The Boston Metro area has grown tremendously over the past five years. New jobs, homes, and travel opportunities have sprung up in the city, causing a mostly positive impact on residents. 

The easiest way to spot Boston’s growth is through its population, which was about 4,277,000 in 2016. After five years of outstanding growth, the metro population swelled to about 4,315,000 this year. Within the city limits, Boston has seen a population increase of 12.62% since 2010. In 2010, the city had about 621,000 residents with just over 695,000 people living in the city today.  

Another reason why Boston is booming is the city’s job opportunities. Boston saw the fastest job growth in the U.S. until the COVID-19 pandemic hit last year. From 2018 to 2019, the city saw a 8.6% increase in jobs, and during the shutdown last August when Boston was still reopening, it posted 7.6% growth since the month prior, second only to Chicago. Additionally, Boston’s average annual salary is about $77,000, which is well above the national average of about $67,000 annually.  

Boston is also one of the fastest growing cities for the technology industry. In 2019, the industry gained over 11,500 jobs in the city. Late in 2019, Recode by Vox reported about 90% growth since 2005 in just 5 metros for the “innovation sector,” Boston being one of them.  

In 2016, General Electric moved their global headquarters to downtown Boston, but General Electric was not the only company to expand Boston’s influence. Amazon just built a new office in the Seaport and Google expanded to Cambridge in 2019. 

The industry of technology is not the only area in Boston that is seeing growth. Tourism has been on the rise in Boston as well. Multiple airlines have expanded to Boston in recent years and numerous new domestic and international routes have been introduced at Boston Logan.  

Hotels have grown impressively, too. Boston saw its second Four Seasons in 2019, a massive 61-story tower in Back Bay. The hotel is the third largest building in the city.  

Additionally, the Raffles, a luxury hotel brand most known for its opulent resort in Singapore, is building its first North American hotel in Back Bay that is scheduled to open in 2022.  

I enjoy seeing the new hotels that pop up in the city, and I am excited to see how this one turns out. 

Boston also has been on the forefront of sustainability. It has many parks such as the Boston Public Garden and the Boston Commons, which happen to be my favorite part of the city.  

Boston recently fixed the mess of the Big Dig, a highway system, and changed the area into a park. Boston was ranked the fourth most sustainable city in America in 2019 due to its policies, and a walkability score of 82 helps limit the use of carbon emitting vehicles.  

Residents are affected by the job growth, education, and medical care in the city. Locals now have access to more jobs with better salaries due to the growth the city has experienced. As tourism continues to expand, local businesses benefit from the copious amounts of visitors, and Bostonians reap the benefit of the city’s many tourist attractions.  

However, with the many steps forward, the city has dealt with downsides to its growth. Boston has yet to address some key issues such as income inequality and the cost of housing. While there is still room for improvement, many of the changes the city has seen are for the better.   

With a growing infrastructure, I believe Boston will step up and make positive changes to the areas that still need help. While COVID-19 put Boston and the world in a stalemate, you can be sure that Boston will revive its thriving economy.