Boston, Massachusetts Population 2023

617,459

Boston is a city located in Suffolk County Massachusetts. Boston has a 2023 population of 617,459. It is also the county seat of Suffolk County.Boston is currently declining at a rate of -2.89% annually and its population has decreased by -8.43% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 674,272 in 2020.

The average household income in Boston is $120,939 with a poverty rate of 17.61%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to - per month, and the median house value is -. The median age in Boston is 32.6 years, 32.2 years for males, and 32.9 years for females.

Boston is the capital and largest city in Massachusetts in the United States. It's also the largest city in New England and represents the 23rd largest city in the US. Boston was founded in 1630, making it one of the oldest cities in the country, and it was the scene of many important events in the American Revolution. Today, the city is an international center for medicine and higher learning.

This city of 90 square miles is home to one of the most densely populated regions in the United States. The city had a population of 618,000 people in 2010, which has increased to approximately {pop}.

The city of Boston is home to an estimated 667,137 people in 2016, although the Greater Boston area is home to an estimated 4.7 million, making it the 10th largest metropolitan area in the United States. As a commuting region, Greater Boston has an even larger population of 8.1 million, which makes it the 6th largest Combined Statistical Area in the country.

Population Density in Boston

Boston has a density of 13,841 people per square mile (5,344/square kilometer), and Greater Boston is the 4th most densely populated region in the United States, after New York Metro Area, Greater Los Angeles, and South Florida Metro Area. Somerville, a city just north of Boston and included in its metropolitan area, has the highest population density of 18,431.6 people per square mile.

Interestingly, Boston's actual population fluctuates rapidly between day and night, as well as during special events. It's estimated that 1.2 million people are in the city during work hours, and 2 million during special events in the city, as hundreds of thousands of residents in the suburbs commute to the city for education, health care, and work.

Boston Diversity

Whites represented a 94.7% majority of the city's population in 1950, but the percentage of non-Hispanic whites in the region declined for much of the next 50 years. By 2000, non-Hispanic whites accounted for just 49.5% of the population, which made Boston a majority-minority city for the first time in its history. Over the last decade, the city has experienced a great deal of gentrification, and the percentage of non-Hispanic whites was starting to grow. By 2010, this trend reversed once more, partially due to the housing crash, and the minority population rebounded in Boston.

The single largest ethnic group in Boston is Irish, which accounts for 15.8% of the population, followed by Italians with 8.3% of the population. Those of West Indian ancestry account for 6% of Boston's population, and some areas have seen a great deal of immigration from Vietnam recently, while other areas are seeing an increase in the number of Dominican Americans. South Asians account for a substantial amount of Boston's immigration, and the city has the 10th largest Indian population in the United States.

There are also about 25,000 Jews in Boston, or 227,000 in its metropolitan area, while nearby communities like Newton are nearly one-third Jewish.

Boston Population Growth

Boston is experiencing colossal growth lately thanks to an immigration boom, and the Boston area gained close to 55,000 residents in the two years following the 2010 Census, according to 2013 estimates from the Census Bureau. This is also the first time Boston's population has passed 600,000 since the 1970s.

While the state's population growth of 1.5% is just behind the nation's rate of 1.7%, Massachusetts as a whole is still doing better than most of the country, and it's now the fastest growing state in the Northeast.

It seems most of the growth in the state is comprised of immigrants, who have been critical to the state's growth over the past ten years. Without immigration, the state's population would have declined.

In 1990, Boston's population was 20% foreign-born, but this number has grown to 27% and shows signs of increasing. Recent immigrants to the area come mostly from Latin America and Asia, and many are coming for science and technology jobs.

Thanks to this immigration boom, Boston's population is also growing younger, as nearly one-third of its residents are 20-34, which is younger than most other major cities in the country.

Boston is growing at its fastest rate in decades, which is transforming the city with more than 5,000 homes in development. While immigrants and young families are moving to Boston, so too are major companies, which are attracted by talented workers in the region.

To keep up with this rapid growth, Boston is now attempting to rapidly expand housing with plans for 30,000 new housing units by 2020. The city's population growth rate of 3.1% is expected to continue through at least 2020, reaching around 780,000 to 790,000 by the next Census in 2020.

Boston Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Boston was:

  • White: 50.1%
  • Black or African American: 23.48%
  • Asian: 9.7%
  • Two or more races: 9.61%
  • Other race: 6.72%
  • Native American: 0.31%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.07%
Land Area (mi²)
48.3 sq mi
Density (mi²)
12,773.60/sq mi
Growth Rate
-2.89% (-18,385)
Growth Since 2020
-8.43% (-56,813)
The current population of Boston, Massachusetts is 617,459 based on our projections of the latest US Census estimates.The last official US Census in 2020 recorded the population at 674,272.

Boston, Massachusetts Population 2023

Population by Race

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White

Black or African American

Asian

Two or more races

Other race

Native American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Boston Population by Race

Boston Population Pyramid 2023

Boston Median Age

32.6

Total

32.2

Male

32.9

Female

Boston Adults

There are 566,964 adults, (79,459 of whom are seniors) in Boston.

Boston Age Dependency

38

Age Dependency Ratio

16.3

Old Age Dependency Ratio

21.7

Child Dependency Ratio

Boston Sex Ratio

Female349,76951.99%
Male323,04548.01%

Boston Population by Age

Boston Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

3.08

Average Family Size

2.3

Average Household Size

34.8%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Boston Households and Families

Male

Female

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Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Boston Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Boston Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

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The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 79.25%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among white people with a rate of 59.77%.

Boston Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

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$56,063

Average Earnings

$60,721

Average Male

$53,131

Average Female

Boston Earnings by Educational Attainment

Boston Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Boston Language

63.42% of Boston residents speak only English, while 36.58% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 16.4% of the population.

Boston Language

Boston Poverty by Race

rate

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17.61%

Overall Poverty Rate

16.16%

Male Poverty Rate

18.96%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Boston

The race most likely to be in poverty in Boston is Islander, with 39.4% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Boston is White, with 10.33% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 1.74%. Among those working part-time, it was 22.37%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 38.81%.

Boston Poverty

rate

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Boston Poverty Rate by Education

rate

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Boston Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Boston Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

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mean

median

Income by Household Type

Boston Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

30.9%

Overall Marriage Rate

33.5%

Male Marriage Rate

28.5%

Female Marriage Rate

Boston Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Boston Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 55-64.

Boston Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Boston Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

13,713

Number of Veterans

12,119

Male Veterans

1,594

Female Veterans

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Boston Veterans by War

count

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Boston Veterans by Age

count

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Boston Veterans by Race

Boston Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

11.93%

Veteran Poverty Rate

30.83%

Veteran Disability Rate

Boston Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

69.7%

Labor Force Participation

64.8%

Employment Rate

6.9%

Unemployment Rate

Boston Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Boston Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Boston Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

46.13%

Born in Boston

76.76%

Native Born

30.02%

Foreign Born

14.67%

Non Citizen

15.35%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

76.76% of Boston residents were born in the United States, with 46.13% having been born in Massachusetts. 14.67% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.

Boston Place of Birth

Note: data after 2021 is projected based on recent change

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Boston Population by Year