Research Publications

Boston at a Glance is a demographic fact sheet for the city of Boston. The 2024 update uses current U.S. Census data from the American Community Survey including ACS 2018-2022 5-year estimates.

Includes helpful neighborhood-level data tables on various topics including: age, race/ethnicity, education, nativity, labor, transportation, housing, and more. Uses 2018 - 2022 American Community Survey Data.

This presentation describes the Irish, Boston's largest ancestry population, covering the population's immigration history and demographics, including education, employment, and housing.

This profile of Boston's Puerto Ricans describes the population's overall demographic trends, education, housing, employment, and economic security.

Boston by the Numbers explores the characteristics of Boston's population and economy. This report breaks down the population by age group, gender, and nativity. It also looks at Boston's colleges and universities, housing, and land use, using the most recent American Community Survey data.

The map, initially created for the Dreams of Freedom exhibit housed in Boston's Skywalk at the Prudential Tower, showcases the top 10 countries of birth among the foreign-born population in each of Boston's neighborhoods using infographics. Created by the BPDA GIS Lab with data provided by the Research Division.

This presentation, a collaboration between BPDA Research and Supporting Indigenous Communities Fellow Amira Madison, investigates the characteristics and rapid growth of the Native American population in Massachusetts between 2010 and 2020, using data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau. A summarizing infographic is available here.

This report delves into the implications of the 2020 Census's revised approach to collecting and processing race and ethnicity data. This methodological change, entailing the reclassification of respondents based on their origin, resulted in substantial growth in the "two or more races" category. Executed without respondents' consent, the reclassification distorts demographic analysis and undermines the reliability of Census data. The City of Boston has filed an official complaint to the US Census Bureau protesting this race reclassification scheme.

A presentation exploring the employment, earnings, and occupational representation of Boston’s workers with disabilities as well as national trends in disability reporting and labor force participation. A summarizing infographic is available here.

A presentation describing college student demographics as well as the economic contributions of, and future concerns for, higher education in Boston. A summarizing infographic is available here.