METRO AREA · 2000 CENSUS
Boston Metro
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH · 7 counties · 4,391,344 residents · 3,486.097 sq mi
Time machine
VIEWING
COMPARE TO
The short version
Boston is wealthier than most US places, with a median household income of $55,174. Population has held roughly steady since 1990. 37% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, well above the national rate of 24%. Median home value is $212,436.
At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $42,589
Mid-age
median age 36.1
US median: 35.2
More educated
37% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 24%
More affordable
home values down 8%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $120,530
Section 01
Population & growth
Population, 1990 – 2024
20245.0M
Age distribution, 2000
Under 56.3%(278,401)
5 to 96.8%(296,660)
10 to 146.7%(293,190)
15 to 196.3%(278,421)
20 to 246.5%(284,769)
25 to 3415.4%(676,813)
35 to 4417.1%(751,548)
45 to 5413.7%(603,781)
55 to 648.5%(373,799)
65 to 746.4%(281,436)
75 to 844.5%(197,780)
85 and over1.7%(74,746)
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02
Income & economy
$55,174
+4%inflation adjusted, since 1990
from $40,213 in 1990
US average: $42,589
1990 – 2024
Section 03
Housing
$212,436
−8%inflation adjusted, since 1990
from $174,711 in 1990
US average: $120,530
1990 – 2024
RELATED:See current rent listings in Boston on RentDataNow
Section 04
Race & ethnicity
1990
White, non-Hispanic89%(3,678,592)
Black5.7%(233,937)
Hispanic / Latino4.4%(182,315)
Asian2.9%(118,294)
2000
White, non-Hispanic80.7%(3,545,277)
Black5.6%(247,524)
Hispanic / Latino6.4%(281,605)
Asian4.6%(200,625)
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)
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
86.6%
+3.9 ptssince 1990
from 82.7% in 1990
US average: 80.3%
Section 06
Commute & transportation
Section 07
Work & employment
No data for the years selected.
Section 08
People & community
No data for the years selected.
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married35%(585,433)
Married55.9%(936,860)
Widowed2.6%(42,936)
Divorced6.5%(109,397)
Women 15+
Never married29.7%(548,477)
Married51.1%(945,153)
Widowed10.1%(186,862)
Divorced9.1%(168,494)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2000
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+111%
Home value$749,490+253%
Population4,161,883−17%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BOSTON VS
San Francisco
Income$136,713+148%
Home value$1,186,704+459%
Population4,630,041−8%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BOSTON VS
Washington
Income$130,074+136%
Home value$613,108+189%
Population6,465,724+28%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BOSTON VS
Riverside
Income$89,505+62%
Home value$532,724+151%
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 4,391,344 residents according to the 2000 Census.
What is the median household income in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH?
The typical household in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH earns about $55,174 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 $212,436, and the typical rent is about $773 a month.
How educated are people in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH?
About 36.8% 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 8.6% 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 257,449 residents, a change of about 6 percent over that period.
Keep going
Explore from here
DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024