Demographics · MA
Boston, MA demographics: 666,442 residents, with a median age of 33.3 years, from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 2020–2024 (5-year estimates).
666,442 people live in Boston, at a median age of 33.3 years (American Community Survey 2020–2024, a 5-year average)
Median age 33.3 years — younger than the U.S. median of 38.9.
ACS 2020–2024 5-year · ACS 5-Year Estimates 2020-2024 (released 2026-01-29)
In Boston, the largest race group is White (46.3%); 19.3% of residents are Hispanic or Latino (of any race); 27.8% were born outside the United States.
ACS 2020–2024 · B01001 / B01002
The median age in Boston is 33.3 years (±0.2), younger than the U.S. median of 38.9 years. The population is 48.0% male and 52.0% female. The largest age band is 25 to 34 at 23.2%.
| Age band | People | Share | ± margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 30,947 | 4.6% | ±759 |
| 5 to 17 | 69,691 | 10.5% | ±1,785 |
| 18 to 24 | 98,999 | 14.9% | ±2,016 |
| 25 to 34 | 154,485 | 23.2% | ±1,155 |
| 35 to 44 | 89,789 | 13.5% | ±1,953 |
| 45 to 54 | 66,385 | 10.0% | ±1,003 |
| 55 to 64 | 69,222 | 10.4% | ±1,929 |
| 65 to 74 | 51,984 | 7.8% | ±1,710 |
| 75 and over | 34,940 | 5.2% | ±1,297 |
Median age by sex: 32.9 (male) · 33.7 (female).
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B01001 sex by age, B01002 median age) · place-grain · margins of error at the 90% confidence level · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B02001 / B03003
The largest race group in Boston is White at 46.3% of the population. Separately, 19.3% of residents are Hispanic or Latino of any race. Race and Hispanic origin are two different questions on the census form, so their shares are reported separately and are not additive.
| Race (alone, or two or more) | People | Share | ± margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| White alone | 308,273 | 46.3% | ±2,601 |
| Black or African American alone | 136,382 | 20.5% | ±2,838 |
| American Indian & Alaska Native alone | 1,991 | 0.3% | ±455 |
| Asian alone | 69,022 | 10.4% | ±1,123 |
| Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander alone | 455 | 0.1% | ±205 |
| Some other race alone | 48,523 | 7.3% | ±3,093 |
| Two or more races | 101,796 | 15.3% | ±4,001 |
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | 128,456 | 19.3% | ±2,102 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B02001 race, B03003 Hispanic or Latino origin) · place-grain · margins of error at the 90% confidence level · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B11001 / B25010
Boston has 283,374 households. 45.6% are family households and 37.2% are people living alone. The average household holds 2.19 people.
Total households
283,374
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr · B11001
Avg household size
2.19
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr · B25010 · ±0.01
Family households
45.6%
Share of all households · B11001
Living alone
37.2%
Share of all households · B11001
| Household type | Households | ± margin |
|---|---|---|
| Total households | 283,374 | ±1,403 |
| Family households | 129,128 | ±2,283 |
| Nonfamily households | 154,246 | ±2,371 |
| Householder living alone | 105,432 | ±2,355 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B11001 household type, B25010 average household size) · place-grain · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B05002 / C16001
27.8% of Boston residents were born outside the United States. 64.4% of residents age 5 and over speak only English at home. The most-spoken non-English language at home is Spanish (15.4%).
| Measure | Value | Source / grain |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign-born share | 27.8% | 185,498 people · B05002 |
| Speak only English at home (age 5+) | 64.4% | C16001 |
| Top non-English language at home | 15.4% | Spanish · 98,171 speakers · C16001 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B05002 place of birth, C16001 language spoken at home) · place-grain · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B15003
54.9% of adults age 25 and over in Boston hold a bachelor's degree or higher (the U.S. share is about 35%).
| Measure | Value | Source / grain |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 54.9% | B15003 lines 22–25 over line 1 · place-grain |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B15003 educational attainment, population 25+) · place-grain · methodology →
Sources · provenance
The GEOID for Boston is 2507000. Every figure on this page is a place-grain American Community Survey 5-Year 2020–2024 estimate (ACS 5-Year Estimates 2020-2024 (released 2026-01-29)) shown with its margin of error. Full per-dataset detail: /sources/.