This MSA includes the following Metropolitan Divisions:
Boston-Quincy, MA Metropolitan Division
Cambridge-Newton-Framingham, MA Metropolitan Division
Peabody, MA Metropolitan Division
Rockingham County-Strafford County, NH Metropolitan Division
In this Metropolitan area:
Counties:Essex County, Middlesex County, Norfolk County, Plymouth County, Rockingham County, Strafford County, Suffolk County, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,	A note about boundaries
Principal Cities:Boston, MA, Cambridge, MA, Framingham, MA, Newton, MA, Peabody, MA, Quincy, MA, Waltham, MA, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

	Total Population	Non Hispanic White	Non Hispanic Black	Hispanic	Asian	Other Races
1980	3,943,737	3,617,733	168,548	91,290	41,594	24,572
		91.7%	4.3%	2.3%	1%	0.6%
1990	4,133,028	3,589,695	215,873	189,833	117,395	20,232
		86.8%	5.2%	4.6%	2.8%	0.5%
2000	4,391,344	3,545,277	279,684	281,605	220,625	64,153
		80.7%	6.4%	6.4%	5%	1.5%
2005-09 ACS	4,513,934	3,510,342	291,511	355,963	265,106	91,012
		77.8%	6.5%	7.9%	5.9%	2%
2010	4,552,402	3,408,585	337,751	410,516	324,547	71,003
		74.9%	7.4%	9%	7.1%	1.6%

1980	1990

2000	2005-09 ACS	2010

Index of Dissimilarity (D)
The dissimilarity index measures whether one particular group is distributed across census tracts in the metropolitan area in the same way as another group. A high value indicates that the two groups tend to live in different tracts. D ranges from 0 to 100. A value of 60 (or above) is considered very high. It means that 60% (or more) of the members of one group would need to move to a different tract in order for the two groups to be equally distributed. Values of 40 or 50 are usually considered a moderate level of segregation, and values of 30 or below are considered to be fairly low. For a more detailed explanation, click here.

Exposure Index
Another measure of residential segregation is a class of exposure indices (p*) that refer to the racial/ethnic composition of the tract where the average member of a given group lives. For example, the average Hispanic in some metropolis might live in a tract that is 40% Hispanic, 40% non-Hispanic white, 15% black, and 5% Asian.(Note that these various indices must add up to 100%.) These are presented below in two categories: exposure of the group to itself (which is called the Index of Isolation) and exposure of the group to other groups). For a more detailed explanation, click here.
Isolation Index
The isolation index is the percentage of same-group population in the census tract where the average member of a racial/ethnic group lives. It has a lower bound of zero (for a very small group that is quite dispersed) to 100 (meaning that group members are entirely isolated from other groups). It should be kept in mind that this index is affected by the size of the group -- it is almost inevitably smaller for smaller groups, and it is likely to rise over time if the group becomes larger. For a more detailed explanation, click here.

Exposure to Other Groups
Indices of exposure to other groups also range from 0 to 100, where a larger value means that the average group member lives in a tract with a higher percentage of persons from the other group. These indices depend on two conditions: the overall size of the other group and each group's settlement pattern. For a more detailed explanation, click here.