Massachusetts · PUMA · 2024 ACS PUMS
Boston City--Dorchester & South Boston
A Census profile of the Boston City--Dorchester & South Boston Public Use Microdata Area in Massachusetts, from the 2024 American Community Survey. It is home to 118,146 people, with a median household income of $121,830 and a median age of 39.4.
Cities & areas covered: Boston, Dorchester, South Boston.
How Boston City--Dorchester & South Boston compares to Massachusetts
- Median household income here is $121,830, $17,259 above the Massachusetts figure of $104,571.
- The bachelor's-degree rate here is 54.6%, 6.3% above the Massachusetts figure of 48.3%.
- Homeownership here is 41.7%, 20.6% below the Massachusetts figure of 62.3%.
- The poverty rate here is 12.4%, 2.7% above the Massachusetts figure of 9.7%.
Boston City--Dorchester & South Boston vs. Massachusetts vs. the U.S.
Every figure is a weighted estimate from the 2024 ACS PUMS. The MA and U.S. columns are the state and population-weighted national averages, for comparison.
| Statistic | This PUMA | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $121,830 | $104,571 |
| Median family income | $111,678 | $131,982 |
| Mean wage (workers) | $94,444 | $80,285 |
| Median personal income (15+) | $54,824 | $43,656 |
| Poverty rate | 12.4% | 9.7% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.3% | 4.0% |
| Labor force participation (16+) | 74.9% | 67.2% |
| Mean hours worked / week | 40.5 | 37.1 |
| Mean Interest, dividends, and net rental income | $3,486 | $3,968 |
| Mean Selected monthly owner costs as a percentage of household income | 29.0% | 26.0% |
| Mean All other income | $438 | $595 |
| Mean Public assistance income | $133 | $71 |
| Mean Total person's earnings | $71,536 | $56,487 |
| Mean Income-to-poverty ratio | 350.7 | 355.2 |
| Mean Retirement income | $2,264 | $4,083 |
| Mean Self-employment income | $2,634 | $2,700 |
| Mean Supplementary Security Income | $333 | $296 |
| Mean Social Security income | $2,030 | $3,728 |
| Statistic | This PUMA | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 54.6% | 48.3% |
| High school diploma or higher | 87.0% | 91.4% |
| Statistic | This PUMA | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Management | 13.8% | 12.6% |
| Business operations | 7.7% | 4.3% |
| Financial specialists | 4.7% | 2.4% |
| Computer & math | 3.4% | 4.3% |
| Architecture & engineering | 1.9% | 2.7% |
| Science | 4.3% | 2.6% |
| Community & social service | 1.5% | 2.2% |
| Legal | 2.9% | 1.5% |
| Education instruction | 5.0% | 7.5% |
| Arts, design & media | 0.9% | 2.3% |
| Healthcare practitioners | 6.9% | 6.3% |
| Healthcare support | 2.9% | 3.3% |
| Protective service | 2.0% | 2.1% |
| Food prep & serving | 5.2% | 5.4% |
| Building & grounds cleaning | 4.0% | 3.2% |
| Personal care | 2.6% | 3.0% |
| Sales | 9.0% | 8.6% |
| Office & admin support | 7.6% | 9.4% |
| Farming, fishing & forestry | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| Construction | 1.2% | 4.2% |
| Extraction | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Installation & repair | 2.0% | 2.0% |
| Production | 2.5% | 3.8% |
| Transportation & moving | 7.5% | 5.3% |
| Military | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| Agriculture & forestry (industry) | 0.1% | 0.5% |
| Mining & oil/gas (industry) | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| Utilities (industry) | 0.0% | 0.7% |
| Construction (industry) | 2.2% | 6.0% |
| Manufacturing (industry) | 6.0% | 8.6% |
| Wholesale trade (industry) | 1.8% | 1.6% |
| Retail trade (industry) | 8.4% | 10.0% |
| Transportation & warehousing (industry) | 5.4% | 3.5% |
| Information (industry) | 1.3% | 1.8% |
| Finance & insurance (industry) | 11.0% | 6.9% |
| Professional & technical (industry) | 20.6% | 15.1% |
