CITY · 1990 CENSUS

Boston

Massachusetts · 574,283 residents · 48.3 sq mi

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The short version

Boston is a city of 574,283 people in Massachusetts. 31% of homes are owner-occupied. The typical home is worth $160,100. About 30% of adults have finished a four-year degree. Households here earn about 21% less than in Massachusetts as a whole. Renters pay $625 a month at the median.

At a glance

Average income

near the US median

US median: $30,130

Younger

median age 30.4

US median: 33.0

More educated

30% hold a bachelor's degree

US average: 20%

Stable housing

home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted

US median home: $93,722

Section 01

Population & growth

Total population

574,283

−3%vs 2000

vs 589,141 in 2000

1990 – 2025

Median age

30.4

−2%vs 2000

vs 31.1 in 2000

US average: 33.0

Land area

48.3 sq mi

Population, 1990 – 2024

2024666K

Age distribution, 1990

Under 56.2%(35,772)

US avg: 7.3%

5 to 95.1%(29,542)

US avg: 7.3%

10 to 144.8%(27,380)

US avg: 6.9%

15 to 197.1%(40,716)

US avg: 7.1%

20 to 2413.1%(75,165)

US avg: 7.5%

25 to 3423.2%(133,074)

US avg: 17.5%

35 to 4413.6%(78,376)

US avg: 15.1%

45 to 548.2%(47,237)

US avg: 10.2%

55 to 647.1%(40,865)

US avg: 8.5%

65 to 746.3%(36,380)

US avg: 7.3%

75 to 843.8%(21,665)

US avg: 4%

85 and over1.4%(8,111)

US avg: 1.2%

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Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income

$29,180

−3%inflation adjusted, since 2000

vs $39,629 in 2000

US average: $30,130

1990 – 2024

Per capita income

$15,581

−33%vs 2000

vs $23,353 in 2000

US average: $14,340

Poverty rate

18.7%

−0.8 ptsvs 2000

vs 19.5% in 2000

US average: 13.2%

Section 03

Housing

Median home value

$160,100

Unchangedinflation adjusted, since 2000

vs $210,100 in 2000

US average: $93,722

1990 – 2024

Median gross rent

$625

+3%inflation adjusted, since 2000

vs $803 in 2000

US average: $450

Owner-occupied

30.9%

−1.4 ptsvs 2000

vs 32.2% in 2000

69.1% rent

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%

1990

White, non-Hispanic63%(361,513)

Black25.5%(146,695)

Hispanic / Latino10.4%(59,692)

Asian5.3%(30,457)

Other6.2%(35,618)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Detailed origin tables are available for 2024; showing 2024 data.

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)

Singaporean0%(4)

Pacific Islander origin

Samoan0.1%(376)

Native Hawaiian0%(302)

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)

Trinidadian & Tobagonian0.7%(4,822)

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)

Macedonian0%(88)

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

30.0%

−5.6 ptsvs 2000

vs 35.6% in 2000

US average: 20.3%

High school or higher

75.7%

−3.2 ptsvs 2000

vs 78.9% in 2000

US average: 75.2%

Graduate degree

12.4%

−2.9 ptsvs 2000

vs 15.3% in 2000

US average: 7.1%

Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute

23.8 min

+24%vs 2000

vs 19.2 min in 2000

US average: 21.9

Section 07

Work & employment

No data for the years selected.

Section 08

People & community

No data for the years selected.

Marital status (2024)

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

Section 09

Health coverage

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

Uninsured

2.9%

−2.4 ptssince 2013

from 5.3% in 2013

US average: 8.4%

Employer-based

59.8%

+1.2 ptssince 2020

from 58.6% in 2020

US average: 54.8%

Direct-purchase

13.5%

+0.5 ptssince 2020

from 13.0% in 2020

US average: 13.8%

Medicare

13.6%

+1.1 ptssince 2020

from 12.5% in 2020

US average: 18.4%

Medicaid

27.5%

−0.6 ptssince 2020

from 28.1% in 2020

US average: 20.9%

VA health care

0.8%

Unchangedsince 2020

from 0.8% in 2020

US average: 2.2%

Any private

70.0%

+1.7 ptssince 2020

from 68.3% in 2020

US average: 67.1%

Any public

36.0%

Unchangedsince 2020

from 36.0% in 2020

US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024

Gulf War (2001 or later)33.3%(3,943)

US avg: 26.4%

Gulf War (1990s)14%(1,662)

US avg: 24.3%

Vietnam era26.9%(3,187)

US avg: 33.1%

Korean War4.5%(538)

US avg: 4.5%

World War II1.6%(192)

US avg: 1%

Share of the 11,833 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

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