Baby Boomers in Boston

BABY BOOMERS IN BOSTONBRA Research Division

November 2015

November 9, 20152

The Baby Boomers are the demographic cohort born between 1946 and 1964

In the United States, the Baby Boomers have been an influential demographic force as they have aged

The Boston situation is different: the Baby Boom population in Boston peaked in 1980 when the Boomers were young adults

Since 1980, the Baby Boomer population of Boston has fallen by about 50%

There were fewer than 120,000 Baby Boomers in Boston in 2013 – 18.5% of the Boston population

Baby Boomers in Boston

Summary

November 9, 20153

The population of Baby Boomers in Boston reached its peak in 1980 when they were 16-34 years old

The Baby Boomer population has been declining since then to a low of 119,568 in 2013


Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 1970-2000 Decennial Census, 2010 & 2013 1-year American Community Survey, IPUMS, BRA Research Division Analysis

230,554 237,000

195,135

140,424

120,252 119,568

-

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

1970 - Ages 6-24 1980 - Ages 16-34 1990 - Ages 26-44 2000 - Ages 36-44 2010 - Ages 46-64 2013 - Ages 49-67


November 9, 20154

The Baby Boomer population of non-Hispanic Whites has fallen dramatically from 167,100 in 1980 to 56,133 in 2013

The Black/African-American Baby Boomer population has also fallen from 46,320 in 1980 to 31,864 in 2013

The Hispanic and Asian Baby Boomer populations have increased since 1980, likely due to immigration


167,100

118,522

67,833 56,072 56,133

46,320

44,419

36,124 32,539 31,864

15,040

20,432

19,163 18,171 17,635

7,020

10,091

9,660 10,640 10,811

-

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

1980 - Ages 16-34 1990 - Ages 26-44 2000 - Ages 36-54 2010 - Ages 46-64 2013 - Ages 49-67

Baby Boomer Population by Race/Ethnicity

White Alone Black/African American Alone Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander Alone Other


November 9, 20155

Baby Boomers are less likely to be Hispanic than the general Boston population – most Hispanics in Boston are younger: 60% are under 35 years old

The share of Baby Boomers who are White or Asian is similar to the Boston population


Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2013 American Community Survey, IPUMS, BRA Research Division Analysis

46.9% 46.0%

26.6%21.9%

14.7%18.8%

9.0% 8.9%

2.6% 4.4%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Baby Boomers All Residents

Race/Ethnicity in 2013

White Alone Black/African American Alone Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander Alone Other

November 9, 20156

The foreign-born Baby Boomer population jumped 1980 to 1990 and has remained stable since 1990

The native-born Baby Boomer population fell dramatically from 1980 to 2010

The foreign-born share of the Baby Boomer population rose from 13% in 1980 to 37% in 2013


206,400

150,755

93,961 75,526 75,028

30,600

44,380

46,463 44,726 44,540

-

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

1980: Ages 16-34 1990: Ages 26-44 2000: Ages 36-54 2010: Ages 46-54 2013: Ages 49-67

Baby Boomer Population by Nativity

Native born Foreign born


November 9, 20157

37.3% of Baby Boomers in Boston in 2013 were born outside of the United States, significantly higher than the foreign-born percentage for Boston as a whole: 27.3%

60.3% of the foreign-born Baby Boomers and 45.8% of all foreign-born residents are naturalized U.S. citizens



62.7%72.7%

22.5%12.5%

14.7% 14.8%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%


Citizenship Status 2013

Native Born Naturalized citizen Not a citizen

November 9, 20158

65.2% of Baby Boomers speak English at home, compared to 61.2% of all Boston residents

The most common other languages are Spanish, Chinese, French, Vietnamese, and Portuguese



65.2% 61.2%

14.8% 15.7%

4.8% 3.2%4.3% 4.9%2.2% 1.3%

1.7% 1.2%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%


Language Spoken at Home 2013

English Spanish Chinese French Vietnamese Portuguese

November 9, 20159

About 65% of Baby Boomers and all Boston residents age five and over speak only English at home

Baby Boomers who speak another language at home are less likely to also speak English very well



65.2%

10.1% 8.2%11.5%

5.1%

64.7%

19.4%

6.4% 6.5%3.0%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Speaks only English at home Speaks another language at home,but speaks English very well

