City safety & data profile

BostonMA

Boston, MA is a 654K-resident city in Suffolk County with a median household income of $97,344.

Suffolk County, Massachusetts. Federal health, economic, and safety indicators for Boston, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, CDC PLACES, and CMS Hospital Compare. Boston has a population larger than 99% of the 4,640 U.S. cities Areazine tracks, a median home value of $731,700, and 12 hospitals serving the surrounding area.

Data updated 2026-07-20

654K
Population
Top 1%
By size
$97,344
Median income
$731,700
Median home
16.6%
Poverty rate

The read on Boston

Boston posts a median household income higher than 67% of U.S. cities Areazine tracks, where 12 hospitals serve the Boston area.

Top 33%
by median income, US cities
12
hospitals in & near Boston

Where Boston income ranks nationally

Median household income vs. every place Areazine profiles (place-level ACS)

$97,344 Top 33% higher than 67% of 3,889 places Areazine profiles

$0–$20,000: 0 places Areazine profiles (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 71 places Areazine profiles (2%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 788 places Areazine profiles (20%). Below this entry. $60,000–$80,000: 1,055 places Areazine profiles (27%). Below this entry. $80,000–$100,000: 768 places Areazine profiles (20%). This entry sits in this band. $100,000–$120,000: 515 places Areazine profiles (13%). Above this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 308 places Areazine profiles (8%). Above this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 171 places Areazine profiles (4%). Above this entry. $160,000–$180,000: 92 places Areazine profiles (2%). Above this entry. $180,000–$200,000: 47 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $200,000–$220,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $220,000–$240,000: 18 places Areazine profiles (0%). Above this entry. $240,000–$260,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. MA $0 $260,000 every profiled place, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more places Areazine profiles. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (place-level) · 2024 ACS 5-year

The quick read

Reading Boston, MA beyond the headline numbers

Boston sits inside Suffolk County, Massachusetts, at roughly 42.36°N, -71.06°W. Population 653,833, $97,344 median household income. Median home value $731,700, median rent $2,147. Poverty rate 16.6%, read against that income figure since two cities on the same median can differ underneath it.

CDC PLACES: Boston's highest-prevalence health measure is short sleep duration at 33.3%, then high blood pressure at 25.6%. 12 hospitals in/around Boston, 3.8/5 avg rating, 5 with an ER.

Sources: U.S. Census ACS, CDC PLACES, CMS Hospital Compare, plus live alerts for Boston from FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC. Comparison bars benchmark each metric against the national reference.

Population
653,833
Boston
Median Income
$97,344
+43% vs avg
Median Home Value
$731,700
+221% vs avg
Median Age
33.3
years

10-Year Trends 2013–2024

County-level trend (Suffolk County) - Boston's own historical series isn't separately published by the Census Bureau, so these year-over-year figures track the surrounding county, not the city alone.

20132024
Population
785K+7%
Median Income
$95,631+79%
Median Home Value
$705,800+97%
Poverty Rate
16.2%-22%
Unemployment
6.3%-40%

Economics

Economics indicators for Boston, MA
IndicatorValue
Median Rent
$2,147/mo
Poverty Rate
16.6% +17% vs avg
Unemployment 6.1%
Bachelor's Degree+ 54.9%
Work From Home 21.3%
Public Transit 22.6%

Population

White 46.3%
African American 20.5%
Asian 10.4%
Two or More Ethnicities 3.5%

Health Profile 15 measures

Health Indicators

Short Sleep Duration
33.3%
High Blood Pressure
25.6%
Obesity
23.4%
Physical Inactivity
23.2%
Binge Drinking
20.7%
Frequent Mental Distress
18%
Current Asthma
11.7%
Frequent Physical Distress
11.1%
Current Smoking
10.7%
Diabetes
8.6%

