METRO AREA
Boston Metro
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH · 7 counties · 5,034,221 residents (2025 est.) · 3,486 sq mi
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The short version
Boston is a metro area of 4,953,354 people. This is an unusually credentialed place: 52% of adults have a four-year degree. Few US metro areas rank higher on income. The typical home is worth $656,837, having roughly tripled since 2000. The median household earns $116,759, about 42% above the national median. Renters pay $2,008 a month at the median.
At a glance
Wealthier
median household income $116,759, above the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 39.6
US median: 38.9
More educated
52% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 70%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Boston
What changed most since 1990
- Adults with a bachelor's degree30.2% → 51.9% (+21.8 pts)US over the same years: +15.3 pts
Among the 9 metro and micro areas based in Massachusetts
- 3rd in household income$116,759
- 2nd in share with a bachelor's degree51.9%
- 3rd in home value$656,837
- 2nd in diversity score64.2
Section 01
Population & growth
4,953,354
+13%since 2000
from 4,391,344 in 2000
5,034,221 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Land area
3,486 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
20245.0M
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55%(249,042)
5 to 95.2%(256,944)
10 to 145.6%(275,919)
15 to 196.5%(320,792)
20 to 246.9%(340,052)
25 to 3414.8%(733,549)
35 to 4413.3%(661,160)
45 to 5412.3%(611,679)
55 to 6413.3%(659,882)
65 to 7410%(495,014)
75 to 845%(247,719)
85 and over2.1%(101,602)
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02
Income & economy
$116,759
+16%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $55,174 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Households earning $100K+
66.3%
+19.6 ptssince 2009
from 46.7% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information9.1%
Retail trade8.9%
Other services7.9%
Public administration6.2%
Wholesale trade5.7%
Finance & insurance3.9%
Professional, scientific, technical3.2%
Arts, entertainment, food2.2%
Transportation & warehousing1.7%
Education & health services0.6%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.4%
Construction0.3%
Manufacturing0%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03
Housing
$656,837
+70%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $212,436 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
5.7
Unchangedsince 2009
from 5.7 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
78
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04
Race & ethnicity
2000
White, non-Hispanic80.7%(3,545,277)
Black5.6%(247,524)
Hispanic / Latino6.4%(281,605)
Asian4.6%(200,625)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic65.5%(3,244,435)
Black6.8%(337,292)
Hispanic / Latino12.4%(614,179)
Asian8.7%(432,434)
Other6.6%(325,014)
64
+43%since 2009
from 45 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
44
−6%since 2020
from 47 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins
Detailed origins & ancestry
Hispanic origin
Dominican3.3%(162,289)
Central American2.8%(139,953)
Puerto Rican2.6%(129,188)
South American1.6%(79,682)
Salvadoran1.3%(64,568)
Guatemalan0.9%(46,493)
Mexican0.8%(39,977)
Colombian0.8%(37,964)
Honduran0.3%(16,653)
Ecuadorian0.3%(12,833)
Cuban0.2%(12,100)
Peruvian0.2%(9,901)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Spaniard0.2%(9,897)
Venezuelan0.1%(7,298)
Costa Rican0.1%(4,523)
Argentine0.1%(3,969)
Chilean0.1%(3,722)
Nicaraguan0.1%(2,960)
Panamanian0%(2,338)
Bolivian0%(1,494)
Uruguayan0%(902)
Paraguayan0%(729)
Asian origin
Chinese3.3%(161,270)
Asian Indian2.2%(106,650)
Vietnamese0.9%(43,369)
Cambodian0.5%(26,217)
Korean0.5%(24,823)
Filipino0.2%(11,751)
Japanese0.2%(7,900)
Taiwanese0.1%(7,357)
Pakistani0.1%(7,121)
Nepalese0.1%(5,976)
Bangladeshi0.1%(4,150)
Thai0.1%(3,572)
+ 11 more asian origin groups with data
Laotian0.1%(2,338)
Indonesian0%(2,073)
Sri Lankan0%(1,389)
Burmese0%(933)
Malaysian0%(725)
Kazakh0%(519)
Hmong0%(512)
Uzbek0%(332)
Singaporean0%(270)
Mongolian0%(169)
Bhutanese0%(32)
Pacific Islander origin
Native Hawaiian0%(1,418)
Samoan0%(816)
Chamorro0%(685)
Tongan0%(270)
Guamanian0%(102)
Fijian0%(55)
Marshallese0%(16)
Ancestry
Irish19.8%(980,874)
Italian11.8%(583,055)
English10.1%(499,378)
German5.7%(282,978)
French3.8%(186,364)
American3.2%(156,036)
Polish3%(147,205)
French Canadian2.5%(125,957)
West Indian2.2%(110,215)
Subsaharan African2.1%(105,316)
Scottish2.1%(103,695)
Portuguese1.9%(95,397)
+ 51 more ancestry groups with data
Brazilian1.4%(68,582)
Russian1.4%(67,054)
Haitian1.3%(66,108)
Swedish1.2%(60,607)
Greek1.2%(59,526)
Arab1.2%(57,183)
Cape Verdean0.9%(42,978)
Scotch-Irish0.6%(31,323)
Canadian0.5%(26,754)
Norwegian0.5%(26,248)
Lithuanian0.5%(24,956)
Lebanese0.5%(24,226)
Dutch0.5%(23,009)
Jamaican0.5%(22,407)
Armenian0.4%(21,426)
Ukrainian0.4%(20,273)
British0.4%(19,154)
Welsh0.3%(16,279)
Hungarian0.3%(13,239)
Nigerian0.3%(13,157)
Finnish0.2%(11,982)
Danish0.2%(10,832)
Moroccan0.2%(9,910)
Iranian0.2%(9,439)
Austrian0.2%(8,997)
