1. 2010 Census: What is
the BIG story?
Alvaro Lima
Director of Research
Boston Redevelopment Authority

2. During the last decade
Boston’s population
grew

3. In the last decade, Boston’s population grew by 4.8%…
Boston’s Population (1950 – 2010)
850,000
801,444
800,000
750,000
697,197
700,000
641,071
650,000
4.8%
600,000 617,594
589,141
574,283
550,000 562,994
500,000
450,000
400,000
1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
Source: US Census Bureau, BRA Research Division Analysis

4. …and it has also grown more than most other cities in the
Northeast
Source: US Census Bureau, BRA Research Division Analysis

5. …it has grown faster than it did in the last two decades
reversing the negative trend of the three decades prior to
1980…
Boston’s Population (1950 – 2010)
850,000
800,000
750,000 -13%
700,000
-8%
650,000
4.8%
600,000
-12% 2.6%
2.0%
550,000
500,000
-29.7% between 1950 and 1980 +9.7% since 1980
450,000
400,000
1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
Source: US Census Bureau, BRA Research Division Analysis

6. It didn't just grow ,
it grew younger

7. 35% of our population is between the ages of 20 and 34…
Boston's Population by Age - 2010
19%
22%
0-19 years
20-34 years
35-54 years
55 and older
24%
35%
Source: US Census Bureau, BRA Research Division Analysis

8. We have the highest concentration of young adults (20-34)
among the 25 largest cities in the country
% of Total Location
City 20 to 34-Year-Olds
Population Quotient
Boston 216,213 35.0% 1.73
Austin 251,064 31.8% 1.57
Washington DC 188,855 31.4% 1.55
Atlanta 127,101 30.3% 1.49
Seattle 181,501 29.8% 1.47
San Francisco 228,738 28.4% 1.40
Chicago 738,578 27.4% 1.35
Dallas 314,728 26.3% 1.29
Houston 545,071 26.0% 1.28
Baltimore 160,024 25.8% 1.27
Philadelphia 392,776 25.7% 1.27
Los Angeles 953,443 25.1% 1.24
New York 2,035,030 24.9% 1.23
San Antonio 304,784 23.0% 1.13
Phoenix 330,885 22.9% 1.13
Source: US Census Bureau, BRA Research Division Analysis

9. … not just younger
but smarter

10. 44.3% of Boston’s population has at least a bachelor’s degree…
Educational Attainment (2000 – 2010)
30.0% 120,000
24.5%
25.0% 23.8% 100,000
21.1%
24.0%
19.8%
20.0% 19.4% 80,000
20.2%
17.7%
14.2%
15.0% 60,000
15.3%
10.0% 40,000
5.0% 20,000
0.0% -
Less than high school High school graduate Some college or Bachelor's degree Graduate or professional
diploma (includes equivalency) associate's degree degree
2000 2010 % of 2000 Population % of 2010 Population
Source: 2000 Census Summary File 3, 2010 American Community Survey, US Census Bureau, BRA Research Division Analysis

11. …ranking 4th among the 25 largest cities in the country
Bachelor's Graduate or Bachelor's
Rank City
degree professional degree or higher
1 Seattle, Washington 33.1% 22.9% 56.0%
2 San Francisco, California 31.4% 19.5% 50.9%
3 Washington, District of Columbia 23.2% 26.9% 50.1%
4 Boston, Massachusetts 24.5% 19.8% 44.3%
5 Austin, Texas 27.5% 16.1% 43.6%
6 Portland, Oregon 26.3% 15.9% 42.2%
7 Denver, Colorado 25.4% 15.5% 40.9%
8 San Diego, California 24.1% 16.3% 40.4%
9 Charlotte, North Carolina 25.9% 12.8% 38.7%
10 San Jose, California 23.2% 13.4% 36.6%
11 Nashville-Davidson, Tennessee 20.0% 13.6% 33.6%
12 Chicago, Illinois 20.2% 13.2% 33.4%
13 New York, New York 19.9% 13.4% 33.3%
14 Columbus, Ohio 21.3% 10.4% 31.7%
15 Los Angeles, California 20.4% 10.3% 30.7%
16 Dallas, Texas 18.5% 10.4% 28.9%
17 Houston, Texas 17.4% 11.0% 28.4%
18 Louisville-Jefferson, Kentucky 16.4% 11.0% 27.4%
19 Indianapolis, Indiana 17.6% 9.0% 26.6%
20 Fort Worth, Texas 18.5% 7.5% 26.0%
11
Source: 2010 American Community Survey, US Census Bureau, BRA Research Division Analysis

