Boston in numbers — economics, housing, urban form, mobility, beside the national average.
Boston, MA, anchors the northeast with 654,423 residents on 48.4 square miles — 13,521 to the square mile. Its economy produces $571 billion — $113,413 per resident — led by education, healthcare, biotechnology, financial services. The median home trades at $799,900. The built city reads as mixed vertical, a legacy of its early industrial growth.
Central Business District
| Cbd Name |
Financial District |
| Cbd Type |
primary |
| Center Lat |
42.36 |
| Center Lng |
-71.06 |
| Radius Km |
0.85 |
| Total Buildings |
509 |
| Buildings 10plus Floors |
69 |
| Buildings 20plus Floors |
43 |
Overview
| City Name |
Boston |
| State |
MA |
| Country |
United States |
| Region |
Northeast |
| Area Km2 |
125.4 |
| Land Area Sq Miles |
48.4 |
| Population |
654,423 |
| Population Density Per Sqmi |
13,521.14 |
| Population Growth Rate 1 |
-0.15 |
| Metropolitan Population |
4,900,000 |
Economics
|
City |
Natl avg |
| Gdp Billions 2 |
571 |
319.49 |
| Gdp Per Capita 3 |
113,413 |
69,842.03 |
| Unemployment Rate |
4.1 |
4.14 |
| Major Industries |
Education, healthcare, biotechnology, financial services |
— |
| Average Income |
112,842 |
72,708.01 |
| Cost Living Index 4 |
149.2 |
110.36 |
| Housing Affordability Ratio 5 |
6.5 |
5.46 |
| Commercial Real Estate Cost |
55 |
31.32 |
| City Name |
Boston |
— |
Housing
|
City |
Natl avg |
| Median Home Price |
799,900 |
512,278.7 |
| Rental Affordability Index 6 |
8.09 |
6.15 |
| Housing Typology Diversity 7 |
0.85 |
0.76 |
| Housing Price Growth Rate 8 |
-0.15 |
1.76 |
Urban Form
|
City |
Natl avg |
| Area Sqmi |
48.4 |
124.28 |
| Built Density 9 |
13,521.14 |
4,657.14 |
| Avg Building Height 10 |
79.5 |
182.56 |
| Land Use Mix Index 11 |
-2,028.68 |
-1,485.93 |
| Public Space Percentage |
0 |
0.1 |
| Street Connectivity Index 12 |
9.8 |
4.9 |
| Sprawl Index 13 |
1 |
1.84 |
| Historical Development Pattern |
Early Industrial |
— |
| Building Age Distribution |
{"pre_1950": 315, "1950_1979": 46, "1980_1999": 72, "2000_plus": 59} |
— |
| Urban Morphology Type |
Mixed Vertical |
— |
Mobility
|
City |
Natl avg |
| Public Transit Mode Share 14 |
45.2 |
21.36 |
| Walkability Score 15 |
98 |
49.04 |
| Cycling Infrastructure Miles |
73.8 |
44.83 |
| Avg Commute Time |
34.2 |
25.74 |
| Traffic Congestion Index 16 |
75.8 |
47.8 |
| Vehicle Ownership Rate |
49.8 |
74.17 |
| Transportation Accessibility Score |
66.8 |
34.36 |
| Micromobility Options |
Bikeshare |
— |
| Transit Frequency Score 17 |
5 |
3.64 |
World Comparison
| Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) |
1,982,112 — 303% of Boston |
| Dubai (UAE) |
3,600,000 — 550% of Boston |
| Hong Kong (China) |
7,500,700 — 1146% of Boston |
The Building Stock
| Buildings On File |
509 |
| With Measured Heights |
509 |
| Mean Roof Height |
81 ft (24.7 m) |
| Tallest On File |
790 ft (240.8 m) |
| Under 100 Ft |
429 |
| 100 To 250 Ft |
36 |
| 250 To 500 Ft |
27 |
| 500 To 1,000 Ft |
17 |
The Tallest On File
| 200 Clarendon Street |
791 ft |
| 111 Huntington Avenue |
702 ft |
| One Dalton |
640 ft |
| Federal Reserve Bank Building |
614 ft |
| One Boston Place |
600 ft |
| PURCHASE, Boston |
597 ft |
| SUDBURY, Boston |
597 ft |
| Millennium Tower |
591 ft |
Further Reading
Compiled 2026-09-01 from the urbanicity research tables.
1 Population Growth Rate — Annualized rate, recent period.
2 Gdp Billions — Metropolitan GDP, in billions of USD.
3 Gdp Per Capita — Metro GDP divided by resident population, USD.
4 Cost Living Index — Composite cost of living; U.S. average = 100.
5 Housing Affordability Ratio — Median home price ÷ median household income; higher = less affordable.
6 Rental Affordability Index — Share of income consumed by median rent; higher = less affordable.
7 Housing Typology Diversity — Mix of housing types, 0–1; higher = more varied stock.
8 Housing Price Growth Rate — Annualized price change, recent period.
9 Built Density — Population per square mile of built-up land.
10 Avg Building Height — Mean building height, feet.
11 Land Use Mix Index — Diversity of land uses; source column under data review.
12 Street Connectivity Index — Intersection density and network grain; higher = finer grid.
13 Sprawl Index — Compactness measure; higher = more sprawl.
14 Public Transit Mode Share — Percent of commutes by transit.
15 Walkability Score — 0–100; higher = more walkable.
16 Traffic Congestion Index — Delay relative to free-flow travel; higher = worse.
17 Transit Frequency Score — Service frequency composite, 0–10.