Boston Stats & Facts: Population, Weather Records, Sports Titles and History (2026)
Every number worth knowing about Boston — the city, its weather, its teams and its history — in one place. Each figure is traced to the Census Bureau, the National Weather Service, Massport, the MBTA, the National Park Service or the City of Boston, so writers, planners and the perpetually curious have one page to cite.
The Charles River and Back Bay from the Longfellow Bridge. Photo: King of Hearts / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
City of Boston
Boston by the Numbers
New England's largest city, one of America's oldest, and the home of its first subway.
- Population672,9732025 Census estimate
- Metro area5.03 millionBoston MSA, 2025
- Land area48.3 sq mi125.2 km²
- Density13,977people per sq mi (2020)
- Founded1630a city since 1822
- Neighborhoods24per the City of Boston
- Freedom Trail2.5 miles16 historic sites
- Harbor Islands34islands and peninsulas
- America's first subwaySept 1, 1897Tremont Street Subway
- Logan Airport43.2 millionpassengers in 2025
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 estimate for July 1, 2025 (the 2020 Census counted 675,647). Density uses the 2020 Census count and land area. The city's highest point is Bellevue Hill in West Roxbury, 330 ft above sea level.
Records & trivia
Boston Records and Trivia
The extremes, the championships and the firsts, each traced to a published source.
Weather records
- Hottest104°FJuly 4, 1911
- Coldest−18°FFebruary 9, 1934
- Snowiest winter110.6 in2014–15
- Biggest snowstorm27.6 inFebruary 17–18, 2003
- Average snowfall49.2 ina year (1991–2020)
National Weather Service records for Boston, measured at Logan Airport since 1936 and downtown before that. The least snowy winter was 1936–37, with 9.0 inches. The biggest single day is 23.6 inches, a tie between February 17, 2003 and January 29, 2022. Average yearly precipitation is 43.6 inches.
Biggest snowstorms
- February 17–18, 200327.6 inches, the biggest storm in Boston's record.
- February 6–7, 1978The Blizzard of '78 drops 27.1 inches and shuts the region down for about a week.
- January 29, 202223.6 inches in a single day, tying the city's one-day record.
- Winter 2014–15A run of storms brings 110.6 inches, Boston's snowiest season on record.
Championships
- Celtics18NBA titles, a league record
- Red Sox9World Series titles
- Bruins6Stanley Cups
- Patriots6Super Bowls (Foxborough)
- Since 200113titles across all four
Counted as of October 2026, from league and team records. With the 1914 Boston Braves included, Boston-area teams have won 40 major championships.
Boston firsts
- America's oldest parkBoston Common was set aside in 1634.
- The first public schoolBoston Latin School was founded on April 23, 1635, and still teaches today.
- A free library for allThe Boston Public Library, opened in 1854, was the first large free municipal library in the United States.
- The first subwayThe Tremont Street Subway opened on September 1, 1897, and its tunnel still carries Green Line trains.
- The oldest lighthouse stationBoston Light is the oldest continually used light station in the country, per the National Park Service. The tower was rebuilt in 1783.
- The oldest ballparkFenway Park hosted its first official game on April 20, 1912, and is the oldest park in Major League Baseball.
Logan Airport, year by year
- Record year43.5 millionpassengers in 2024
- Pandemic low12.6 million2020, down 70%
- International10.0 milliona record, in 2025
Swipe the table sideways to see every column →
| Year | Passengers | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 43,236,013 | International record (10.0M) | |
| 2024 | 43,500,033 | All-time record | |
| 2023 | 40,833,978 | ||
| 2022 | 36,090,716 | ||
| 2021 | 22,678,499 | ||
| 2020 | 12,618,128 | COVID-19 low | |
| 2019 | 42,522,411 | ||
| 2018 | 40,941,925 | ||
| 2017 | 38,412,419 | ||
| 2016 | 36,288,042 | ||
| 2015 | 33,449,580 | ||
| 2014 | 31,634,445 | ||
| 2013 | 30,218,631 | ||
| 2012 | 29,235,643 | ||
| 2011 | 28,907,938 | ||
| 2010 | 27,428,962 |
Total passengers at Boston Logan International Airport by calendar year, from Massport traffic and environmental data reports. January–August 2026: 29.1 million, level with the same months of 2025.
