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Profiles: Peoples & Places

Back Bay/Beacon Hill

US Census Bureau data by Boston’s neighborhoods are only available from the 2000 Census. However, the 2010 Census is under way and new neighborhood data will be available in 2011.  Visit the Census Bureau for more information on the 2010 Census. For more recent sub-municipal Boston data, see the “at-a-glance” pages for Boston’s 5 Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMA's) with data through 2008.  Click for a map of Boston's 5 PUMA's.

POPULATION

 

1990 

 2000

Change 

 

 %

% 

Total Population

27,854

100.0%

26,398

100.0%

-5.2%

   % of Boston Population

   

4.9%

   

4.5%

   

RACE & ETHNICITY

Non-Hispanic

26,953

96.8%

25,364

96.1%

-5.9%

   White

24,624

88.4%

22,445

85.0%

-8.8%

   Black or Afr American

960

3.4%

796

3.0%

-17.1%

   Asian or Pacific Islander

1,282

4.6%

1,581

6.0%

23.3%

   Native American

40

0.1%

18

0.1%

-55.0%

   Some other race

47

0.2%

167

0.6%

255.3%

   Two or more races

na

na

357

1.4%

na

Hispanic

901

3.2%

1,034

3.9%

14.8%

AGE

< 5

534

1.9%

674

2.6%

26.2%

5-9

299

1.1%

245

0.9%

-18.1%

10-14

206

0.7%

171

0.6%

-17.0%

15-19

1,834

6.6%

1,153

4.4%

-37.1%

20-24

5,621

20.2%

3,681

13.9%

-34.5%

25-34

8,736

31.4%

8,938

33.9%

2.3%

35-44

4,066

14.6%

4,056

15.4%

-0.2%

45-54

2,636

9.5%

2,824

10.7%

7.1%

55-64

1,741

6.3%

2,492

9.4%

43.1%

65-79

1,566

5.6%

1,710

6.5%

9.2%

80+

620

2.2%

454

1.7%

-26.8%

 

POPULATION BY AGE AND GENDER (2000)  

  TOTAL

  Male

  Female

All Ages

26,398

12,914

13,484

   Under 5

674

307

367

   5 - 9

245

113

132

   10 - 14

171

75

96

   15 - 17

117

44

73

   18 - 24

4,717

2,167

2,550

   25 - 44

12,994

6,527

6,467

   45 - 64

5,316

2,693

2,623

   65+

2,164

988

1,176

 

POPULATION AND HOUSEHOLDS (2000)    

    Neighborhood      

Boston

  

#

 %

#

 %

Total Population

26,398

100.0%

589,141

100.0%

   Population in families

9,530

36.1%

382,668

65.0%

   Foreign born (naturalized)

1,298

4.9%

56,681

9.6%

   Foreign born (not a citizen)

2,841

10.8%

95,155

16.2%

 

 

 

 

 

Population 5 and older

25,724

100.0%

557,376

100.0%

   Same house in 1995

7,474

29.1%

266,242

47.8%

   Speak Spanish

1,014

3.9%

75,711

13.6%

   Speak other Indo-European languages

2,366

9.2%

67,706

12.1%

   Speak Asian languages

964

3.7%

34,765

6.2%

   Speak other language

277

1.1%

8,009

1.4%

 

 

 

 

 

Total Households

16,341

100.0%

239,603

100.0%

   Linguistically isolated

621

3.8%

25,660

10.7%

 

 

 

 

 

Average household size

1.49

2.31

   Family households

2.34

3.28

   Non-family households

1.21

1.39

 

 

 

 

 

Median household income

$66,427

$39,629

   Family households

$131,249

$44,151

   Non-family households

$52,153

$33,332

  

 

 

 

 

Workers 16 years and over

17,660

100.0%

278,463

100.0%

   Took public transit to work

4,368

24.7%

89,906

32.3%

   Walked to work

6,847

38.8%

36,323

13.0%

INCOME & POVERTY

 

1990

2000

Change

Median Household    Income *

$52,063

$66,428

27.6%

 Per Capita Income *

$51,520

$68,002

32.0%

 Individuals in Poverty **

2,660

11.7%

2,541

10.3%

-4.5%

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Income data from the 1990 and 2000 Census are for the prior calendar year (1989 and 1999). The 1989 income data were adjusted for inflation to 1999 dollars.

