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CITY

Boston

Massachusetts · 672,973 residents (2025 est.) · 48.34 sq mi
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Notable rankings
#25Largest by populationof 4,896672,973#45Most densely populatedof 4,89113,922
The short version

Boston is wealthier than most US places, with a median household income of $97,344. Population has held roughly steady since 2000. 55% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, well above the national rate of 36%. Median home value has roughly tripled since 2000, reaching $731,700. At a median age of 33.3, residents skew younger than the country as a whole. It sits in the top 10% of US cities for household income.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 33.3
US median: 38.9
More educated
55% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 91%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
666,442
+13%since 2000
from 589,141 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
13,787 / sq mi
+7%since 2009
from 12,936 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
33.3
+7%since 2000
from 31.1 in 2000
US average: 38.9

PEP 2025 EST:672,973 residents (Census Bureau Vintage 2025, released March 2026)

Population, 1990 – 2024
563K596K629K662K695K1990201020202024Boston
2024666K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 54.6%(30,947)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 93.7%(24,824)
US avg: 6%
10 to 144.3%(28,681)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 197.3%(48,801)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 2410%(66,384)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3423.2%(154,485)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4413.5%(89,789)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5410%(66,385)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6410.4%(69,222)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 747.8%(51,984)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 843.6%(24,098)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.6%(10,842)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$97,344
+35%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $39,629 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$61,698
+164%since 2000
from $23,353 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
58.9%
+23.3 ptssince 2009
from 35.6% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
16.6%
−2.9 ptssince 2000
from 19.5% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.531
+1%since 2010
from 0.527 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Other services9%
US avg: 6.7%
Information7.8%
US avg: 10.8%
Public administration6.9%
US avg: 4.8%
Retail trade5.3%
US avg: 9.9%
Finance & insurance3.9%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical3.4%
US avg: 5.1%
Wholesale trade3.1%
US avg: 6.9%
Arts, entertainment, food2.2%
US avg: 1.9%
Transportation & warehousing1.2%
US avg: 2.2%
Education & health services0.4%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.1%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.1%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$731,700
+91%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $210,100 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$2,147
+47%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $803 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
35.7%
+3.5 ptssince 2000
from 32.2% in 2000
64.3% rent
Vacancy rate
8.8%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 8.9% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Owner cost-burdened
27.2%
−13.8 ptssince 2009
from 41.0% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
48.6%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 48.6% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
7.5
−3%since 2009
from 7.7 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index: median home value divided by median household income. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
78
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
RELATED:See current rent listings in Boston on RentDataNow
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic49.5%(291,561)
Black23.8%(140,305)
Hispanic / Latino14.4%(85,089)
Asian7.5%(44,009)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic44.1%(293,690)
Black19.3%(128,487)
Hispanic / Latino19.3%(128,456)
Asian10.3%(68,354)
Other7.1%(47,455)
Diversity Score
89
+8%since 2009
from 83 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Dominican6.1%(40,543)
Puerto Rican4.1%(27,420)
Central American3.6%(24,210)
South American2.6%(17,377)
Salvadoran1.7%(11,540)
Colombian1.5%(10,154)
Mexican1.2%(7,848)
Guatemalan0.9%(6,166)
Honduran0.5%(3,334)
Venezuelan0.3%(2,073)
Cuban0.3%(1,932)
Spaniard0.2%(1,641)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Ecuadorian0.2%(1,610)
Costa Rican0.2%(1,598)
Peruvian0.2%(1,507)
Panamanian0.1%(778)
Chilean0.1%(776)
Argentine0.1%(542)
Nicaraguan0.1%(518)
Bolivian0%(237)
Uruguayan0%(182)
Paraguayan0%(173)
Asian origin
Chinese4.5%(30,293)
Vietnamese1.8%(11,763)
Asian Indian1.7%(11,420)
Korean0.7%(4,403)
Filipino0.3%(1,951)
Taiwanese0.2%(1,193)
Japanese0.2%(1,010)
Cambodian0.1%(900)
Bangladeshi0.1%(743)
Pakistani0.1%(738)
Thai0.1%(567)
Nepalese0.1%(357)
+ 10 more asian origin groups with data
Indonesian0%(245)
Burmese0%(242)
Sri Lankan0%(222)
Kazakh0%(192)
Laotian0%(86)
Uzbek0%(46)
Malaysian0%(41)
Hmong0%(12)
Mongolian0%(10)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0.1%(376)
Tongan0%(75)
Chamorro0%(58)
Guamanian0%(41)
Fijian0%(29)
Ancestry
Irish13.1%(87,634)
Italian7.3%(48,804)
West Indian6.6%(43,679)
English5.6%(37,182)
German4.9%(32,945)
Subsaharan African4.1%(27,098)
Haitian3.1%(20,574)
Polish2.3%(15,107)
American2.2%(14,700)
Cape Verdean1.8%(12,141)
French1.7%(11,423)
Jamaican1.7%(11,260)
+ 51 more ancestry groups with data
Arab1.2%(7,736)
Scottish1.1%(7,618)
Russian1.1%(7,467)
French Canadian1.1%(7,450)
Portuguese0.9%(6,321)
Greek0.8%(5,420)
Swedish0.8%(5,186)
Nigerian0.6%(4,244)
Barbadian0.5%(3,164)
Norwegian0.5%(3,082)
Brazilian0.4%(2,714)
Scotch-Irish0.4%(2,580)
Dutch0.4%(2,579)
Lebanese0.4%(2,542)
Ukrainian0.4%(2,484)
Ethiopian0.4%(2,336)
Canadian0.3%(2,272)
British0.3%(2,181)
Lithuanian0.3%(2,070)
Iranian0.3%(1,814)
Welsh0.3%(1,719)
Hungarian0.3%(1,692)
Armenian0.2%(1,334)
Swiss0.2%(1,305)
Czech0.2%(1,165)
Danish0.2%(1,151)
Moroccan0.2%(1,145)
Turkish0.2%(1,074)
Guyanese0.2%(1,034)
Somali0.2%(1,031)
Ghanaian0.1%(930)
Austrian0.1%(870)
Belgian0.1%(814)
Kenyan0.1%(773)
Egyptian0.1%(747)
Finnish0.1%(728)
Romanian0.1%(721)
Syrian0.1%(714)
Slovak0.1%(613)
Croatian0.1%(568)
Latvian0.1%(488)
Israeli0.1%(468)
Palestinian0.1%(409)
Australian0.1%(337)
Bulgarian0%(289)
Serbian0%(267)
Jordanian0%(244)
Iraqi0%(243)
Slovene0%(122)
RANKED:Largest Irish population · Largest Italian population · Largest West Indian population · Largest Dominican population · Largest English population
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
54.9%
+19.3 ptssince 2000
from 35.6% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
88.9%
+10.0 ptssince 2000
from 78.9% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
26.1%
+10.8 ptssince 2000
from 15.3% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
30.3 min
+58%since 2000
from 19.2 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
32.9%
−7.0 ptssince 2009
from 39.9% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
5.2%
−2.5 ptssince 2009
from 7.7% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
22.6%
−10.2 ptssince 2009
from 32.8% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
21.3%
+18.2 ptssince 2009
from 3.1% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
13.4%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 13.9% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
2.2%
+0.9 ptssince 2009
from 1.3% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
33.3%
−1.5 ptssince 2009
from 34.8% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
6.1%
−4.1 ptssince 2011
from 10.2% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
70.0%
+1.4 ptssince 2011
from 68.6% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Self-employed
15.4%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 15.0% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
56.9%
−13.3 ptssince 2009
from 70.2% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.0%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 48.4% in 2009
Female
52.0%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 51.6% in 2009
Foreign born
27.8%
+1.1 ptssince 2009
from 26.7% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
2.1%
−45.6 ptssince 2009
from 47.7% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
12.4%
+0.9 ptssince 2012
from 11.5% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
2.9%
−91.8 ptssince 2013
from 94.7% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
92.0%
+10.6 ptssince 2017
from 81.4% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
English only at home
64.4%
+1.5 ptssince 2016
from 62.9% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
15.4%
−1.1 ptssince 2016
from 16.6% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married56.4%(155,367)
Married35.9%(98,972)
Widowed1.5%(4,143)
Divorced6.2%(16,995)
Women 15+
Never married55.2%(169,292)
Married30.6%(93,945)
Widowed5.5%(16,758)
Divorced8.7%(26,518)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Explore