12. and the city became more
diverse

13. Today less than half of Boston’s population is white, compared
to close to 70% in 1980…
1980 1990 2000
1% 3% 0% 5% 1%
0 3%
6% 8% 1%
11% 0%
14%
22%
49.5%
24%
59%
68%
24%
2010
2% 2%
9%
0%
18%
47%
22%
Source: US Census Bureau, BRA Research Division Analysis

14. Boston’s neighborhoods are more diverse today than they
were in 2000
North
Dorchester 2010 2000
Back Bay/ 0.80 South
Beacon Hill Dorchester
0.70
South Harbor
Boston 0.60 Islands
0.50
Mattapan 0.40 Boston
0.30
0.20
Charlestown South End
0.10
0.00
West
Roslindale
Roxbury
Central Hyde Park
Allston/ Jamaica
Brighton Plain
Feneway/
Roxbury
Kenmore
East Boston
Source: US Census 2010, BRA Research Division Analysis

15. Immigrants are a
big part of this
story…

16. Historically, Boston has had a greater proportion of foreign-
born residents than the Commonwealth and the country…
Foreign-born Population 1850 – 2009 (% of total population)
40%
Boston
35% Massachusetts
United States
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
1850
1860
1870
1880
1890
1900
1910
1920
1930
1940
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2006
2009
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, BRA Research Division Analysis

17. Boston ranks 6th among the 25 largest cities in the U.S. in
proportion of the population that is foreign-born…
Foreign Born Rank % Foreign Born City Population Rank
1 39.1% Los Angeles, CA 2
2 38.6% San Jose, CA 10
3 37.2% New York, NY 1
4 35.5% San Francisco, CA 13
5 28.7% Houston, TX 4
6 26.9% Boston, MA 22
7 26.1% San Diego, CA 8
8 25.3% Dallas, TX 9
9 24.6% El Paso, TX 19
10 20.7% Chicago, IL 3
11 20.0% Phoenix, AZ 6
12 18.7% Austin, TX 14
13 17.2% Seattle, WA 23
14 16.9% Fort Worth, TX 16
15 14.4% San Antonio, TX 7
16 14.4% Charlotte, NC 17
17 13.5% Washington, DC 24
18 11.6% Philadelphia, PA 5
19 11.0% Columbus, OH 15
20 10.9% Nashville, TN 25
21 9.4% Jacksonville, FL 11
22 9.0% Indianapolis, IN 12
23 7.1% Baltimore, MD 21
24 6.2% Memphis, TN 20
25 4.8% Detroit, MI 18
Source: 2010 Census, BRA Research Division Analysis.

18. Without the influx of immigrants, Boston’s population would
be smaller today than it was in 1990…
Boston’s Population Trends – (1990 – 2010)
650,000
623,134
600,000
590,490
Native
573,287
Total
550,000
Population
500,000
461,798
457,239
450,000
436,742
400,000
350,000
1990 2000 2010
Year
Source: US Census Bureau, BRA Research Division Analysis

