Massachusetts

Distance from Cambridge to Lowell

Straight-line distance

20.9mi

Cambridge, MA and Lowell, MA are 20.9 miles (33.6 km) apart in a straight line. From Cambridge, the shortest path starts out heading NNW (331°).

kilometers
33.6
nautical miles
18.2
heading from Cambridge
331° NNW
heading from Lowell
150° SSE
CambridgeLowell

Orange line: great-circle path · ring: midpoint · thin lines: county borders

How far Cambridge is from Lowell

The great-circle distance between the Census internal points of Cambridge and Lowell is 20.9 miles, 33.6 km or 18.2 nautical miles. That is the shortest path over the Earth's surface, computed with the haversine formula on a sphere with the mean Earth radius, 6,371.0 km. A course held on one compass bearing (a rhumb line) would be 20.9 miles, practically the same at this range.

Measurements

Miles
20.9
Kilometers
33.6
Nautical miles
18.2
Bearing from Cambridge
330.5° NNW
Bearing arriving at Lowell
330.4°
Bearing from Lowell
150.4° SSE

Halfway between Cambridge and Lowell

The great-circle midpoint is at 42.507544, -71.219637 (42°30'27.16"N 71°13'10.69"W). The nearest incorporated place of 1,000 or more people is Woburn, MA, with 43,895 residents, 3.5 miles from the midpoint. To find towns near the midpoint of any two places, use the halfway tool.

Time zones and daylight

Both use America/New_York, so there is no time difference. On June 21, Cambridge gets 15 h 17 min of daylight and Lowell 15 h 19 min; on December 21, 9 h 04 min and 9 h 03 min. The two sit at nearly the same latitude, so their day lengths match closely all year.

Population compared

Cambridge has 1.0 times the population of Lowell. From July 2020 to July 2024, Cambridge changed by +2.5% and Lowell by +4.0%. Both are in Massachusetts.

  1. 01Cambridge, MA121,186 (+2.5%)
  2. 02Lowell, MA120,418 (+4.0%)
July 1, 2024 population and change since July 2020, Census Vintage 2024.

Questions people ask

How far is Cambridge from Lowell?

20.9 miles, 33.6 km or 18.2 nautical miles along the great circle between the two Census internal points. Road distance is longer.

Which direction is Lowell from Cambridge?

NNW. The great-circle path leaves Cambridge on a bearing of 330.5° and arrives at Lowell on 330.4°. The return trip starts on 150.4°.

What is halfway between Cambridge and Lowell?

The midpoint is at 42.507544, -71.219637. The nearest incorporated place of 1,000+ is Woburn, MA, 3.5 miles from it.

Is there a time difference between Cambridge and Lowell?

Both use America/New_York, so there is no time difference.

Which is bigger, Cambridge or Lowell?

Cambridge, with 121,186 residents in July 2024 against 120,418 for Lowell, 1.0 times as many.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census 2024 Gazetteer internal points and Vintage 2024 estimates; time zones from Open-Meteo.

  1. 01Census 2024 Gazetteer, places
  2. 02Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  3. 03SunCalc library (Vladimir Agafonkin), algorithms after Jean Meeus
  4. 04IANA time zone database (clock times and daylight saving rules)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.