Speaks English well Speaks English, but not well Does not speak English

English Proficiency - 2013

Baby Boomers All Residents 5+

November 9, 201510

Baby Boomers in Boston are fairly evenly distributed at all educational levels

Overall Baby Boomers have somewhat lower educational attainment: 34.1% have a Bachelor’s degree or higher compared to 45.7% of all Boston residents age 25 and over



19.5%

25.6%

20.9%

16.4%17.7%

13.7%

21.9%

18.7%

25.1%

20.6%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

Less than High School High School Some College or Associate'sDegree

Bachelor's Degree Advanced Degree

Educational Attainment


November 9, 201511

About two thirds of Baby Boomers in Boston are in the labor force, either working or looking for work – slightly lower than the labor force participation rate for all residents age 16+ which is 69.1%

Labor force participation rates are about the same for men and women



67.0% 69.1%

33.0% 30.9%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%


Labor Force Participation 2013

In Labor Force Not in Labor Force

November 9, 201512

Employed Baby Boomers have a median personal income of $45,000, compared to $40,000 for the total employed population age 15+

While Baby Boomers have less education on average, they may have many years of work experience

11% of Baby Boomers make over $125,000 a year



6.9%

17.9%

31.3%

17.4%

10.4%

4.9%

11.2%13.5%

18.5%

28.8%

18.1%

8.9%

5.2%6.9%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

Less than $10,000 $10,000-$24,999 $25,000-$49,999 $50,000-$74,999 $75,000-$99,999 $100,000-124,999 Over $125,000

Personal Income of Employed Residents 2013

Employed Baby Boomers All Employed Residents Age 15+

November 9, 201513

Baby Boomer households have higher family incomes on average than the general Boston household population

Median family income for Baby Boomer households is $57,600 compared to $50,000 for all Boston households

Only 17.6% of Baby Boomers live below the Census poverty threshold compared to 26.6% of all Boston residents


Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2013 American Community Survey, IPUMS, BRA Research Division AnalysisNote: The poverty threshold depends on household size and composition. The poverty threshold for a family of two adults and two children in 2013 was $23,624. Income distribution excludes those living in group quarters

24.4%

19.8%18.0%

8.9% 9.6%

5.2%6.3%

7.8%

28.9%

20.8%

16.2%

9.6%8.1%

4.7% 4.9%6.7%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

less than $25,000 $25,000-$49,999 $50,000-$74,999 $75,000-$99,999 $100,000-$124,999 $125,000-$149,999 $150,000-$199,999 over $200,000

Family Income Distribution 2013


November 9, 201514

Non-Hispanic Whites are the largest group of Baby Boomers to have incomes less than $25,000

However, as a share of their population, Black/African-American, Hispanic and Asian Baby Boomers are more likely to be low income

44% of Hispanic Baby Boomers have family incomes under $25,000


-

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

9,000

10,000

less than $25,000 $25,000-$49,999 $50,000-$74,999 $75,000-$99,999 $100,000-$124,999 $125,000-$149,999 $150,000-$199,999 over $200,000

Nu

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Baby Boomer Family Income by Race 2013

White Black/African-American Hispanic Asian


November 9, 201515

Native-born Baby Boomers have higher family incomes than foreign-born Baby Boomers

23% of Native-born Baby Boomers have family incomes over $125,000 compared to only 13.1% of foreign-born Baby Boomers

Baby Boomers who are naturalized citizens have higher family incomes than those who are not citizens



-

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

14,000

16,000

18,000

less than $25,000 $25,000-$49,999 $50,000-$74,999 $75,000-$99,999 $100,000-$124,999 $125,000-$149,999 $150,000-$199,999 over $200,000

Nu

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aby

Bo

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Baby Boomer's Family Income by Citizenship

Native Born Naturalized Citizen Not a Citizen

November 9, 201516

56.5% of employed Baby Boomers living in Boston commute to work by car, compared to 46.3% of all employed residents

73.9% of Baby Boomers live in a household with at least one vehicle, compared to 68.5% of all Boston residents

Baby Boomers are less likely to take public transportation or walk to work than the general employed population



