The population was 7,014 according to the 2020 United States Census, including residents of Hanscom Air Force Base who live within town limits.

The majority of Lincoln was formed by splitting off a substantial piece of southeast Concord and incorporated as a separate town in 1754.

"[1] Chambers Russell, a Representative in the Court in Boston, was influential in the town's creation.

Paul Revere was captured by British soldiers in Lincoln on the night of April 18, 1775.

Minutemen from Lincoln were the first to arrive to reinforce the colonists protecting American stores of ammunition and arms in Concord.

Colonel Abijah Pierce of Lincoln led his troops, armed with a cane.

[3] Reverend Charles Stearns (1753–1826), a Harvard-trained minister, served the Congregational Church in Lincoln from late 1781 until his death.

In addition, Stearns was principal of the Liberal School, a relatively progressive and coeducational institution that opened in early 1793.

Among his pupils were Nathan Brooks, a Concord lawyer, and George Russell, a Lincoln physician.

A summary article that surveys Stearns as a producer of children's drama is "The Dramatic Dialogues of Charles Stearns: An Appreciation" by Jonathan Levy, in Spotlight on the Child: Studies in the History of American Children's Theatre, ed.

Commuter rail service from Boston's North Station is provided by the MBTA with a stop in Lincoln on its Fitchburg Line.