CensusEasy
METRO AREA · 1990 CENSUS

Boston Metro

Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH · 7 counties · 4,133,895 residents · 3,486 sq mi
Time machine
COMPARE TO
Compare
The short version

Boston is home to 4,133,895 people. The typical home is worth $174,711. About 30% of adults have finished a four-year degree. Renters pay $640 a month at the median. The median household earns $40,213, about 33% above the national median. The poverty rate is 8.3%, under the national 13.2%.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $30,130
Mid-age
median age 33.4
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
4,133,895
−6%vs 2000
vs 4,391,344 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
1,186 / sq mi
−6%vs 2000
vs 1,260 / sq mi in 2000
Median age
33.4
−8%vs 2000
vs 36.1 in 2000
US average: 33.0
Land area
3,486 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
4.1M4.3M4.5M4.8M5.0M19902000201020202024Boston
20245.0M
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 1990
Under 56.8%(281,170)
US avg: 7.3%
5 to 96.1%(251,728)
US avg: 7.3%
10 to 145.6%(232,577)
US avg: 6.9%
15 to 196.6%(273,563)
US avg: 7.1%
20 to 248.7%(359,616)
US avg: 7.5%
25 to 3419.3%(799,046)
US avg: 17.5%
35 to 4415.5%(641,097)
US avg: 15.1%
45 to 5410.3%(425,626)
US avg: 10.2%
55 to 648.4%(348,737)
US avg: 8.5%
65 to 747.1%(293,845)
US avg: 7.3%
75 to 844.1%(169,515)
US avg: 4%
85 and over1.4%(57,375)
US avg: 1.2%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$40,213
−4%inflation adjusted, since 2000
vs $55,174 in 2000
US average: $30,130
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$18,496
−34%vs 2000
vs $28,016 in 2000
US average: $14,340
Poverty rate
8.3%
−0.2 ptsvs 2000
vs 8.6% in 2000
US average: 13.2%
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$174,711
+8%inflation adjusted, since 2000
vs $212,436 in 2000
US average: $93,722
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$640
+9%inflation adjusted, since 2000
vs $773 in 2000
US average: $450
Owner-occupied
59.0%
−2.3 ptsvs 2000
vs 61.3% in 2000
41.0% rent
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%
1990
White, non-Hispanic89%(3,678,592)
Black5.7%(233,937)
Hispanic / Latino4.4%(182,315)
Asian2.9%(118,294)
Other2.5%(103,072)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

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

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)
Mongolian0%(169)
Bhutanese0%(32)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(816)
Chamorro0%(685)
Tongan0%(270)
Guamanian0%(102)
Fijian0%(55)
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)
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

Bachelor's degree or higher
30.2%
−6.6 ptsvs 2000
vs 36.8% in 2000
US average: 20.3%
High school or higher
82.7%
−3.9 ptsvs 2000
vs 86.6% in 2000
US average: 75.2%
Graduate degree
11.9%
−3.4 ptsvs 2000
vs 15.3% in 2000
US average: 7.1%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
23.3 min
+14%vs 2000
vs 20.4 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 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

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

Uninsured
2.7%
−1.8 ptssince 2013
from 4.5% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
65.1%
−0.6 ptssince 2020
from 65.7% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
14.0%
−0.1 ptssince 2020
from 14.1% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
17.2%
+0.9 ptssince 2020
from 16.3% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
20.0%
+0.6 ptssince 2020
from 19.4% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
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)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)16.8%(26,771)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era35.3%(56,072)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War7.2%(11,492)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II1.5%(2,442)
US avg: 1%

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
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

Middlesex CountyCENTRAL1,669,979Essex CountyCENTRAL826,653Suffolk CountyCENTRAL791,891Norfolk CountyCENTRAL739,749Plymouth CountyCENTRAL546,829Rockingham CountyCENTRAL324,077Strafford County135,043
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 Boston
Head to head

Compare Boston side by side

BOSTON VS
Seattle
Income$116,172+189%
Home value$749,490+329%
Population4,161,883−17%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BOSTON VS
San Francisco
Income$136,713+240%
Home value$1,186,704+579%
Population4,630,041−8%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BOSTON VS
Washington
Income$130,074+223%
Home value$613,108+251%
Population6,465,724+28%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BOSTON VS
Riverside
Income$89,505+123%
Home value$532,724+205%
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 4,133,895 residents according to the 1990 Census.

What is the median household income in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH?

The typical household in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH earns about $40,213 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 $174,711, and the typical rent is about $640 a month.

How educated are people in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH?

About 30.2% 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 8.3% of people in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH live below the federal poverty line.

Keep going

Explore from here

DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →