Population 3,004 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Boston
Household size in Boston
| Period | Boston | Buffalo area | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.55 | 2.41 | 2.68 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.55 | 2.39 | 2.72 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.27 | 2.33 | 2.69 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.37 | 2.33 | 2.65 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.17 | −0.08 | −0.03 | −0.03 |
Households in Boston are small: just 2.37 people on average, compared with 2.65 nationally. That is typical of places where many people live alone or as couples, and fewer have children at home. Household size has dropped from 2.55 in 2006–10, but in a place this small, survey estimates can swing a lot from one release to the next.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Boston
| Period | Boston | Buffalo area | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 42.7 | 40.4 | 38.3 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 42.9 | 41.2 | 39.0 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 49.1 | 41.9 | 40.2 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 48.5 | 42.0 | 40.8 | 40.1 |
| Change | +5.8 | +1.6 | +2.5 | +2.3 |
With a median age of 48.5, Boston is noticeably older than the country as a whole (40.1), an age mix that tilts toward empty nesters and retirees.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Boston
| Period | Boston | Buffalo area | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 11.0% | 11.7% | 13.1% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 6.1% | 12.1% | 12.7% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 6.0% | 11.2% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 7.3% | 11.5% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| Change | −3.7 pts | −0.2 pts | −1.5 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head only 7.3% of households in Boston, well below the national share of 11.6%.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Boston
Renters in Boston
| Period | Boston | Buffalo area | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 21.5% | 32.9% | 44.8% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 17.3% | 33.8% | 46.2% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 13.7% | 34.3% | 46.2% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 11.0% | 33.2% | 45.7% | 34.8% |
| Change | −10.5 pts | +0.3 pts | +0.9 pts | +1.5 pts |
Only 11.0% of households in Boston rent their homes, far below the national share of 34.8%, so most residents are owners who tend to stay put. About half of owners (49.2%) have paid off their mortgages, above the national share of 39.8%.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Boston
| Period | Boston | Buffalo area | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 9.0% | 10.6% | 10.3% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 8.0% | 10.3% | 10.4% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 7.3% | 10.0% | 11.0% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 8.5% | 8.4% | 9.7% | 9.6% |
| Change | −0.5 pts | −2.2 pts | −0.6 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacancy in Boston is close to the national rate: 8.5% of homes are empty, against 9.6%.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Boston
| Period | Boston | Buffalo area | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1969 | 1957 | 1956 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1974 | 1958 | 1957 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1970 | 1958 | 1958 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1967 | 1960 | 1961 | 1980 |
| Change | −2 | +3 | +5 | +6 |
The housing in Boston is old by national standards: the median home dates to 1967, against 1980 for the U.S., so buyers will find more older houses, some of them due for updates. Locally, though, homes here are newer than in the Buffalo area as a whole, where the median home dates to 1960.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Boston
| Period | Boston | Buffalo area | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $716 | $728 | $1,095 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $796 | $783 | $1,201 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $827 | $873 | $1,426 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,253 | $1,126 | $1,794 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$537 | +$398 | +$698 | +$606 |
A typical rental in Boston costs $1,253 a month with utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. Still, rents here are higher than in the wider Buffalo area ($1,126). Rent takes 26.3% of the typical renter's income, comfortably under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Boston
Bachelor's degrees in Boston
| Period | Boston | Buffalo area | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 29.6% | 27.6% | 31.9% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 39.3% | 29.6% | 33.4% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 29.6% | 32.3% | 36.2% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 36.3% | 35.6% | 39.8% | 35.6% |
| Change | +6.7 pts | +8.0 pts | +8.0 pts | +7.2 pts |
College degrees are about as common in Boston as nationally: 36.3% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor's or higher, against 35.6%.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Boston
| Period | Boston | Buffalo area | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 95.5% | 88.2% | 84.0% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 97.4% | 89.8% | 84.9% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 94.9% | 91.2% | 86.5% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 99.0% | 91.9% | 87.3% | 89.3% |
| Change | +3.6 pts | +3.7 pts | +3.3 pts | +4.3 pts |
Finishing high school is nearly universal in Boston: 99.0% of adults 25 and older have a diploma or equivalent, well above the national rate of 89.3%.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Boston
| Period | Boston | Buffalo area | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 7.4% | 8.0% | 7.7% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 4.6% | 8.5% | 9.2% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 3.7% | 4.8% | 5.7% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 3.5% | 5.4% | 6.6% | 5.4% |
| Change | −4.0 pts | −2.6 pts | −1.2 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in Boston runs below the national rate: 3.5% of the labor force was out of work and looking, against 5.4% nationally. Because the Census pools five years of responses (2020–24), these rates smooth over short swings and lag the current job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Boston compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | 2.37 | 48.5 | 7.3% | 11.0% | 8.5% | 1967 | $1,253 | 36.3% | 99.0% | 3.5% |
| Colden | 2.24 | 42.9 | 7.1% | 44.3% | 4.5% | 1973 | $1,241 | 38.5% | 98.4% | 3.1% |
| Glenwood | 2.36 | 47.8 | 3.2% | 9.5% | 6.3% | 1970 | $754 | 34.9% | 96.4% | 1.0% |
| West Falls | 2.54 | 49.1 | 5.4% | 9.8% | 11.7% | 1969 | $871 | 38.8% | 95.7% | 2.4% |
| Langford | 2.68 | 41.8 | 3.8% | 4.9% | 5.2% | 1981 | $1,192 | 26.5% | 94.3% | 0.0% |
| Eden | 2.43 | 44.4 | 8.5% | 15.5% | 4.5% | 1967 | $1,114 | 33.2% | 95.8% | 4.0% |
| East Concord | 2.34 | 45.4 | 6.0% | 7.1% | 6.9% | 1969 | $721 | 27.9% | 94.1% | 2.0% |
| Marshfield | 2.42 | 46.3 | 6.7% | 13.2% | 6.3% | 1970 | $912 | 24.7% | 90.6% | 7.7% |
| Springville | 2.32 | 44.8 | 7.5% | 27.3% | 10.7% | 1963 | $702 | 30.0% | 93.5% | 4.9% |
| Taylorshire | 2.58 | 45.9 | 8.7% | 18.5% | 9.1% | 1983 | $997 | 41.3% | 91.7% | 7.4% |
| Hamburg | 2.24 | 47.2 | 8.3% | 22.8% | 4.6% | 1972 | $1,184 | 39.7% | 95.0% | 5.0% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Belle Meade, TN · Calhoun, KY · Maypearl, TX · Coalville, UT · Hallam, PA · Pinch, WV · Phillipsburg, KS · Patton, PA · Pittsville, MD · Pleasantville, IA
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Boston. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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