2020 Census data for the city of Boston, Boston neighborhoods, census tracts, block groups, and voting districts. In the 2020 Census, the U.S. Census Bureau divided Boston into 207 census tracts (~4,000 residents) made up of 581 smaller block groups. The Boston Planning and Development Agency uses the 2020 tracts to approximate Boston neighborhoods. The 2020 Census Redistricting data also identify Boston’s voting districts.

For analysis of Boston’s 2020 Census data including graphs and maps by the BPDA Research Division and Office of Digital Cartography and GIS, see 2020 Census Research Publications

For a complete official data dictionary, please go to 2020 Census State Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File, Chapter 6. Data Dictionary. 2020 Census State Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File

2020 Census Tracts In Boston

2020 Census Block Groups In Boston

Boston Neighborhood Boundaries Approximated By 2020 Census Tracts

Boston Voting District Boundaries

The population density picture of Boston is generally a story of two Bostons: the high density central and northern neighborhoods, and the low density southern neighborhoods.The highest density areas of Boston are particularly concentrated in Brighton, Allston, and the Fenway area, areas of the city with large numbers of college students and young adults. There is also high population density in areas such as the Back Bay, the South End, Charlestown, the North End, and South Boston. These are all relatively small areas geographically, but have housing stock conducive to population density (e.g. multi-family dwelling units, row housing, large apartment buildings). The southern neighborhoods, specifically Hyde Park and West Roxbury, have significant numbers of people living in them, but lots sizes tend to be much larger. These areas of the city also tend to have more single family dwelling units. In that, there are fewer people per square mile than places north in the city. Census data reveals that population density varies noticeably from area to area. Small area census data do a better job depicting where the crowded neighborhoods are. In this map, areas of highest density exceed 30,000 persons per square kilometer. Very high density areas exceed 7,000 persons per square kilometer. High density areas exceed 5,200 persons per square kilometer. The last categories break at 3,330 persons per square kilometer, and 1,500 persons per square kilometer.How to make this map for your city

Census tracts are created by the U.S. Census Bureau to be small, relatively permanent statistical subdivisions of a county. Census tracts average about 4,000 inhabitants: minimum population –1,200 and maximum population –8,000. Census tracts are split or merged every 10 years, depending on population change, with local feedback through the Participant Statistical Areas Program (PSAP).

Demographic Data for Boston’s Neighborhoods, 1950-2019

Boston is a city defined by the unique character of its many neighborhoods. The historical tables created by the BPDA Research Division from U.S. Census Decennial data describe demographic changes in Boston’s neighborhoods from 1950 through 2010 using consistent tract-based geographies. For more analysis of these data, please see Historical Trends in Boston's Neighborhoods. The most recent available neighborhood demographic data come from the 5-year American Community Survey (ACS). The ACS tables also present demographic data for Census-tract approximations of Boston’s neighborhoods. For pdf versions of the data presented here plus earlier versions of the analysis, please see Boston in Context.

How racially diverse are residents in Massachusetts? This topic shows the demographic breakdown of residents by race/ethnicity and the increases in the Non-white population since 2010.

Between 1935 and 1940 the federal government’s Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) classified the neighborhoods of 239 cities according to their perceived investment risk. This practice has since been referred to as “redlining,” as the neighborhoods classified as being the highest risk for investment were often colored red on the resultant maps. The Mapping Inequality project, a collaboration of faculty at the University of Richmond’s Digital Scholarship Lab, the University of Maryland’s Digital Curation Innovation Center, Virginia Tech, and Johns Hopkins University has digitized and georectified all 239 HOLC maps and made them publicly available, including the HOLC map of Boston from 1938. The Boston Area Research Initiative has coordinated (i.e., spatial joined) the districts from the 1938 HOLC map of Boston with census tracts from the 2010 U.S. Census. This dataset contains the original shapefile and the spatially joined tract-level data.

This map contains demographic variables for block groups in the Boston area. The map shows a comparison of two variables: per capita income growth from 2015-2020 and unemployment. Size and color are used to show the two variables.The size of the circle represents the unemployed population over the age of 16, so the largest circles show the areas with the most unemployment. The colors showcase a range of personal income growth from 2015 to 2020. Green areas have the least projected growth, and yellow areas have the highest projected income growth.The data comes from Esri's ArcGIS Online data enrichment using the Living Atlas Block Group Analysis layer. The vintage of the data is 2015.

The Census Bureau does not recognize or release data for Boston neighborhoods. However, Census tracts can be aggregated to approximate Boston neighborhood boundaries to allow for reporting and visualization of Census data at the neighborhood level. Census tracts are created by the U.S. Census Bureau as statistical geographic subdivisions of a county defined for the tabulation and presentation of data from the decennial census and the American Community Survey. The 2020 Census tract boundary files for Boston can be found here. These tract-approximated neighborhood boundaries are used for work with Census data. Work that does not rely on Census data generally uses the Boston neighborhood boundaries found here.

