Population
1,305 residents
Census ACS 2023 - Georgia
City profile · Georgia · Census ACS 2023
Boston, GA
Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Boston - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.
- 1,305
- Residents
- $40,156
- Median income
- $1,149
- Median rent (state)
Boston - the verdict
Boston ranks in the 8th percentile for household income and the 89th percentile for safety nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
- 8th
- percentile, household income
- 32nd
- percentile, median rent
- 89th
- percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Boston, GA
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 1,305 residents in Boston, a small town within Georgia. Median household income here is $40,156 per year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 26.9%. The median resident age is 34.9 years. Educational attainment runs 14.3% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 55.9% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Boston reports a comparatively low crime rate: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program logs 410.5 total incidents per 100,000 residents here, below the national average (agency reporting is voluntary, so this measures reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Living costs in Georgia run below the national norm: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, Georgia scores 96.3 (Below Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,149 monthly. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts Georgia's average monthly utility costs around $225 (state average). Natural-hazard exposure scores 66.0 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Moderate).
Median Household Income
$40,156 /yr
Poverty 26.9%
Cost of Living Index (state)
96.3 (US=100)
Below Average - BEA RPP 2024, Georgia average
How does Boston compare to other US cities?
Where Boston sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income 8% higher than other cities
Median rent 32% pricier than other cities
Safety 89% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to Georgia alone, Boston ranks #12 of 165 Georgia cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
For each metric we count every US city with population 1,000+ and a non-null value, then compute what share of them fall below Boston's value: round(cities-below ÷ total × 100). Safety is inverted (percentile = share of cities with a higher crime rate) so a higher number always means safer. The in-state rank narrows that same crime-rate comparison to only the cities PlainCities tracks in Georgia, breaking ties alphabetically. See the methodology page for the full source-to-figure lineage.
8th percentile nationally for median household income · 89th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Boston's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Income distribution context
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 14.3%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL) 26.9%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+) 55.9%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
1,305
Median Income
$40,156
Median Home Value
N/A
Median Age
34.9
Poverty Rate
26.9%
Labor force participation
55.9%
Bachelor's Degree+
14.3%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
410.5
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
82.1
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
328.4
per 100,000 residents
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Population Change
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Commute Patterns
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
89.1%
Carpool
7.0%
Public Transit
1.0%
Walk
1.5%
Work from Home
1.4%
Based on 589 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
State-average estimates for Georgia - EIA 2023 residential energy data
Electricity
$125
avg/month
Natural Gas
$55
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$45
avg/month
Total Utilities
$225
estimated/month
Estimates reflect Georgia state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Cost of living is a Georgia state average from BEA; rent and hazard risk are county-level figures from HUD and FEMA for the county Boston sits in
Cost of Living Index
96.3
Below Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,149/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
66.0 / 100
Moderate
FEMA NRI composite score (county)
Similar Cities in Georgia
Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide
Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Boston's 1,305 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).
Cities with a Similar Household Income Nationwide
Median-household-income-matched peers from other states, closest to Boston's $40,156 (Census ACS 5-Year 2023, table B19013).
Race & Ethnicity Composition
City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.
How Boston compares to nearby Georgia cities
Population + median household income, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
| City | Population | Median Household Income |
|---|---|---|
| Boston (this city) | 1,305 | $40,156 |
| Hiawassee | 1,300 | $43,819 |
| Rock Spring | 1,310 | $115,455 |
| Bogart | 1,298 | $82,500 |
Census ACS 5-year FIPS GA FBI UCR OMB Bulletin 23-01
What do people ask about Boston, GA?
What is the population of Boston, GA? +
Boston, GA has a population of 1,305 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in Boston, GA? +
In Boston, the typical household earns $40,156 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the cost of living in Boston? +
BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Boston; the closest available measure is the Georgia state average, a cost of living index of 96.3 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Below Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data. Costs within Georgia vary by metro area.
Is Boston, GA safe? +
Boston has a total crime rate of 410.5 per 100,000 residents, which is below the national average. This reflects incidents reported to the FBI UCR program, not a definitive safety score -- agency reporting is voluntary and completeness varies by jurisdiction.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.
Citation & verification links
Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities EditorialEvery figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.