Preventive Care

Dental Visit 64%
Annual Checkup 77.9%

Other Measures

Lack of Health Insurance
6.3%
Coronary Heart Disease
4.4%
Stroke
2.6%

Hospitals 12 total

Rating Distribution
★★★★★
3
★★★★
0
★★★
2
★★
1
★
0
Average Rating
3.8/5
Total Hospitals
12
With ER
5
MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
BOSTON · Acute Care Hospitals · ER
★★★★★
NEW ENGLAND BAPTIST HOSPITAL
BOSTON · Acute Care Hospitals
★★★★★
BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL
BOSTON · Acute Care Hospitals · ER
★★★★★
BOSTON MEDICAL CENTER
BOSTON · Acute Care Hospitals · ER
★★★☆☆
BETH ISRAEL DEACONESS MEDICAL CENTER
BOSTON · Acute Care Hospitals · ER
★★★☆☆
TUFTS MEDICAL CENTER
BOSTON · Acute Care Hospitals · ER
★★☆☆☆

Frequently Asked Questions 6

What is the population of Boston, MA? ▼
Boston, MA has a population of 653,833 people, located in Suffolk County, Massachusetts.
What is the median household income in Boston? ▼
The median household income in Boston, MA is $97,344 per year, per the U.S. Census ACS. The poverty rate is 16.6%.
What is the median home value in Boston? ▼
The median home value in Boston, MA is $731,700. Median rent is $2,147/month.
What are the top health concerns in Boston? ▼
The top health indicators in Boston include Short Sleep Duration (33.3%), High Blood Pressure (25.6%), Obesity (23.4%). Data from CDC PLACES.
How many hospitals are in Boston? ▼
Boston has 12 hospitals with an average rating of 3.8/5 stars. 5 have emergency departments.
What is the median age in Boston? ▼
The median age in Boston, MA is 33.3 years. 54.9% of residents have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Safety Context

Boston, MA is located in Suffolk County, Massachusetts. With a population of 654K and a $97,344 median household income, the community faces health challenges including short sleep duration and high blood pressure. Residents have access to 12 hospitals with an average rating of 3.8/5 stars. Safety alerts for the Boston area are monitored from federal and state agencies including FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC.

Safety Guides

How Product Recalls Work

CPSC, FDA & NHTSA recall process explained

Understanding Weather Alerts

Watch vs warning vs advisory explained

Earthquake Magnitude Explained

What the numbers mean & when to act
All safety guides →

Primary source data

EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data

Federal monitoring network, every measurement we report

AirNow - Massachusetts

Real-time AQI for every monitored Massachusetts location

National Weather Service

NOAA active watches, warnings, advisories

CDC Air Quality & Health

Health-impact reference for every AQI category

EPA NAAQS standards

National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the regulatory thresholds

Nearby Cities 8

North End, MA 10K Charlestown, MA 20K East Cambridge, MA 13K East Boston, MA 43K South Boston, MA 571K Back Bay, MA 18K Roxbury Crossing, MA 15K Union Square, MA 14K
All cities in Massachusetts → Compare Boston vs North End → All comparisons → Browse all cities

Using Boston's profile

Use this as a starting research checklist, not a verdict on whether to live here.

  • Check live recalls, weather and hazard alerts scoped to the Boston area before relying on national headlines. Check your area
  • Read the poverty rate alongside the income figure, two places with the same median can have very different realities.
  • Compare Boston against Massachusetts peers on any ranking lens. Explore Massachusetts

Population and economics (income, home value, poverty, education) are place-level U.S. Census ACS; health is CDC PLACES; hospital counts reflect facilities in and around the city.

Data Sources

All data on this page comes from official U.S. government sources. Population and economic data from the Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates, place geography). Health data from the CDC PLACES program (2023). Hospital ratings from CMS Hospital Compare (2024). Climate data from NOAA. Education data from NCES. Cost of living from Bureau of Economic Analysis. Crime statistics, where referenced on Areazine, originate from the FBI Crime Data Explorer. Housing market figures referenced on Areazine come from HUD Fair Market Rents. Census economics and population are at place geography; some health and hospital indicators are reported at the county level (Suffolk County) where that is the smallest published unit.

Every figure on Areazine is published directly from official U.S. government sources, no number is typed in by an editor. City demographic and health figures are compiled directly from U.S. Census, CDC, and CMS releases, updated quarterly within 30 days of upstream release. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.