This database, including both datasets and spatial shape files, contains information on occupation, school attendance, nativity, and race of the Boston population, by ward, for the years 1880, 1900, and 1930. This database can be used to visualize the profound changes in the economic, educational, and ethnic composition of Boston between 1880 and 1930. It illustrates, among other changes, the great expansion of secondary school enrollment, the decline of youth participation in the work force, the growth of white-collar jobs, the decline of unskilled labor, and the geographical distribution of the Boston Irish, Italian, Jewish, and African-American populations over time. This contextual knowledge is useful for historians researching this time period, and useful to non-historians by depicting the origins of fundamental changes whose legacy is still present in Boston today. The underlying data are drawn from the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series maintained by the University of Minnesota (see documentation for full citation). The data contained here can also be viewed through an interactive map hosted by BostonMap (http://worldmap.harvard.edu/maps/historical_boston).

Graph and download economic data for Resident Population in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH (MSA) (BOSPOP) from 2000 to 2024 about Boston, NH, MA, residents, population, and USA.

This dataverse repository contains two datasets: 1. A one square meter resolution map of biomass for the City of Boston. Units are Mg biomass per hectare (Mg/ha). 2. A one square meter resolution map of canopy cover for the City of Boston. Units are binary: 0 = no canopy, 1 = canopy Both datasets are derived from LiDAR and high resolution remote sensing imagery. Details of the methodology are provided in the following publications: Raciti, SM, Hutyra, LR, Newell, JD, 2014. Mapping carbon storage in urban trees withmulti-source remote sensing data: Relationships between biomass, land use, and demographics in Boston neighborhoods,Science of the Total Environment, 500-501, 72-83. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.08.070 Raciti, SM, Hutyra, LR, Newell, JD, 2015. Corrigendum to “Mapping carbon storage in urban trees with multi-source remote sensing data: Relationships between biomass, land use, and demographics in Boston neighborhoods”, Science of the Total Environment, 538, 1039-1041. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.07.154

Census block groups are created by the U.S. Census Bureau as statistical geographic subdivisions of a census tract defined for the tabulation and presentation of data from the decennial census and the American Community Survey. Block groups generally contain between 600 and 3,000 people. Census block groups are split or merged every 10 years, depending on population change, with local feedback through the Participant Statistical Areas Program (PSAP). These shapefiles provide the boundaries for the 2020 block groups for Boston.

U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts statistics for South Boston town, Virginia. QuickFacts data are derived from: Population Estimates, American Community Survey, Census of Population and Housing, Current Population Survey, Small Area Health Insurance Estimates, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, State and County Housing Unit Estimates, County Business Patterns, Nonemployer Statistics, Economic Census, Survey of Business Owners, Building Permits.

The Census Bureau does not recognize or release data for Boston neighborhoods. However, Census block groups can be aggregated to approximate Boston neighborhood boundaries to allow for reporting and visualization of Census data at the neighborhood level. Census block groups are created by the U.S. Census Bureau as statistical geographic subdivisions of a census tract defined for the tabulation and presentation of data from the decennial census and the American Community Survey. The 2020 Census block group boundary files for Boston can be found here. These block group-approximated neighborhood boundaries are used for work with Census data. Work that does not rely on Census data generally uses the Boston neighborhood boundaries found here.

Find Massachusetts health data by community, county, and region, including population demographics. Build custom data reports with over 100 health and social determinants of health data indicators and explore over 28,000 current and historical data layers in the map room.

The precincts displayed on this map were developed based on the 2020 U.S Census blocks and revised by the City of Boston Election Commission to conform to the voting precinct guidelines. These precincts were adopted in 2022 by the Board of Election Commission and by the MA State Legislature. Sources: U.S. Census, voter Registration database, and Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth. This map is intended for planning and visualization purposes only.

U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts statistics for Boston township, Ionia County, Michigan. QuickFacts data are derived from: Population Estimates, American Community Survey, Census of Population and Housing, Current Population Survey, Small Area Health Insurance Estimates, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, State and County Housing Unit Estimates, County Business Patterns, Nonemployer Statistics, Economic Census, Survey of Business Owners, Building Permits.

Resident Population in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH (MSA) was 5025.51700 Thous. of Persons in January of 2024, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Resident Population in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH (MSA) reached a record high of 5025.51700 in January of 2024 and a record low of 4402.61100 in January of 2000. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Resident Population in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH (MSA) - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

Resident Population in Federal Reserve District 1: Boston was 14413.40600 Thous. of Persons in January of 2024, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Resident Population in Federal Reserve District 1: Boston reached a record high of 14413.40600 in January of 2024 and a record low of 11054.43000 in January of 1970. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Resident Population in Federal Reserve District 1: Boston - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

Throughout history, government and industries have neglected investments in some neighborhoods, especially communities of color, who are more likely to have fewer resources.