Swiss0.2%(8,827)
Czech0.2%(8,045)
Romanian0.2%(7,864)
Trinidadian & Tobagonian0.2%(7,426)
Turkish0.1%(6,966)
Ethiopian0.1%(6,793)
Barbadian0.1%(6,223)
Kenyan0.1%(5,165)
Syrian0.1%(5,049)
Slovak0.1%(4,955)
Egyptian0.1%(4,936)
Belgian0.1%(4,267)
Israeli0.1%(3,789)
Bulgarian0.1%(3,708)
Latvian0.1%(3,221)
Croatian0.1%(2,996)
Ghanaian0.1%(2,672)
Serbian0%(2,046)
Australian0%(1,939)
Iraqi0%(1,920)
Guyanese0%(1,871)
Palestinian0%(1,563)
Somali0%(1,414)
Slovene0%(1,337)
Jordanian0%(1,104)
Macedonian0%(990)
Section 05
Education
High school or higher
92.2%
+5.6 ptssince 2000
from 86.6% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Section 06
Commute & transportation
Section 07
Work & employment
Women 20-64 in the labor force
80.8%
+1.0 ptssince 2020
from 79.8% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Section 08
People & community
Computer in household
96.3%
+2.7 ptssince 2020
from 93.7% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married39.9%(806,704)
Married50.9%(1,029,599)
Widowed2.2%(44,679)
Divorced7%(141,895)
Women 15+
Never married36%(773,631)
Married46.6%(1,001,017)
Widowed7.2%(155,077)
Divorced10.2%(218,847)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09
Health coverage
Direct-purchase
14.0%
−0.1 ptssince 2020
from 14.1% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
VA health care
1.2%
−0.1 ptssince 2020
from 1.3% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
76.1%
−0.9 ptssince 2020
from 77.1% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
33.9%
+1.4 ptssince 2020
from 32.5% 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)20.8%(33,022)
Gulf War (1990s)16.8%(26,771)
Vietnam era35.3%(56,072)
Korean War7.2%(11,492)
World War II1.5%(2,442)
Share of the 158,895 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.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time
Boston, decade by decade
| Year | Population | Median household income | Median home value | Bachelor's degree+ | Diversity score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 4,133,895 | $96,513 | $419,319 | 30.2% | 27.3 |
| 2000 | 4,391,344 | $100,508 | $386,986 | 36.8% | 42.3 |
| 2010 | 4,552,402 | $101,300 | $555,516 | 42.1% | 52.8 |
| 2020 | 4,941,632 | $113,921 | $582,193 | 48.9% | 66.1 |
| 2024 | 4,953,354 | $116,759 | $656,837 | 51.9% | 64.2 |
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
In this metro
Largest cities
BostonCENTRAL672,973CambridgeCENTRAL122,588Lowell119,971Brockton106,134Lynn104,236Quincy103,173NewtonCENTRAL90,741Lawrence89,320Somerville84,211FraminghamCENTRAL73,021Haverhill68,361Malden66,370WalthamCENTRAL65,037Brookline63,266Revere60,141Medford59,834Weymouth59,759Peabody55,953Everett53,572Arlington46,350Salem45,381Woburn43,962Beverly43,363Marlborough42,772Chelsea40,130Braintree38,957Randolph34,948Dover34,623Lexington34,295Franklin33,955
The 30 most populous of 128 cities and towns in this metro. CENTRAL marks the metro's principal cities.
What's inside
7 component counties
Drill deeper
Metros similar to Boston
Seattle
Pop 4,161,883
San Francisco
Pop 4,630,041
Washington
Pop 6,465,724
Riverside
Pop 4,769,007
Places similar to BostonHead to head
Compare Boston side by side
BOSTON VS
Seattle
Income$116,172−1%
Home value$749,490+14%
Population4,161,883−17%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BOSTON VS
San Francisco
Income$136,713+17%
Home value$1,186,704+81%
Population4,630,041−8%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BOSTON VS
Washington
Income$130,074+11%
Home value$613,108−7%
Population6,465,724+28%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BOSTON VS
Riverside
Income$89,505−23%
Home value$532,724−19%
Population4,769,007−5%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked
How many people live in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH?
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH has about 4,953,354 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.
What is the median household income in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH?
The typical household in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH earns about $116,759 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.
Is Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH expensive?
In Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, the median home is worth about $656,837, and the typical rent is about $2,008 a month.
How educated are people in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH?
About 51.9% of adults age 25 and over in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
What is the poverty rate in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH?
About 9.0% of people in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH live below the federal poverty line.
Has Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH grown since 1990?
Yes, Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH has grown since 1990. The population has added about 819,459 residents, a change of about 20 percent over that period.
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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024