Regional Growth Projections

Growth projections describe the challenges facing Metro Boston

To help the region and its communities plan for a changing and uncertain future, MAPC has prepared projections of population change, household growth, and housing demand for Metro Boston and its municipalities. The projections confirm that the aging and retirement of the Baby Boomers will have profound implications for the region, and that our economic future depends on attracting more young workers. More than 400,000 new housing units--mostly multifamily, and mostly in urban areas--will be needed by the year 2040 if the region is to keep growing its economic base.

See the Trends

Appendix A: Maps (full resolution, 14MB)
Appendix D: Comparison with previous MAPC projections
Appendix E: Comparison with recent Donahue Institute projections
Appendix F: Model formulas
Appendix G: Literature review

Status Quo, or a Stronger Region?

Since the future cannot be predicted with certainty, identifying a range of possible outcomes may prove more useful than a single forecast. Our projections include two scenarios for regional growth. Each scenario reflects different assumptions about key trends. The “Status Quo” scenario is based on the continuation of existing rates of births, deaths, migration, and housing occupancy. Alternatively, the “Stronger Region” scenario explores how changing trends could result in higher population growth, greater housing demand, and a substantially larger workforce. Together, the two scenarios provide different windows into possible futures for the region.

Download the Regional projections (spreadsheet)
Download the Municipal projections (spreadsheet)

Download an 8-page report for each municipality, including charts and graphs of key trends for each scenario, preceded by the executive summary below.