New Data Shows Who Lives Where in Boston

Map provided by cityofboston.gov

While it’s no surprise that young students live in Allston or that housing development is booming in South Boston, data from the Boston Redevelopment Authority’s new report, Boston in Context, takes a deeper dive into just who lives where in the city. In the report, neighborhoods (defined by zip code and zoning boundaries) are compared using demographic and economic data from the 2010 Census and 2009-2013 American Community Survey. There’s no shortage of information in the publication, but here are some water cooler facts to share on Boston’s neighborhoods:

Youngest neighbors: The Longwood Medical area, with a median resident age of 20.7 years old. Fenway and Allston are next in line for most youthful neighborhood.
Company for baby boomers: West Roxbury, with a 65+ population of 18%.
Greatest population growth: The South Boston Waterfront, with 271.1% growth between 2000 and 2010. The Leather District is a close second.
Neighbors who speak a second language: East Boston, where only 31.5% of residents speak English and no additional languages.
Most educated residents: Beacon Hill, where 88.7% of residents have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Most likely to bike to work: Jamaica Plain, where 1,197 residents bike to work.
Where nursery schoolers hang out: Charlestown, with 12.8% of the population over the age of three enrolled in nursery school.
Least likely to move: Hyde Park and West Roxbury, where 90.3% of the population lives in the same house that they did a year ago.
Most likely to rent: Chinatown, where 93.3% of residents rent.
Most new-build homes: The South Boston Waterfront, which had 270 housing units in 2000, and 1,214 in 2010.

Information via the Boston Redevelopment Authority Research Division Analysis, August 2015. More information about data found by the Boston Redevelopment Authority can be found on the BRA Research Website.