Boston, Massachusetts Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Boston, MA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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A
Health Above average
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B
Income Around average
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A+
Education Top grade
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Boston | Massachusetts Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 660,627 | 7,031,620 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 7371.9 | 666.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.12% | 0.53% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 31.6 | 39.0 | 37.3 |
| Households | 280,416 | 2,777,931 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Boston grew by 3.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 660,627 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Boston is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 29.5% of residents. That is 8.0 points above Massachusetts as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 195,160 29.5% +8.0 pts
- Millennials 29–44 176,597 26.7% +4.8 pts
- Gen X 45–60 110,063 16.7% -4.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 84,242 12.8% -4.5 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Massachusetts, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 52.1% of the people living in Boston and men 47.9%.
- Women 52.1% Massachusetts 51.2%
- Men 47.9% Massachusetts 48.8%
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Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Boston
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Economy
Boston has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Boston | Massachusetts Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $97,421 | $104,336 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 6.54% | 4.91% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.1% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Boston is about 7% lower than in Massachusetts.
Housing
| Metric | Boston | Massachusetts Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $746,315 | $494,523 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $2,147 | $1,761 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 35.6% | 62.5% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Boston is about 29.0 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $2,147 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Boston spend about 60 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 252 hours, about 10.5 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Boston | Massachusetts Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 30.2 | 25.6 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 60.4 | 51.1 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 252 | 213 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $7,807 | $6,603 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 21.4% | 18.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 21,684 | 14,741 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,870 | 2,164 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Boston is 30 minutes, longer than the 26 minutes in Massachusetts.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Boston has a education index of A+, which means it is exceptionally educated.
| Metric | Boston | Massachusetts Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 48.2% | 42.7% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.18 | 2.44 | 2.53 |
Health
Boston has a health index of A, which means it is very healthy.
| Metric | Boston | Massachusetts Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.7 | 80.5 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 12.7% | 11.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 13.7% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
Boston, MA 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. Nothing separates Boston, MA sharply from the cities around it. Each measure below lands within 15% of the local median, close enough that the differences are within what survey sampling alone would produce.
The largest of those small differences is median household income, 13% above the local median at $97,421 against $86,252. Boston, MA has the 2nd highest median household income of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston, MA | 660,627 | $97,421 #2/5 | $746,315 #3/5 | 30.2 min #1/5 |
| Chelsea, MA | 39,880 | $72,289 | $350,000 | 30.9 min |
| Quincy, MA | 102,031 | $98,855 | $1,518,234 | 32.5 min |
| Everett, MA | 49,993 | $85,158 | $624,999 | 32.8 min |
| Revere, MA | 60,022 | $87,346 | $814,815 | 32.0 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Boston, Massachusetts.
How many people live in Boston, Massachusetts?
About 660,627 people live in Boston, Massachusetts, in 280,416 households of 2.2 people on average. The median age is 31.6, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 6 years.
Is Boston, Massachusetts urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Boston, Massachusetts has 7,372 people per square mile, a density typical of a city. That is about 85 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Boston, Massachusetts an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 7.7 times the median household income ($746,315 against $97,421), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $2,147 a month takes about 26% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How common is a college degree in Boston, Massachusetts?
48.2% of adults in Boston, Massachusetts hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 2), well above the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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