Health Profile of Boston, Massachusetts
Boston Health Score
The Map AI Health Index is a score that reflects local life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and physical environment to help you quickly compare the overall health and well-being of different areas.
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A
Boston Above average
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Boston | Massachusetts Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 79.7 | 80.5 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 2.9% | 2.6% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 12.7% | 11.8% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Boston is 79.7 years, about 0.7 years shorter than the Massachusetts average of 80.5 years. The uninsured rate is 2.9%, higher than the Massachusetts average of 2.6%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 12.7% of residents, higher than the Massachusetts average of 11.8%.
Population by Age
Older residents
181,591 residents in Boston are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 11,141 3,622 men · 7,519 women
- 75–84 22,815 9,286 men · 13,529 women
- 65–74 44,871 20,097 men · 24,774 women
- 50–64 102,764 49,372 men · 53,392 women
Younger residents
97,678 residents in Boston are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 29,273 14,926 boys · 14,347 girls
- 7–12 27,625 14,397 boys · 13,227 girls
- 3–7 22,480 11,556 boys · 10,923 girls
- 0–3 18,300 9,249 boys · 9,051 girls
About 20,759 residents in Boston (3.1% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 79.7 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Boston | Massachusetts Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 8.2% | 8.5% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 4.6% | 6.9% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 4.3% | 5.8% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 22.6% | 25.6% | 34.3% |
The rate of cancer in Boston is about 33% lower than in Massachusetts. The rate of heart disease in Boston is about 25% lower than in Massachusetts.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Boston | Massachusetts Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 13.7% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 19.4% | 17.0% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 21.0% | 20.3% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Boston are about the same as in Massachusetts.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 768,836 cigarettes a day, 23.1 million a month, or 280.6 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 8.5 million minutes a day and 3.1 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Boston is 79.7 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.20 lifetimes a day, or 74 lifetimes a year.
* Source: Shaw M, Mitchell R, Dorling D. "Time for a smoke? One cigarette reduces your life by 11 minutes." BMJ. 2000;320:53.
Illustrative only. This is not an estimate of how many people actually die from smoking each day or year - it's a rough, order-of-magnitude comparison meant to help grasp the scale of smoking in this area. We take no responsibility for any decisions made based on this figure.
Air Quality
| Metric | Boston | Massachusetts Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 5.97 | 5.71 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 6.0 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Boston is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Boston, MA Health Compared With Nearby Cities
Boston, MA is the largest of the 5 cities compared here, 660,627 residents against a local median of 55,008. Where Boston, MA breaks from the cities next to it is uninsured, sitting 32% below the local median of 4.3% at 2.9%. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The cities themselves spread 3.5% on uninsured, so Boston, MA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Boston, MA has the lowest uninsured of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston, MA | 660,627 | 79.7 yrs #3/5 | 2.9% #1/5 | 22.6% #1/5 |
| Chelsea, MA | 39,880 | 77.5 yrs | 3.4% | 25.9% |
| Quincy, MA | 102,031 | 79.6 yrs | 3.5% | 23.5% |
| Everett, MA | 49,993 | 79.9 yrs | 6.9% | 26.2% |
| Revere, MA | 60,022 | 79.8 yrs | 5.1% | 23.0% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Boston, Massachusetts has an overall health index grade of A, making it somewhat better than Massachusetts, and notably better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Boston, Massachusetts.
Is Boston, Massachusetts a healthy place to live?
Boston, Massachusetts has a Map AI Health Index grade of A, based on life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment; an A grade means residents are much healthier than the U.S. average.
What is the average lifespan in Boston, Massachusetts?
People in Boston, Massachusetts can expect to live 79.7 years on average, 0.7 years shorter than the Massachusetts average of 80.5.
What percentage of Boston, Massachusetts residents are uninsured?
2.9% of residents in Boston, Massachusetts have no health insurance, about 1 in 34 people, about the same as the Massachusetts rate of 2.6%.
What percentage of Boston, Massachusetts residents are obese?
22.6% of adults in Boston, Massachusetts are classified as obese, about 1 in 4, 3.0 points below the Massachusetts rate of 25.6%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Boston, Massachusetts go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 768,836 cigarettes a day, 23.1 million a month, or 280.6 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 8.5 million minutes a day and 3.1 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Boston is 79.7 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.20 lifetimes a day, or 74 lifetimes a year.
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