Who's struggling to get by in Boston?

The share of residents in Boston, MA living below the federal poverty line, how it has changed since 2015 and how it compares with the county, the state and the country.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, tables B17001 and B19013.

This story was assembled using AI and public data sources.

How many people in Boston live below the poverty line?

Residents below the federal poverty line: 16.9% — About 105,290 people · U.S.: 12.4%

Poverty rate

• Boston: 16.9
• Suffolk County: 16.5
• MA: 10
• U.S.: 12.4

Median household income: $94,755 — U.S.: $78,538

Poverty rate, 2015 to 2023

• 2015: 21.5
• 2023: 16.9

What it means

Boston's poverty rate is far higher than the national figure — 16.9% here versus 12.4% nationally.

Since 2015 the rate has fallen by about 4.7 percentage points.

The federal poverty threshold is the same nationwide and is not adjusted for local housing costs, so a high-cost city can look better on this measure than it feels to residents.