Race, Diversity, and Ethnicity in Back Bay, Boston, MA

The map below shows majority race by area in Back Bay, as self-identified on the US census. Darker shades indicate a larger racial majority in that neighborhood. This page also contains data and maps on Back Bay racial diversity and diversity scores. Click here to scroll to diversity data.

Back Bay, Boston, MA map of race and ethnicity
Click the map to explore
White
Hispanic
Black
Asian
Multiple/Other
WhiteHispanicBlackAsianMultiple/Other
Majority race by area

The majority race in Back Bay overall is white, making up 71.8% of residents. The next most-common racial group is asian at 12.2%. There are more white people in the northeast areas of the neighborhood. People who identify as asian are most likely to be living in the southeast places. The data below shows how many people identify themselves as each of the following races, which most Americans base on their family's national origin:

Race in Back Bay

 
Self-Identified Race
Back Bay, Boston, MA Population
White
71.8%
Hispanic
8.1%
Black
3.4%
Asian
12.2%
Native American
0.0%
Other
4.4%
   

Diversity and Diversity Scores for Back Bay, Boston, MA

The map below shows diversity in Back Bay. Areas in green are more diverse, while areas in red are much less diverse. Diversity, in this case, means a mixture of people with different race and ethnicity living close to one another. For example, all-black and all-white areas in the neighborhood would both be considered lacking diversity.

Back Bay, Boston, MA map of race and ethnicity
Click the map to explore
Less diverse More diverse
Colorblind friendly off

Back Bay Diversity Score

45.9

More diverse than 32% of US neighborhoods

Back Bay has a diversity score of 45.9: the chance, in percent, that two residents picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups, from ACS race counts. A place where everyone shares one group scores 0, and an even mix of the six groups in the chart above scores the maximum, 83.3. Back Bay is less diverse than other US neighborhoods, more diverse than 32% of them. Within Back Bay's proper boundaries, the most diverse area is southeast Back Bay, and the least diverse areas are in northwest Back Bay.

Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-year estimates (race and Hispanic origin); proprietary data mapping and analysis. Special thanks to the University of Virginia.

Nearby Neighborhoods

Neighborhoods with Similar Populations