%

Agriculture1%

What's notable about Provincetown

Top 3% nationally for home values
Top 3% nationally for housing cost burden
Top quartile nationally for household income (rank 88)
Top quartile nationally for education level (rank 87)
Top quartile nationally for industry diversity (rank 88)

If you like Provincetown

Towns that feel familiar

Across our 768-dimensional embedding of demographics, climate, and economy, these are the places most like Provincetown.

#1 · 1.0

East Sandwich

MA · pop

HHI$131k

Jan temp29°F

#2 · 1.0

Falmouth

MA · pop

HHI$88k

#3 · 1.0

West Chatham

MA · pop

HHI$92k

Jan temp32°F

#4 · 1.0

Orleans

MA · pop

HHI$98k

Frequently asked

Common questions about Provincetown

Each answer is computed from the data on this page. Citation sources linked in each answer.

How big is Provincetown, Massachusetts?: Provincetown has a population of approximately 5,356 residents according to the latest U.S. Census American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2019–2023). It is a town by Census Place size classification.
Is housing in Provincetown affordable?: By the years-to-own measure, housing in Provincetown is very expensive. The median home value ($977,406) divided by the median household income ($105,660) gives a ratio of 9.3 — meaning the median home costs about 9.3 years of pre-tax household income. (Lower is more affordable; the U.S. median is ~4.) Methodology: /methodology/years-to-own/.
Is the climate changing in Provincetown?: Provincetown is steadily warming at a rate of 3.06°F per century, measured as the linear regression slope of annual mean temperature on year since 1970. Source: NOAA NCEI nClimDiv. Methodology: /methodology/warming-velocity/.
What is the median household income in Provincetown?: The median household income in Provincetown is $105,660, which ranks at the 88th percentile nationally — higher than 88% of U.S. Census places. Source: U.S. Census American Community Survey 5-year 2019–2023.
How did Provincetown vote in the 2024 presidential election?: Provincetown is Democratic-leaning. In the 2024 presidential election, the underlying county recorded 39% Republican and 60% Democratic. Source: MIT Election Lab.
What is the local economy like in Provincetown?: Provincetown's economy is diverse across major industry sectors, with a Herfindahl–Hirschman Index of 2,087. The single largest NAICS sector accounts for 35% of local establishments. Source: U.S. Census County Business Patterns. Methodology: /methodology/industry-hhi/.
What county is Provincetown in?: Provincetown is in Barnstable County, MA. Barnstable County has a total population of 232,112 with a years-to-own ratio of 7.7.
How old is the population in Provincetown?: The median resident in Provincetown is 60.1 years old, which is older than the U.S. median of about 38.9. Source: U.S. Census ACS.

Every number on this page comes from a federal data source.

Commerce Institute builds profiles from public-domain federal datasets only — no surveys, no proprietary scoring, no opaque indexes. Every metric on this page is queryable; every methodology is published.

U.S. Census ACS — demographics, housing, education, 2014–2023
BEA Personal Income — per-capita income, 1969–2024
BLS QCEW — wages by NAICS sector, 1990–2024
NOAA NCEI nClimDiv — climate, 1901–2024
NOAA Storm Events — severe weather, 1950–2024
Zillow ZHVI — home values, 2000–2025
FHFA HPI — housing index, 1975–2025
IRS SOI Migration — net flows + AGI, 1991–2022
MIT Election Lab — presidential, 2008–2024
Census CBP — business establishments by NAICS, 2014–2022
USGS Elevation — place elevation
OpenStreetMap — retail brand presence, F&B amenities
+ 23 more sources — covering health, schools, banking, agriculture, mobility, civic life

Rendered 2026-05-12. See methodology for every metric definition.

Provincetown,
Massachusetts.

02657

Barnstable County, MA

Massachusetts

The slow remaking of a barnstable

The lay of the land

What weather looks like here

In Provincetown's orbit

What stands out

What's notable about Provincetown

Towns that feel familiar

Common questions about Provincetown

Every number on this page comes from a federal data source.