19. Boston’s labor force would be smaller as well as its output
Boston’s Workforce Trends (1990 – 2010) Boston Output Trends (in 2010 dollar)
450,000 $100,000,000,000
Native
Native Employed Total
$90,000,000,000
Total Employed $87 billion
400,000 403,386
$80,000,000,000
$70,000,000,000
350,000 $67 billion
$60,000,000,000
Population
U.S.Dollar
300,000 302,502
$50,000,000,000
288,076 283,576
$40,000,000,000 $38 billion
250,000
$30,000,000,000 $26 billion $29 billion
229,843
203,454 $20,000,000,000 $21 billion
200,000
$10,000,000,000
150,000
$-
1990 2000 2010
1990 2000 2010
Year
Year
Source: US Census Bureau, 2010 Regional Economic Modeling and Corporate, BRA Research Division Analysis

20. Immigrants also contribute as consumers and entrepreneurs by
creating jobs, wealth and paying taxes
 Consumer Impact
– Total Consumer Spending: $3.48 billion
– Indirect Jobs: 29,044 jobs
– Total Direct Taxes Paid: $940 million Total Impact
– Total Gross State Product:
$9.79 billion
– State and Federal Taxes:
$1.54 billion
– Total Direct & Indirect
 Business Impact Jobs: 74,025
– Number of Businesses: 7,988
– Total Number of Employees
• Direct Jobs: 20,713 jobs
• Indirect Jobs: 24,267 jobs
– Total Annual Sales: $3.78 Billion
Source: 2010 Regional Economic Modeling and Corporate, US Census Bureau, BRA Research Division Analysis

21. …today most immigrants come from the Caribbean, Latin America
and Asia, contributing to Boston’s “majority-minority” status
Boston’s Top Ten Immigrant Communities
Haiti 10.2%
China 8.9%
Dominican Republic 8.3%
Vietnam 4.2%
El Salvador 4.2%
Jamaica 4.2%
Colombia 3.3%
Ireland 3.3%
Brazil 3.1%
Trinidad & Tobago 2.5%
0.0% 2.0% 4.0% 6.0% 8.0% 10.0% 12.0%
Source: 2010 Census, BRA Research Division Analysis.

22. Progress has been made
but there are still
barriers to
integration

23. 32.1% of immigrants have not completed high school compared
to 23.1% of native born
Educational Attainment by Nativity – 2010
35.0%
32.1%
30.0%
25.0% 24.0%
23.1% 21.9% Foreign-Born
Native-Born
20.0% 18.1%
16.8% 16.8%
15.0% 14.1%
12.6%
11.4%
10.0%
5.3%
5.0% 3.8%
0.0%
Less than HS High School Some College Associates Degree Bachelors Degree Graduate Degree
Source: 2000 Census Public Use Microdata Sample and 2009 American Community Survey, Public Use Microdata Sample BRA Research Division Analysis

24. … a higher proportion of foreign-born residents have limited
English proficiency in 2009 than in 2000
English Proficiency – 2010
2000 2009
7.7% 8.5%
92.3% 91.5%
English Proficient English Proficient
Limited English Proficiency Limited English Proficiency
Source: 2000 Census Public Use Microdata Sample and 2009 American Community Survey, Public Use Microdata Sample BRA Research Division Analysis

25. The income gap between foreign and native born grows with
level of education
Wage Differential By Educational Attainment
$100,000
$94,550
$90,000
$80,000
$70,000 $66,867
$62,679
$60,000
$50,000
Foreign-Born
$42,253
$40,284
$40,000 Native-Born
$32,241 $36,250
$30,145
$30,000 $28,149
$22,198
$17,402
$20,000 $16,318
$10,000
$-
Less than High High School Some College Associate's Degree Bachelor's Degree Graduate Degree
School
Source: 2009 American Community Survey Public Use Micro-data Sample (PUMS), BRA Research Division Analysis

26. These outcomes are the result of barriers that do not allow immigrants to
gain the education, learn the language and acquire the skills they
need, hampering their integration
Integration depends on the
Integration Paths “Opportunity Structure”
Higher Income
immigrants encounter:
Upward
Integration
 Work permits
 Education & Training
Middle Class
 Certification
 Language Acquisition
Lower Income
Downward
Integration
 Access to Employment
Years in the U.S.  Fair Labor Practices
 etc…

27. …and this is the work
ahead of us today
Thank you