Neighborhoods in Boston

AllstonBack BayBayBeacon HillBrightonCharlestownDowntownEast BostonFenwayHyde ParkJamaica PlainKenmoreMattapanMission HillNorth DorchesterNorth EndRoslindaleRoxburySouth BostonSouth DorchesterSouth EndWest EndWest RoxburyNeighborhoods in Boston
Drill deeper

Places similar to Boston

Denver
Pop 740,613
Portland
Pop 635,109
Washington
Pop 693,645
Sacramento
Pop 536,449
Places similar to Boston
Head to head

Compare Boston to nearby cities

BOSTON VS
Winthrop
Income$116,167+19%
Home value$649,600−11%
Population18,647−97%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BOSTON VS
Chelsea
Income$72,179−26%
Home value$493,500−33%
Population40,130−94%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BOSTON VS
Everett
Income$85,218−12%
Home value$610,000−17%
Population53,572−92%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BOSTON VS
Quincy
Income$98,882+2%
Home value$618,500−15%
Population103,173−85%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Boston, Massachusetts?

Boston, Massachusetts has about 666,442 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Boston, Massachusetts?

The typical household in Boston, Massachusetts earns about $97,344 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Boston, Massachusetts expensive?

In Boston, Massachusetts, the median home is worth about $731,700, and the typical rent is about $2,147 a month.

How educated are people in Boston, Massachusetts?

About 54.9% of adults age 25 and over in Boston, Massachusetts hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Boston, Massachusetts?

About 16.6% of people in Boston, Massachusetts live below the federal poverty line.

Has Boston, Massachusetts grown since 1990?

Yes, Boston, Massachusetts has grown since 1990. The population has added about 92,159 residents, a change of about 16 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →