Boston's Labor Market

Interested in Boston's Workforce? We have information on the Labor Market, Economy, and Population.

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The Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) maintains dashboards on critical labor market trends in the City of Boston.

Still have questions? Contact:
Workforce Development

617-918-5248

send an email

43 Hawkins Street

Boston, MA 02114
United States

Boston’s Workforce and Communities

Total Residents	Median Household Income	Poverty Rate
681,937	$89,212	17.4%

*Note: The Census Bureau accepted the City of Boston's Post Census Group Quarters Review in 2022. The population is adjusted accordingly and available at the tract, neighborhood, and city levels.

The data above is from the American Community Survey 2018-2022 via MyCensusViewer by the BPDA Research Division. These and other statistics can be found on the MyCensusViewer tool, an interactive map built on U.S. Census Bureau data. With this tool, you can select a neighborhood, census tract, or the entire city to get location-specific population, education, income, housing, and employment information. Examples include:

The number of Roxbury residents who have a bachelor’s degree
The most common occupations for residents of Savin Hill
The percentage of Bostonians between the ages of 25-29

View the data

The State of Boston's Economy

Unemployment Rate Dec. 2023¹	Labor Force Participation Rate²	Residents 25+ with a Bachelors or higher, 2022³
3.2%	69.7%	54.3%
Nationwide 3.5%	Nationwide⁵ 63.5%	Nationwide⁶ 33.7%

Unemployment Rate

Dec. 2023¹

Labor Force Participation Rate²

Residents 25+ with a Bachelors or higher,

2022³

3.2%

69.7%

54.3%

Nationwide

3.5%

Nationwide⁵

63.5%

Nationwide⁶

33.7%

^{1, 4}Monthly/not seasonally adjusted, Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics; ²Annual, Boston-At-a-Glance 2024, BPDA Research Division; ³2022 ACS 1-Year Estimate; ⁵Annual, 2018-2022 ACS Table DP03; ⁶Annual, 2017-2021 ACS Table DP02

The Economics Indicators dashboard provides monthly updates on the Labor Market, Mobility (transportation), Economic Activity (consumer spending), Real Estate Market, and Real Estate Development. The dashboard can help answer questions like:

How did Boston’s unemployment rate compare to the US unemployment rate in 2023?
What was the occupancy rate in Boston hotels in June 2021?

View the data

Employment Density and Location in Boston

Use the Employment Map, an interactive map of employment in Boston by location and industry, to visualize payroll job locations across the City. Use this tool to analyze employment trends in several of Boston’s “Main Streets” and Commercial Hub locations. Clusters of dots indicate high employment density and can be filtered by a two-digit NAICS code.

View the data