| Educational services (industry) | 9.7% | 11.9% |
| Health care (industry) | 12.9% | 12.4% |
| Social assistance (industry) | 1.7% | 3.2% |
| Arts & entertainment (industry) | 8.6% | 8.7% |
| Other services (industry) | 4.6% | 4.2% |
| Public administration (industry) | 5.2% | 4.1% |
| Armed forces (industry) | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Statistic | This PUMA | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Uninsured | 3.3% | 2.8% |
| Private insurance | 71.8% | 72.7% |
| Public insurance | 34.7% | 37.9% |
| With a disability | 14.0% | 13.1% |
| Statistic | This PUMA | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Mean commute time | 34 min | 31 min |
| Drove to work | 45.9% | 70.0% |
| Public transit to work | 26.3% | 7.8% |
| Worked from home | 13.8% | 14.9% |
| Mean Weeks worked | 35.9 | 32.5 |
| Statistic | This PUMA | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $630,000 | $600,000 |
| Median gross rent | $2,560 | $1,860 |
| Rent as % of income | 29.0% | 31.0% |
| Homeownership rate | 41.7% | 62.3% |
| Average household size | 2.2 | 2.4 |
| Median bedrooms | 2 | 3 |
| Median rooms | 5 | 6 |
| Median year built | 1939 | 1960 |
| Vehicles per household | 1.2 | 1.6 |
| No vehicle | 23.7% | 11.5% |
| Single-family detached | 10.5% | 50.5% |
| Broadband internet | 96.2% | 95.0% |
| Median Condominium and/or homeowners association fee | $0 | $0 |
| Median Electricity cost | $120 | $160 |
| Median Fuel cost | $1,800 | $1,800 |
| Median Gas cost | $90 | $110 |
| Mean Age of the householder | 46.4 | 53.3 |
| Median Mobile home costs | — | $4,800 |
| Median First mortgage payment | $2,200 | $2,000 |
| Mean Number of own children in household | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Mean Number of related children in household | 0.3 | 0.5 |
| Median Monthly rent | $2,300 | $1,600 |
| Median Selected monthly owner costs | $2,458 | $2,133 |
| Median Total payment on all second and junior mortgages and home equity loans | $480 | $480 |
| Median Property taxes | $5,250 | $5,750 |
| Median Water cost | $450 | $600 |
| Statistic | This PUMA | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 118,146 | 7,136,171 |
| Average age | 39.4 | 40.8 |
| Married (15+) | 34.2% | 45.9% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 14.8% | 14.0% |
| Black | 17.8% | 6.3% |
| Asian | 11.3% | 7.7% |
| Mean Fire/hazard/flood insurance | $1,845 | $1,822 |
| Mean Number of persons in family | 1.3 | 1.9 |
Boston City--Dorchester & South Boston — FAQ
What is the population of the Boston City--Dorchester & South Boston PUMA?+
The Boston City--Dorchester & South Boston PUMA in Massachusetts has a population of 118,146, per the 2024 American Community Survey (ACS) PUMS.
What is the median household income in Boston City--Dorchester & South Boston, MA?+
Median household income in the Boston City--Dorchester & South Boston PUMA is $121,830, compared with $104,571 across Massachusetts and $83,310 nationally.
What cities and counties are in the Boston City--Dorchester & South Boston PUMA?+
The Boston City--Dorchester & South Boston PUMA covers Boston, Dorchester, South Boston. PUMAs are built from whole counties or, in denser areas, groups of census tracts, so one PUMA can span several places.
What is a PUMA?+
A PUMA (Public Use Microdata Area) is a U.S. Census geography of roughly 100,000 or more people — the most detailed level at which ACS PUMS microdata is released. Massachusetts contains 54 PUMAs.
Where does this Boston City--Dorchester & South Boston data come from?+
These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2024 ACS Public Use Microdata Sample — a de-identified, weighted sample of individual records. PUMSdata is an independent product and is not affiliated with the Census Bureau.