Research Publications

This report looks at the demographics of women in Boston with particular focus on employment and pay disparities between men and women.

Under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), a person seeking admission to the United States or seeking to adjust his or her immigration status is considered “inadmissible” (i.e. barred from entry or denied adjustment of status) if that person likely to become a “public charge." In October 2018, the federal government proposed a rule change that would enlarge the scope of benefits programs considered in making public charge determinations and heavily weight use of public benefits and other income-based factors as strikes against the applicant. This report analyzes the possible economic and public health impacts that this proposed rule may have on Boston if it is enacted.

In developing an interregional, cohort-component projection methodology for Boston, Massachusetts, the BPDA Research Division created an innovative approach for producing domestic migration rates with synthetic populations using 1-year, American Community Survey (ACS), and Public Use Microdata Samples (PUMS). This article, published in the journal Urban Science, describes the projection methodology.

This report by the Boston Planning & Development Agency Research Division is a short reference guide to the city of Boston. It breaks down the population by age group, gender, and nativity. It also looks at Boston's colleges and universities, housing, and land use.

The labor market is a key means of integration for Boston’s immigrants. Boston’s Immigrant Labor Force: Socio-Economic Characteristics and Economic Integration uses U.S. Census American Community Survey data to profile immigrant workers in Boston, their integration into the labor force, and their resulting standard of living.

About 45% of Boston's households with children are headed by single mothers. This report looks at the demographics of single mothers in Boston and their economic challenges.

This publication compares Boston and its neighborhoods to the U.S. and Massachusetts on several demographic, economic and housing characteristics. This report uses 2012-2016 American Community Survey data from the U.S. Census.

This document is a two-page reference to frequently requested information about Boston's population and development. The primary data source is the 2012-2016 5-year American Community Survey. Updated January 28, 2019 to ensure consistency with prior publications.

This report analyzes trends in Boston neighborhoods since 1950 in the areas of population, housing, age distribution, race and ethnicity, nativity, educational attainment and labor force participation using data from the 1950-2010 Decennial Censuses and the 2006-2010 and 2011-2015 5-year American Community Surveys.

This report includes tables from the 1950 to 2010 Decennial Censuses and the 2011-2015 American Community Survey. These tables provide data by Boston neighborhood on population, age distribution, nativity, race and ethnicity, education, labor force participation, housing units, and tenure.