METRO AREA · 2020 ACS
Boston Metro
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH · 7 counties · 4,941,632 residents · 3,486.097 sq mi
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The short version
Boston is significantly wealthier than the US average, with a median household income of $93,991. Population has held roughly steady since 2000. 49% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, well above the national rate of 33%. Median home value has more than doubled since 2000, reaching $480,342.
At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $66,278
Mid-age
median age 39.4
US median: 38.8
More educated
49% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
Less affordable
home values up 50%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01
Population & growth
Population, 1990 – 2024
20245.0M
Age distribution, 2020
Under 54.9%(242,590)
5 to 95.2%(258,810)
10 to 145.7%(280,364)
15 to 196.3%(309,220)
20 to 247.5%(371,506)
25 to 3415.1%(744,225)
35 to 4412.5%(616,584)
45 to 5412.7%(625,756)
55 to 6413.5%(668,938)
65 to 749.7%(480,064)
75 to 844.8%(238,966)
85 and over2.1%(104,609)
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02
Income & economy
$93,991
+13%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $55,174 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Households earning $100K+
59.0%
+12.3 ptssince 2009
from 46.7% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Information9.6%
Retail trade8.6%
Other services8%
Public administration6.2%
Wholesale trade5.4%
Finance & insurance3.7%
Professional, scientific, technical3.1%
Arts, entertainment, food2.5%
Transportation & warehousing2%
Education & health services0.6%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.3%
Construction0.3%
Manufacturing0%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03
Housing
$480,342
+50%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $212,436 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
5.2
−9%since 2009
from 5.7 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index: median home value divided by median household income. Lower is more affordable.
RELATED:See current rent listings in Boston on RentDataNow
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%
2020
White, non-Hispanic66.6%(3,292,281)
Black6.9%(339,635)
Hispanic / Latino11.8%(580,852)
Asian8.6%(426,194)
Other3.6%(175,797)
47
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
Dominican2.8%(137,310)
Puerto Rican2.8%(136,015)
Central American2.4%(118,151)
South American1.3%(63,184)
Salvadoran1.2%(57,630)
Guatemalan0.8%(36,709)
Mexican0.7%(33,919)
Colombian0.6%(30,155)
Honduran0.3%(13,974)
Cuban0.3%(12,722)
Spaniard0.2%(9,142)
Ecuadorian0.2%(8,864)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Peruvian0.2%(7,940)
Venezuelan0.1%(5,325)
Argentine0.1%(4,647)
Costa Rican0.1%(3,336)
Chilean0.1%(3,081)
Panamanian0%(2,106)
Bolivian0%(1,796)
Nicaraguan0%(1,572)
Paraguayan0%(624)
Uruguayan0%(338)
Asian origin
Chinese3.1%(152,274)
Asian Indian2%(96,145)
Vietnamese0.8%(38,719)
Cambodian0.5%(23,407)
Korean0.4%(21,186)
Filipino0.3%(12,542)
Japanese0.2%(8,439)
Pakistani0.1%(5,649)
Taiwanese0.1%(4,606)
Nepalese0.1%(4,310)
Thai0.1%(3,169)
Bangladeshi0.1%(3,117)
+ 8 more asian origin groups with data
Laotian0.1%(2,861)
Indonesian0.1%(2,684)
Sri Lankan0%(1,495)
Burmese0%(971)
Malaysian0%(652)
Hmong0%(260)
Mongolian0%(170)
Bhutanese0%(143)
Pacific Islander origin
Native Hawaiian0%(1,919)
Chamorro0%(957)
Samoan0%(653)
Fijian0%(50)
Marshallese0%(12)
Ancestry
Irish20.8%(1,009,694)
Italian12.9%(623,347)
English9.6%(466,777)
German5.8%(281,280)
French4.3%(208,232)
American3.5%(167,625)
Polish3.2%(155,600)
French Canadian3.1%(152,660)
West Indian2.3%(113,628)
Subsaharan African2.2%(106,672)
Scottish2.2%(106,150)
Portuguese2.1%(101,632)
+ 51 more ancestry groups with data
Russian1.5%(74,909)
Haitian1.5%(73,627)
Swedish1.4%(68,061)
Greek1.3%(65,041)
Brazilian1.2%(56,077)
Cape Verdean1%(47,221)
Scotch-Irish0.7%(34,996)
Canadian0.7%(33,084)
British0.6%(29,737)
Lithuanian0.6%(28,946)
Dutch0.6%(26,949)
Norwegian0.6%(26,854)
Lebanese0.5%(23,685)
Armenian0.5%(22,488)
Jamaican0.4%(21,091)
Welsh0.4%(19,273)
Ukrainian0.4%(18,059)
Hungarian0.3%(14,795)
Finnish0.3%(12,849)
Nigerian0.2%(11,303)
Danish0.2%(10,729)
Austrian0.2%(10,425)
Czech0.2%(8,820)
Swiss0.2%(7,742)
Iranian0.2%(7,372)
Trinidadian & Tobagonian0.1%(6,760)
Moroccan0.1%(6,733)
Romanian0.1%(6,671)
Turkish0.1%(6,247)
Slovak0.1%(4,835)
Ethiopian0.1%(4,682)
Belgian0.1%(4,677)
Barbadian0.1%(4,606)
Syrian0.1%(4,328)
Arab0.1%(4,064)
Egyptian0.1%(3,950)
Kenyan0.1%(3,929)
Bulgarian0.1%(3,609)
Israeli0.1%(3,373)
Croatian0.1%(3,366)
Latvian0.1%(3,271)
Ghanaian0.1%(2,813)
Serbian0%(2,204)
Somali0%(1,889)
Palestinian0%(1,876)
Australian0%(1,748)
Slovene0%(1,736)
Iraqi0%(1,276)
Guyanese0%(1,270)
Jordanian0%(737)
Macedonian0%(355)
Section 05
Education
High school or higher
92.0%
+5.4 ptssince 2000
from 86.6% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Section 06
Commute & transportation
Section 07
Work & employment
Section 08
People & community
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
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+24%
Home value$749,490+56%
Population4,161,883−17%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BOSTON VS
San Francisco
Income$136,713+45%
Home value$1,186,704+147%
Population4,630,041−8%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BOSTON VS
Washington
Income$130,074+38%
Home value$613,108+28%
Population6,465,724+28%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BOSTON VS
Riverside
Income$89,505−5%
Home value$532,724+11%
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 4,941,632 residents according to the 2020 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 $93,991 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 $480,342, and the typical rent is about $1,547 a month.
How educated are people in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH?
About 48.9% 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 807,737 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