Boston Population Stats
Sep 24 2008, 03:09 EDT
Internet128 always has interesting things to say about Boston/Mass population surveys - at least when he isn't talking about the Patriots. The newest ACS data is out, here is a table of Suffolk county data which comprises Boston (600k) plus a little extra (100k).

I'm no population expert so here are some facts that made me say "really?" (casual rounding errors are mine):

  • 50% of the population over 15 is never married. Wow, and is it legal to get married at 15 in Mass? In Alabama even?
  • 50% of the population is non-white. Even if you include all the stops on the Orange line this seems high to me.
  • 45% of the population is enrolled in college. Even in a college town that seems outrageously high. But it may explain the marriage stats. On the other hand that would be almost everyone aged 18-45 (50%).
  • Some of the margins for error are ridiculously high. "Responsible for grandchildren" is 30% (of the 400k aged 30+) plus or minus 10%. And no, I'm not sure what that means.
  • 70% of the population was born in the US. This one actually strikes me as about right. It also makes sense of the statistic that only 65% of homes are "English Only." I have friends who speak to their parents only in Greek, Urdu, Estonian, or Italian but you'd never know it unless you stop by their parent's house for dinner.
  • Only 0.3% of the population is involved in agriculture or fishing. I guess the fishermen and cranberry bogs aren't in Suffolk county.
  • 60% of the population lives in a structure that was built before 1940.
None of those stats were really shocking but some of them violated my rules of thumb that are based on the overall US population. US cities are different than national stats, obviously.

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