The price of a subway ride
- Opening day, 18975¢about $2.01 today
- Fare today$2.40since July 1, 2019
- After inflation+20%vs. the 1897 nickel
Swipe the table sideways to see every column →
| Effective | Fare | Ticket / cash | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 1, 2020 | $2.40 | $2.40 | One price for every payment type | |
| July 1, 2019 | $2.40 | $2.90 | ||
| July 1, 2016 | $2.25 | $2.75 | ||
| July 1, 2014 | $2.10 | $2.65 | ||
| July 1, 2012 | $2.00 | $2.50 | ||
| Jan 1, 2007 | $1.70 | $2.00 | CharlieCard replaces tokens | |
| Jan 9, 2004 | $1.25 | — | ||
| Aug 30, 2000 | $1.00 | — | ||
| 1991 | 85¢ | — | ||
| Aug 1, 1981 | 75¢ | — | Later rolled back to 60¢ | |
| June 1980 | 50¢ | — | Tokens return | |
| Dec 1, 1964 | 25¢ | — | Paid in quarters until 1980 | |
| c. 1950 | 15¢ | — | Exact date unconfirmed | |
| July 1919 | 10¢ | — | Tokens introduced the same year | |
| Aug 1, 1918 | 7¢ | — | ||
| Sept 1, 1897 | 5¢ | — | Tremont Street Subway opens |
Adult single-ride subway fare. From 2007 to August 2020 riders paying with a CharlieCard paid less than those using a paper ticket or cash; both prices are shown. Inflation: the 1897 nickel converted with the Minneapolis Fed's historical price index, linked to the BLS Consumer Price Index for August 2026. Sources: MBTA, Boston Street Railway Association, Mass Moments, the Harvard Crimson and Boston Globe reporting.
How Boston compares
Boston vs. Other Big American Cities
The same official sources for every city, side by side, sorted by population.
Swipe the table sideways to see every column →
| City | Population | Land (sq mi) | People / sq mi | Founded | Snow (in/yr) | Rail riders / weekday | First subway | Pro titles | Airport passengers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 8,584,629 | 300.5 | 29,303 | 1624 | 29.8 | 7,686,700 | 1904 | 58 | 62.6M (JFK) |
| Chicago | 2,731,585 | 227.7 | 12,060 | 1837¹ | 38.4 | 447,000 | 1943² | 29 | 84.8M (ORD)³ |
| Philadelphia | 1,574,281 | 134.4 | 11,937 | 1682 | 23.1 | — | 1907 | 19 | 30.1M (PHL) |
| San Francisco | 826,079 | 46.9 | 18,629 | 1776 | — | 198,600⁴ | 1972⁴ | 19⁵ | 54.5M (SFO) |
| Washington, DC | 693,645 | 61.1 | 11,281 | 1790 | 13.7 | 675,100 | 1976 | 9 | 24.9M (DCA)⁶ |
| Boston | 672,973 | 48.3 | 13,977 | 1630 | 49.2 | 371,800 | 1897 | 40 | 43.2M (BOS) |
Population: Census Bureau Vintage 2025 estimates; land area and density: 2020 Census. Snowfall: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at each city's main weather station (Logan, Central Park, O'Hare, Philadelphia International, Reagan National; NOAA publishes no snowfall normal for San Francisco). Rail riders: average weekday heavy-rail trips, APTA ridership report, Q2 2026 (Philadelphia's weekday figure is not published; New York counts each transfer as a trip). Pro titles: MLB, NBA, NHL and NFL championships won by each metro area's teams, as of June 2026. Airport passengers: calendar 2025, from each airport authority. ¹ Incorporated as a city; first settled c. 1780. ² Elevated trains from 1892. ³ Airports Council International ranking. ⁴ BART, a Bay Area regional system. ⁵ Bay Area teams. ⁶ Reagan National is closest to downtown; Dulles handled 29.0M.
