Gloucester is a medium-sized coastal city (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Massachusetts. With a population of 29,836 people and nine associated neighborhoods, Gloucester is the 62nd largest community in Massachusetts. Much of the housing stock in Gloucester was built prior to World War II, making it one of the older and more historic cities in the country.

Housing costs in Gloucester are among some of the highest in the nation, although real estate prices here don't compare to real estate prices in the most expensive communities in Massachusetts.

Also of interest is that Gloucester has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

A relatively large number of people in Gloucester telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 9.46% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Gloucester is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Quite often, nautical areas such as these attract visitors and locals who come to enjoy the scenery and various waterfront activities.

The population of Gloucester is very well educated relative to most cities and towns in the nation, where the average community has 21.84% of its adult population holding a 4-year degree or higher: 39.63% of adults in Gloucester have a bachelor's degree or even advanced degree.

The per capita income in Gloucester in 2022 was $50,993, which is middle income relative to Massachusetts, and wealthy relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $203,972 for a family of four. However, Gloucester contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

The people who call Gloucester home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Gloucester residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Gloucester include Irish, Italian, English, Portuguese, and German.

The most common language spoken in Gloucester is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Portuguese.