** Excludes institutionalized people, people in military group quarters, people in college dormitories, and unrelated individuals under 15 years old

HOUSING

 

1990

2000

Change

 

#

%

#

%

%

Total Housing Units

17,975

100.0%

17,912

100.0%

-0.4%

   % of Boston Housing

   

7.2%

   

7.1%

   

Occupied Housing Units

15,888

88.4%

16,558

92.4%

4.2%

   Owner Occupied

4,602

29.0%

5,241

31.7%

13.9%

   Renter Occupied

11,286

71.0%

11,317

68.3%

0.3%

Vacant Housing Units

2,087

11.6%

1,354

7.6%

-35.1%

Family Households

3,535

22.2%

4,066

24.9%

15.0%

   Married-couple family

2,998

18.9%

3,655

22.4%

21.9%

   Single-person household

537

3.4%

411

2.5%

-23.5%

Nonfamily Households

12,356

77.8%

12,275

75.1%

-0.1%


Residential Housing, by Type (2005)

 

#

%

Single Family

477

19.2%

Two Family

115

4.6%

Three Family

61

2.5%

  SubTotal 1, 2, 3 Family Properties

  653  

  26.3%  

Four-Six Family

234

9.4%

Apartment Buildings

454

18.3%

Mixed Residential/Commercial

273

11.0%

Condominium Associations

871

35.1%

  Total Residential & Mixed Properties

2,485

NA

 

Neighborhood

Boston

Median Residential Sales Prices

2003

2004

2003

2004

   Single Family

$2,262,500

$1,837,500 

$338,950

 $379,000

   Two-Family

*

$386,000

 $456,000

   Three-Family

*

$430,000

 $515,000

   Condominium

$435,000

$535,000 

$319,000

 $350,000

All Residential Sales

$453,750

 $545,000

$340,000

 $380,000

Median Monthly Rent (two-bedroom)

$2,250

$2,250 

$1,500

 $1,450

Foreclosure Deeds

 0

 0

 33

 43

 

Neighborhood

Boston

Median Residential Sales Prices

2005

2006

2005

2006

   Single Family

$2,095,351

$2,120,000 

$386,995

 $370,000

   Two-Family

*

$480,000

 $479,450

   Three-Family

*

$540,000

 $526,250

   Condominium

$525,000

$530,500 

$350,000

 $350,000

All Residential Sales

$540,000

 $554,000

$390,000

 $382,000

Median Asking Monthly Rent

$2,450

$2,600 

$1,500

 $1,650

Foreclosure Deeds

2

    60

   261

 

Neighborhood

Boston

Median Residential Sales Prices

2007

2008

2007

2008

   Single Family

$2,045,000

$2,125,000

$370,000

$335,000

   Two-Family

*

*

$440,100

$308,750

   Three-Family

*

*

$470,000

$305,000

   Condominium

$570,000

$620,000

$355,000

$370,000

All Residential Sales

$595,000

$630,000

$374,500

$352,000

Median Asking Monthly Rent

$2,600

$2,625

$1,800

$1,850

Foreclosure Deeds

5

4

    703

1,215

LAND & OPEN SPACE (2000)

Land Area (Sq Miles)

0.94

Persons per Sq Mile

28,427

% open space

20.1%

Open space per 1,000 people

4.5

Protected open space per 1,000 people

4.5

BackBay BeaconHill

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NEWS RESOURCES & INFORMATION ABOUTALLSTON/BRIGHTON

Contact us  to submit your resources and information about Back Bay/Beacon Hill!

Beacon Hill Online: the neighborhood website for visitors and residents of Beacon Hill and provides links to a host of community resources.

Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay: volunteer organization to promote the quality of life and preservation of the Back Bay neighborhood.

My Neighborhood Boston: Back Bay/Beacon Hill: get to know these neighborhoods through the eyes, words and art of the residents.

Beacon Hill Civic Association: volunteer organization to promote the quality of life and preservation of the Beacon Hill neighborhood.

For more detailed demographic data about Back Bay - Beacon Hill from the US Census Bureau, download the Boston Redevelopment Authority's Back Bay-Beacon Hill 2000 Census of Population and Housing .

For more detailed information about the health status of the residents of Back Bay - Beacon Hill, download the Boston Public Health Commission’s
Health Status Report for Back Bay and the North End , as well as the Health Commission's  Health of Boston 2009 , an annual compendium of Boston health statistics, with data by neighborhood.

See also the 
Greater Boston Data Portal  on the Boston Indicators Project homepage.