56.5%46.3%

27.2%

33.2%

9.8% 14.6%

4.3% 3.4%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%


Commute Mode

Worked at home

Other

Biked

Walked

Transit

Car

November 9, 201517

47.7% of Baby Boomers live in owner-occupied housing, compared to only 32.2% of all Boston residents



47.7%

32.2%

50.4%

60.4%

1.9%7.4%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%


Ownership of Residence 2013

Group Quarters

Rented

Owner-Occupied

November 9, 201518

Baby Boomers are less transient than the general population of householders

Over half of all Boston householders have lived in their current residence less than four years, compared to only 30% of Baby Boomer householders

Baby Boomer householders have lived in their current residence for a median of about 10 years, compared to about 4 years for all householders


7.6%

4.8%

17.7%

21.6%

24.5%

14.1%

9.7%

19.8%

8.6%

24.3%

18.0%

14.6%

6.8%7.8%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

12 months or less 13-23 months ago 2-4 years ago 5-9 years ago 10-19 years ago 20-29 years ago 30+ years ago

When Boston householder moved into residence

Baby Boomer Householder All Householders

Note: The U.S. Census defines a householder as one of the adults in whose name the housing unit is owned or rented. If the housing unit is owned or rented jointly, either party may be considered the householder.


November 9, 201519

Migration of Baby Boomers in and out of Suffolk County: 2012-2013

About 6,331 Baby Boomers moved to Suffolk County 2012-2013: 62% from elsewhere in Massachusetts, 26% from other states, and 13% from abroad.

At least 6,041 Baby Boomers left Suffolk County 2012-2013: 67% went elsewhere in Massachusetts and 33% went to other states. An additional unknown number of Baby Boomers left for other countries.


Massachusetts Suffolk County

3,911

4,068

1,6

19

1,9

73

801

?To/from abroad

To/from other states

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2013 American Community Survey, IPUMS, BRA Research Division AnalysisNote: Information was not available for those who left the United States. Since they did not reside in the U.S. in 2013, they were not captured in the 2013 American Community Survey

November 9, 201520

The approximately 14,500 Suffolk County Baby Boomers who moved to a new residence 2012-2013 generally did not move far

56.3% moved within Suffolk County and 83.3% moved within Massachusetts

The general population of movers is more likely to come from further away – 19.4% moved from another state and 8.7% moved from abroad



56.3%

25.4%

1.6%

11.2%

5.5%

48.8%

22.4%

0.6%

19.4%

8.7%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Suffolk County Another county in EasternMassachusetts

Central or Western Massachusetts Another state Abroad

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iden

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20

12

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13

Location of Previous Residence – Suffolk County Residents who moved 2012-2013

Baby Boomers All Suffolk County Residents

November 9, 201521

Approximately 6,041 Baby Boomers moved from Suffolk County in 2012-2013 to other parts of the United States

About two-thirds moved elsewhere in Massachusetts and one-third moved to another state

Florida, New Hampshire, and Texas were the top destinations for Boomers who left Massachusetts


67.3%

32.7%

60.8%

39.2%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Elsewhere in Massachusetts Another State

Current Residence of Former Suffolk County Residents 2013

Baby Boomers All Former Residents

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2013 American Community Survey, IPUMS, BRA Research Division AnalysisNote: Information was not available for those who left the United States

November 9, 201522

34.1% of Baby Boomers live with one or more of their own children

Only 23.8% of all Boston residents age 15+ live with a child of their own


Note: “Own children” includes biological, step, or adopted children of any age.Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2013 American Community Survey, IPUMS, BRA Research Division Analysis

65.9%

22.0%

8.1%4.1%

76.2%

12.9%

7.0%3.9%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

0 children present 1 child 2 children 3+ children

Number of Own Children in Household - 2013

Baby Boomers

All Residents 15+

November 9, 201523

Almost 44% of Baby Boomers are currently married, but 27.5% are single and have never been married and 28.4% are divorced, widowed, or separated

In comparison, only 28% of all residents age 15 and over are currently married



44.1

28.4

5.4

2.8

17.6

8.0

5.4

4.5

27.5

56.3

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%


Marital Status 2013

Single, never-married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

Married

Government & Nonprofit

Baby Boomers in Boston