Research Publications

In 2005, the Boston Planning and Development Agency (then known as the BRA), in collaboration with Create Boston, released a report titled “Boston’s Creative Economy” assessing the size, scope, and economic impact of creative industries in the city. This follow-up revisits the report, asking how the size and composition of employment in Boston’s Creative Economy has changed over the last decade. The original report can be accessed here.

Fiscal Year 2016 marked the 22nd consecutive year that Boston received the most NIH funding of any U.S. city. Forty-two Boston institutions received 3,592 NIH awards for more than $1.85 billion in funding. This total represents 7.5% of all NIH spending and 72% of all NIH funding in Massachusetts. Eight Boston organizations received over $100 million in NIH funding, reinforcing Boston as a powerhouse in medical research.

This publication compares Boston and its neighborhoods to the U.S. and Massachusetts on several demographic, economic and housing characteristics. This report uses 2011-2015 American Community Survey data from the U.S. Census.

Boston at a Glance is a series of short reference sheets that present some selected demographic, economic and housing characteristics of Boston. The data used in this report are primarily from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2011-2015 American Community Survey. Updated January 28, 2019 to ensure consistency with prior publications.

This presentation examines historical trends in Boston's population and introduces the Boston Planning and Development Agency's population projections for Boston through 2030.

To inform the Imagine Boston 2030 planning process and to create internal capacity to provide ongoing demographic analysis and projections, the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) Research Division developed a population projection model. The model examines historical population trends, creates projections for Boston’s population through 2030, and provides capability to test hypothetical scenarios and explore the impact of policy proposals. This report describes the population projection methodology.

Commuting patterns reflect interactions within the regional economy. Workers who reside in one town may work in a neighboring town. Jobs in a given town may be filled by a combination of resident workers and commuters. This report examines residential and employment patterns in the greater Boston area and within Boston neighborhoods.

Annual report on Boston's economy with special focus on the resident labor force.

This report uses 2013 Zip Code Business Patterns data from the U.S. Census to examine Boston's business trends. For a more detailed analysis of business patterns in individual neighborhoods, please see the addendum to this report "Neighborhood Business Patterns 2016."

This report will provide insight into Boston's business establishments and employment by neighborhood. The main data source for this report is the 2013 ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZCBP), published by the U.S. Census Bureau. For citywide business trends, please see "Boston Business Patterns 2016."