History
Boston Timeline
From a hilltop settlement on the Shawmut Peninsula to the city of today, in dated milestones.
- September 7, 1630The settlement on the Shawmut Peninsula is named Boston by the Massachusetts Bay Colony's General Court (September 17 in today's calendar).
- 1634Boston Common is set aside, America's oldest public park.
- April 23, 1635Boston Latin School is founded, the first public school in America.
- October 28, 1636Harvard, the first college in the colonies, is founded across the river in what is now Cambridge.
- March 5, 1770The Boston Massacre: British soldiers fire on a crowd on King Street, now State Street, killing five colonists.
- December 16, 1773The Boston Tea Party: colonists dump 342 chests of East India Company tea into the harbor.
- April 18, 1775Paul Revere rides from the North End to warn that British troops are marching on Lexington.
- June 17, 1775The Battle of Bunker Hill, fought mostly on Breed's Hill in Charlestown.
- March 17, 1776Evacuation Day: British troops leave Boston and the 11-month siege ends.
- October 21, 1797USS Constitution, "Old Ironsides," is launched in the North End; it is the world's oldest commissioned warship afloat.
- 1822Boston becomes a city.
- 1837The Public Garden is established, the first public botanical garden in America.
- March 20, 1854The Boston Public Library opens its doors.
- November 9–10, 1872The Great Boston Fire destroys 776 buildings across 65 acres of downtown.
- April 19, 1897The first Boston Marathon: John J. McDermott wins from a field of 15 in 2:55:10.
- September 1, 1897The Tremont Street Subway opens, the first subway in the United States.
- April 20, 1912Fenway Park hosts its first official game; the Red Sox beat New York 7–6 in 11 innings.
- January 15, 1919The Great Molasses Flood: a 2.3-million-gallon tank bursts in the North End, killing 21 people.
- November 28, 1942The Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire kills 492 people and leads to new fire codes nationwide.
- June 11, 1951The Freedom Trail is dedicated.
- February 6–7, 1978The Blizzard of '78 drops 27.1 inches on the city.
- October 27, 2004The Red Sox win their first World Series since 1918, ending an 86-year wait.
- December 31, 2007The Big Dig is formally completed, burying I-93 downtown and adding the Zakim Bridge and Ted Williams Tunnel.
- December 12, 2022The Green Line Extension's Medford branch opens, the MBTA's biggest expansion in decades.
- June 17, 2024The Celtics win their 18th NBA title, the most in league history.
- April 18, 2025Boston begins its 250th-anniversary commemorations of the Revolution.
Related BostonVacay Guides
- Boston Events Calendar: Annual Events by Month
- Boston Tavern Tour: Historic Freedom Trail Taverns
- Things to Do in Back Bay Boston: Newbury St to the Charles
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau — 2020 Census, Vintage 2025 population estimates and 2020 Gazetteer land areas
- National Weather Service / NOAA — Boston (Logan Airport) threaded climate record and 1991–2020 normals for all six cities
- Massport — Logan Airport traffic reports; Port Authority of NY & NJ, MWAA, Philadelphia International and San Francisco International — 2025 passenger totals; Airports Council International — O'Hare
- MBTA and the American Public Transportation Association — ridership, Q2 2026; MBTA, Boston Street Railway Association, Mass Moments, Harvard Crimson and Boston Globe — subway fare history; Minneapolis Fed and BLS — inflation
- National Park Service, Freedom Trail Foundation, City of Boston, City of Boston Archives, Boston Public Library, Boston Latin School and the Massachusetts Historical Society — history and firsts
- Boston Athletic Association, MLB, NBA, NHL and NFL records — Marathon and championships
- Federal Highway Administration — Big Dig; Mass Moments and WBUR — supporting history
Last checked October 2026. Spot a number that needs updating? Let us know — accuracy is the whole point of this page.