Data User Guide - Racial Demographics of Boston, 2022

Original purpose and application

The US Census Bureau collected national population data, which the Boston Planning and Development Agency cleaned and published to show population data on a local level. The Census Bureau conducts a census every 10 years to determine the national population, and has done so since 1790. The government uses the census data to allocate congressional representatives and to distribute federal and state funding. Local governments determine political districts, public school districts, and districts for city and state agencies using the data. Researchers and local organizations (such as the BPDA) use the date to analyze social, racial, and economic aspects of the population, so they can informatively distribute city and state resources.

History, standards, and format

The Census Bureau started collecting data in 1790 and has continued to do so every decade since then. It originally conducted the census to ensure accurate representation in congress based on state populations. Today, the Bureau still collects the census data, but has consistently changed how they categorize race. The Bureau’s racial categorizations were and still are problematic, as they often exclude or misrepresent certain races.

The Bureau currently includes eight racial categories: Hispanic, White alone (non-Hispanic), Black or African American alone (non-Hispanic), American Indian and Alaska Native alone (non-Hispanic), Asian alone (non-Hispanic), Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone (non-Hispanic), Some Other Race alone (non-Hispanic), Multiracial (non-Hispanic).

The BPDA cleaned the Bureau data and organized it into a table labeled “2020 Census for Boston,” which we chose to analyze. They categorize racial demographics as follows: “White alone; Black or African American; Hispanic or Latino; Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander; Other Races or Multiple Races.” They organized the data for each racial demographic into 24 Boston neighborhoods. They’ve also included data for the 18+ Boston population and the 17- population, both of which they split into the same racial categories mentioned above.

When compared with the Census Bureau racial categorizations, the 2020 Census for Boston excludes American Indian and Alaska Native, it groups Asian with Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and it combines Some Other Race with Multiracial, a decision that misrepresents certain racial categories and erases others.

Organizational context

The US Census Bureau is a federally funded organization and requires adequate budgets, staffing, and resources to function properly. The Bureau's budget changes from year to year with each Fiscal Year Budget Proposal provided by the president. As the census is collected every 10 years, the budget is in constant flux, which may affect the quality of the data collection. The BPDA is also a government entity so operates within the boundaries of the Massachusetts state budget allocations.

The Census Bureau frequently changes its categorizations of race and often excludes and mis-categorizes race, which renders much of the data inaccurate or misrepresentative. The Census Bureau may also struggle to accurately count homeless populations and populations who do not speak English.

Workflow

  • The Data Set is first collected by the US Census Bureau through federal documents such as birth and death certificates.

  • The US Census Bureau then cross-examines these results with household samples that they send out. 

  • The data collected is then aggregated to create their final data collection which is then made available to the public. 

  • The Census Bureau divided Boston into 207 census tracts made up of 581 smaller block groups. The Boston Planning and Development Agency uses the 2020 block groups to approximate Boston neighborhoods.

  • In order to approximate, the Boston Planning and Development Agency has to aggregate some of the data themselves, which causes more inaccuracies. This could be done either by combining racial demographic categories or changing neighborhood boundaries. 

  • The Boston Planning and Development Agency then analyzes and summarizes their findings which are published to their website. The findings are used to prompt neighborhood development. This data is one of the biggest influences when it comes to city planning. 

  • Updates are made by the BPDA (the Department of Innovation and Technology). The last update made was on August 13th, 2021.

  • The Boston Planning and Development Agency created a new table showing the census data for redistricting in Boston, called Census Data for 2022 Redistricting. The data wasn’t included in the 2020 Census for Boston data we analyzed, but could aid future visualizations relating to Boston racial demographics.

    Explanatory Visualizations of the Data:

  • More Black or African American Boston residents live in Dorchester than in any other neighborhood.

  • More White Boston residents live in Brighton than in any other neighborhood.

  • More Asian, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander live in Dorchester than in any other neighborhood.

  • More Hispanic or Latino Boston Residents live in Dorchester than in any other neighborhood.

  • More Boston residents categorized as Other Races or Multiple Races live in Dorchester than in any other neighborhood.

The Asian, Native Hawaiin or Pacific Islander population of Boston is most concentrated in Chinatown.

  • The Black or African American population of Boston is most concentrated in Mattapan.

  • The Hispanic or Latino population of Boston is most concentrated in East Boston. 

  • The White population of Boston is most concentrated in the North End.

  • The Boston population categorized as Other Races or Multiple Races is most concentrated in Dorchester.

  • Dorchester has the largest population (122,191) and is the most diverse neighborhood. It consists of 22.4% White, 34.9% Black or African American, 20.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, and 11.0% Other Races or Multiple Races.

  • The North End is the least diverse neighborhood. Over 86% of its residents are white.

Things to know about the data, including limitations

  • As the data set is curated from Census Bureau collected data, the categorization of race is limited. By grouping races such as “Asian, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander” the reader of the data is limited in the analysis they can perform. 

  • The Census Bureau explained that the OMB standards identify five minimum categories which the BPDA have done. Yet, in an article by the Census Bureau they explain and recommend there to be eight categories. This means the BPDA has created their own racial categorizations. 

  • The data set is not titled consistently. When labeling the Total Population that are exclusively one race, the term “alone” is used for some but not all which could lead to inaccuracies when reading or visualizing the data. 

  • Totals are also not labeled clearly. The table is unclear what “Total” columns represent, in some cases. 

  • The data has not included the percentages of each race for their respective neighborhood. This has to be done manually. 

  • The BPDA does not explain if the Institutional Data is included in the Total Data. We chose not to include Institutional Data in our visualizations.

Other Stories, Reports and Outputs from this data

The Census Bureau provides the US Government with population data so they can informatively allot U.S. House of Representatives seats, state-by-state. City and state agencies use the census data to help them distribute local funding. Local governments also use the data to determine where to draw district lines for political jurisdiction, public schools and other public agencies, as shown in the 2020 Census Redistricting Data.

Supplementary Information

Authors of this Data User Guide

  • Kieran O’Connor

  • Yu-Shao Chien

  • Skyler Stark-Ragsdale