Census: Boston's population surges over past decade

The latest census estimates indicated that Boston's population is growing.

The city's population grew from 636,748 in 2008 to 645,169 as of July 1, 2009, according to the most recent estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau. Boston has grown considerably since 2000, when the census counted 589,143 residents living in the city, and now ranks as the 20th most populated city in the nation. New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago lead the nation in total residents, said the report.

The most recent figures are not an actual head count, but rather an estimation based on births, deaths, and domestic and international migration, the bureau clarified.

In a statement to the Boston Globe, Mayor Thomas Menino credited the growth to improved census collecting efforts.

"We are one of the few urban areas in America where the census numbers went up," he told the Globe. "It gives strength to your city when you have more people living here."

Each year, the Census uses the most recent population count as a base to estimate changes in population. This most recent estimate will be the last to use the 2000 Census as a base.


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