The census-taker introduced himself as Charles Dexter Ward
Yesterday I took a look at Boston’s population over the past few years as measured by the U.S. Census Bureau. What struck me as odd is the apparent flux in the group-quarter population. In an attempt to get a better grip on the size of the group-quarter population in Boston, I decided to take a look at the population estimates and surveys for Suffolk County, where Boston is the county seat. The city also makes up the vast majority of the county’s population.
The table below shows the population in Suffolk County as counted by the U.S. Census 2000, and as estimated by the Census Bureau and as surveyed by the Census Bureau’s annual American Community Survey. The second column in the table is the population estimate, the third is the household population as mesaured by the ACS and the fourth is the difference between the ACS population and the total population estimate. That difference should reasonably be the group-quarter population in Suffolk County (group-quarter population includes college dorms, prisons etc).
Here goes:
|
Suffolk County, Massachusetts |
|||
|
Total Population |
ACS |
Diff. |
|
|
July 1, 2005 |
654,428 |
620,053 |
34,375 |
|
July 1, 2004 |
664,263 |
631,563 |
32,700 |
|
July 1, 2003 |
675,738 |
646,259 |
29,479 |
|
July 1, 2002 |
685,072 |
653,901 |
31,171 |
|
July 1, 2001 |
691,223 |
n/a |
n/a |
|
July 1, 2000 |
689,943 |
n/a |
n/a |
|
April 1, 2000 (Census 2000)* |
689,807 |
653,214 |
36,593 |
* As counted by the 2000 Census
Let us now compare the group-quarter populations in the City of Boston and Suffolk county, as calculated by me based on total population estimates and ACS household population estimates:
| Boston | Suffolk | |
| 2005 | 38,332 | 34,375 |
| 2004 | 43,977 | 32,700 |
| 2003 | 36,660 | 29,479 |
| 2002 | 40,078 | 31,171 |
| 2000* | 35,077 | 36,593 |
* As counted by the 2000 Census
As you can see, the group-quarter population in Boston apparently exceeded the group-quarter population for the entire county every year from 2002 through 2005.
Like I said yesterday, I’m sure there’s a perfectly good explanation. Otherwise, one has to ask oneself why one is paying taxes to get such strange data?
Update:
The next table compares the estimated populations between Suffolk County and Boston:
|
Boston and Suffolk County, Massachusetts |
|||
|
Suffolk |
Boston |
Diff. |
|
|
July 1, 2005 |
654,428 |
559,034 |
95,394 |
|
July 1, 2004 |
664,263 |
567,660 |
96,603 |
|
July 1, 2003 |
675,738 |
577,432 |
98,306 |
|
July 1, 2002 |
685,072 |
585,259 |
99,813 |
|
April 1, 2000 (Census 2000)* |
689,807 |
589,141 |
100,666 |
* As counted by the 2000 Census
The next table compares the household populations of Suffolk County and Boston as measured by the American Community Survey:
|
Boston and Suffolk County, Massachusetts |
|||
|
Suffolk |
Boston |
Diff. |
|
|
July 1, 2005 |
620,053 |
520,702 |
99,351 |
|
July 1, 2004 |
631,563 |
523,683 |
107,880 |
|
July 1, 2003 |
646,259 |
540,772 |
105,487 |
|
July 1, 2002 |
653,901 |
545,181 |
108,720 |
|
April 1, 2000 (Census 2000)* |
653,214 |
554,064 |
99,150 |
* As counted by the 2000 Census
Again, the total population estimate finds these wild fluctuations in the household populations for Suffolk and Boston, while the total population estimate assumes a nice, downward slope which subtracts about 10,000 people a year from 2002.
