The US Census Bureau released its first snapshot of Boston’s racial makeup in 2024 Thursday, offering a glimpse into how the city’s demographics have shifted since a year prior.
One clear change was the marked increase in residents identifying with more than one race, who now make up 16.9 percent of the city’s population, according to newly released American Community Survey estimates.
Some changes in methodology partly explain the large increase, officials said.
Groups with high levels of recent immigration saw some of the biggest shifts amid the changes. The Hispanic population rose by 9.7 percent since the 2023 estimates, while the Asian share increased by 6 percent.
In contrast, the Black share edged down slightly, while the white share rose modestly.
In the new tabulations, white residents continued to make up the largest group in Boston, at 46.1 percent, though other groups expanded their presence. Latinos accounted for 20.7 percent of the city’s population. The Black population was at 19.5 percent, and Asians were at 10.8 percent.
Boston’s demographic makeup has undergone significant shifts, particularly since 2000 when it became a majority-minority city.
The new data also show a minimal increase in the city’s median household income — from $96,931 in 2023 to $97,791 in 2024, which, accounting for inflation, is not actually an increase.
The total metro area, which includes parts of New Hampshire, population also increased by approximately 2.2 percent in 2024 compared with 2023, the data show, crossing above 5 million residents for the first time.
Scooty Nickerson can be reached at scooty.nickerson@globe.com.