Population 302 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Plum Island
Household size in Plum Island
| Period | Plum Island | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1.98 | 2.54 | 2.53 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.48 | 2.59 | 2.57 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 1.81 | 2.60 | 2.57 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 1.77 | 2.55 | 2.52 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.22 | +0.01 | −0.01 | −0.03 |
Households in Plum Island are small: just 1.77 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. Since 2006–10, household size has dropped from 1.98, 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 Plum Island
| Period | Plum Island | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 48.3 | 38.9 | 39.4 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 42.3 | 39.7 | 40.1 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 49.8 | 40.4 | 41.0 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 60.2 | 40.8 | 41.4 | 40.1 |
| Change | +11.9 | +1.9 | +2.0 | +2.3 |
Plum Island skews older: half of its residents are older than 60.2, well above the national median of 40.1. That usually means more empty nesters and retirees, and fewer young families.
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 Plum Island
| Period | Plum Island | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 8.7% | 10.4% | 11.0% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 9.5% | 10.2% | 11.0% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 9.4% | 9.6% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 4.6% | 9.7% | 10.6% | 11.6% |
| Change | −4.1 pts | −0.7 pts | −0.4 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single-parent households are relatively rare in Plum Island: 4.6% of households, against 11.6% nationally.
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 Plum Island
Renters in Plum Island
| Period | Plum Island | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 30.2% | 36.8% | 36.0% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 36.1% | 38.5% | 37.7% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 38.3% | 38.3% | 37.6% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 27.3% | 38.4% | 37.5% | 34.8% |
| Change | −2.9 pts | +1.6 pts | +1.5 pts | +1.5 pts |
More than a quarter of households in Plum Island rent their homes (27.3%), below the national share of 34.8%; the rest own. Among homeowners, 28.0% have no mortgage at all, well below 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 Plum Island
| Period | Plum Island | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 31.2% | 8.1% | 9.5% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 33.5% | 7.4% | 9.1% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 48.6% | 7.3% | 8.9% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 38.1% | 6.7% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
| Change | +6.9 pts | −1.4 pts | −1.6 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacant homes make up 38.1% of the housing in Plum Island, far above the national rate of 9.6%. In resort and lake areas that usually means seasonal and vacation homes; elsewhere it can point to weak demand.
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 Plum Island
| Period | Plum Island | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1964 | 1958 | 1958 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1968 | 1959 | 1959 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1963 | 1961 | 1961 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1974 | 1964 | 1963 | 1980 |
| Change | +10 | +6 | +5 | +6 |
Housing in Plum Island leans a little older: the median home dates to 1974, against 1980 nationally. Even so, homes here are newer than in the Boston area overall, where the median home dates to 1964.
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 Plum Island
| Period | Plum Island | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $1,089 | $1,171 | $1,085 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $1,159 | $1,251 | $1,157 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $1,209 | $1,537 | $1,398 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,548 | $2,051 | $1,860 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$459 | +$881 | +$775 | +$606 |
The median renter in Plum Island pays $1,548 a month for rent and utilities, close to the national median of $1,571. Rents here are lower than in the Boston area as a whole ($2,051). The typical renter here spends 34.7% of household income on rent, well over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, so many renters here are stretched.
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 Plum Island
Bachelor's degrees in Plum Island
| Period | Plum Island | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 37.6% | 42.2% | 38.5% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 41.9% | 44.1% | 40.1% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 39.3% | 48.2% | 43.6% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 50.9% | 51.9% | 47.2% | 35.6% |
| Change | +13.4 pts | +9.7 pts | +8.7 pts | +7.2 pts |
Plum Island is highly educated: about half of adults 25 and older (50.9%) hold at least a bachelor's degree, far above the national share of 35.6%. The picture is much the same across the Boston area.
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 Plum Island
| Period | Plum Island | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 96.3% | 89.8% | 88.4% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 97.9% | 90.6% | 89.3% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 92.4% | 91.5% | 90.5% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 89.1% | 91.8% | 91.0% | 89.3% |
| Change | −7.2 pts | +2.1 pts | +2.6 pts | +4.3 pts |
About as many adults in Plum Island have finished high school as nationally: 89.1%, against 89.3%. The rate is lower than in the Boston area overall (91.8%).
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 Plum Island
| Period | Plum Island | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 7.7% | 7.0% | 7.5% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 7.4% | 8.0% | 8.7% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 0.0% | 4.6% | 5.0% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 9.9% | 4.9% | 5.2% | 5.4% |
| Change | +2.2 pts | −2.1 pts | −2.3 pts | −2.7 pts |
Finding work has been harder in Plum Island: 9.9% of the labor force was out of work and looking, well above the national rate of 5.4%. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's 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).
Plum Island 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plum Island | 1.77 | 60.2 | 4.6% | 27.3% | 38.1% | 1974 | $1,548 | 50.9% | 89.1% | 9.9% |
| Newbury | 2.22 | 58.6 | 3.3% | 9.8% | 24.3% | 1948 | $1,703 | 65.1% | 99.9% | 3.2% |
| Salisbury | 2.29 | 50.2 | 5.5% | 28.6% | 10.2% | 1979 | $1,858 | 45.1% | 93.6% | 5.7% |
| Newburyport | 2.30 | 49.7 | 4.7% | 22.6% | 8.2% | 1957 | $1,553 | 67.7% | 97.7% | 5.3% |
| Seabrook | 2.20 | 53.2 | 5.7% | 31.1% | 12.8% | 1985 | $1,549 | 27.5% | 93.1% | 8.6% |
| Byfield | 2.52 | 50.0 | 9.3% | 19.7% | 9.8% | 1986 | $1,781 | 56.9% | 96.2% | 2.1% |
| Amesbury Town | 2.31 | 44.4 | 10.2% | 31.4% | 6.1% | 1968 | $1,761 | 44.9% | 95.8% | 3.1% |
| Rowley | 2.57 | 48.3 | 8.6% | 18.4% | 5.2% | 1973 | $1,706 | 56.9% | 99.6% | 3.5% |
| West Newbury | 2.73 | 49.3 | 6.1% | 4.6% | 6.4% | 1983 | $1,769 | 64.4% | 98.5% | 2.4% |
| Hampton Falls | 2.55 | 47.2 | 3.6% | 19.9% | 6.4% | 1983 | $1,606 | 48.8% | 96.5% | 3.0% |
| Amesbury | 1.87 | 59.5 | 3.3% | 0.0% | 2.9% | 1996 | $1,352 | 42.3% | 93.7% | 0.0% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Vanatta, OH · East Jamestown, TN · East Laurinburg, NC · Edgar, TX · Edgefield, LA · Edinburg, ND · Edom, TX · Elkfork, KY · Ellis Prairie, MO · Elora, PA
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 Plum Island. 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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