ZIP Code Tabulation Area

02121

Dorchester, MA · ACS 2020–2024

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Latest estimates

At a glance

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Total population
29,040
Median household income
$43,136
People below poverty
25%
Median home value
$590,200

Income

The median income of households in 02121 was $43,136. An estimated 10% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 8.7% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in 02121 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 10
$10,000 to $14,999 9.4
$15,000 to $24,999 9.4
$25,000 to $34,999 13.5
$35,000 to $49,999 11.3
$50,000 to $74,999 10.3
$75,000 to $99,999 9.6
$100,000 to $149,999 10
$150,000 to $199,999 7.7
$200,000 or more 8.7

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in 02121 in 2020-2024

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Dollars
Male 49164
Female 46321

An estimated 77.7% of households received earnings. An estimated 22.4% of households received Social Security and an estimated 12.3 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $17,858. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in 02121 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 77.7
Social Security 22.4
Retirement income 12.3
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 13.7
Cash public assistance income 6.7

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 25 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 33.4% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 27.9% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 20.9% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in 02121 in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 25
Children under 18 years below poverty 33.4
People 65 years old and over below poverty 27.9
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 20.9

In 2020-2024, 49.3 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 43.4% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 42.7% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 48.4% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 02121 in 2020-2024, 96.6% had health insurance coverage and 3.4% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 42.4% and public coverage was 60.9%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 0.9%.


In 2020-2024, 02121 had a total population of 29,040 - 16,168 (55.7%) females and 12,872 (44.3%) males. The median age was 34.3 years. An estimated 26.9% of the population was under 18 years, 35.1% was 19 to 44 years, 23.3% was 45 to 64 years, and 12.1 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for 02121 in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 1102 978
5 to 9 1009 869
10 to 14 933 1228
15 to 19 1095 1346
20 to 24 954 1153
25 to 29 995 1224
30 to 34 963 919
35 to 39 766 1122
40 to 44 744 1348
45 to 49 531 860
50 to 54 706 1082
55 to 59 738 1062
60 to 64 887 915
65 to 69 349 705
70 to 74 541 655
75 to 79 255 428
80 to 84 223 148
85 and over 81 126

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 7.5% were White; 44.6% were Black or African American; 0.8% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 2% were Asian; 20.4% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 25.7% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 40.9% of the people in 02121 were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 5.3% of the people in 02121 were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 10,760 households in 02121. The average household size was 2.68 people.

Married-couple households made up 24.4% of the households in 02121 while cohabiting couple households made up 5.6% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 51.8% of all households, while 18.2% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 10.1% of households were male householders living alone, and 17.8% were female householders living alone, for a total of 27.9% of all households.

In 02121, 35.8% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 26.2% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in 02121 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 24.4
Cohabiting Couples 5.6
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
18.2
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
51.8

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 37.7% of males and 24.8% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 51.9 50.1
Now married, except separated 37.7 24.8
Separated 2.3 7.3
Widowed 1.6 4.5
Divorced 6.4 13.2

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In 02121, 1,046 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 31.5% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 60.7% of the people living in 02121 were U.S. natives. 45.5% of the 02121 population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 39.3% of 02121 residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 51.9% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 53.9 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of 02121 come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for 02121.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in 02121 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Latin America 75.3
Asia 3.7
Europe 2.1
Africa 18.2
Northern America 0.6
Oceania 0

Language

Among people at least five years old living in 02121 in 2020-2024, 47.1 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 33.5% of people at least five years old; 24.7% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in 02121 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 33.5
Other Indo-European languages 10.4
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0.1
Other languages 3

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 90.3 % of the people at least one year old living in 02121 were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of 02121 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 90.3
Different house, same county 6.1
Different county, same state 2
Different state 0.6
Abroad 1

Education

In 2020-2024, 76.2 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 19.9% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 23.8% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in 02121 was 8,271 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 481 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 5,878. College or graduate school enrollment was 1,912.

Educational Attainment of People in 02121 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 23.8
High school diploma or equivalency 31.1
Some college, no degree 18.6
Associate's degree 6.6
Bachelor's degree 13
Graduate or professional degree 6.8

Disability

In 02121, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 18.5 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 9.4% of people under 18 years old, to 17.4% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 44.3% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In 02121, 56.7 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 36.2% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 81.8% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 15% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 3.1 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 10,399 81.8
Federal, state, or local government workers 1,910 15
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 393 3.1

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in 02121 worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in 02121 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 0
Construction 6
Manufacturing 2.4
Wholesale trade 1.9
Retail trade 11.3
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 6.3
Information 2.3
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 3.5
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 13.8
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 32.9
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 10.7
Other Services, except public administration 5.6
Public administration 3.2

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in 02121 in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 3,264 25.7
Service occupations 4,573 36
Sales and office occupations 2,791 22
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 696 5.5
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 1,385 10.9

Commuting to Work

An estimated 39.6% of 02121 workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 9% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 36.5 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in 02121 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 39.6
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 9
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 35.5
Walked 3.2
Other means 4.8
Worked from home 7.9

In 2020-2024, 02121 had a total of 11,429 housing units. Of these housing units, 14.2% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 85.2% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 0.6% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in 02121 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 14.2
Apartments in multi-unit structures 85.2
Mobile homes 0.6
Boat, RV, van, etc 0

6.5% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 48.2% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in 02121 was 4.8 rooms, and of these housing units 44% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, 02121 had 10,760 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 669 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 23.2% while renters occupied 76.8%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.59 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.71.

2.7% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 6.3% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 35.1% and another 5.8% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in 02121:

House Heating Fuel Used in 02121 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 55.5
Electricity 35.4
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 7.5
All other fuels 0.7
No fuel used 0.8

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in 02121 was $590,200.

Of the owner-occupied households, 80.4 % had a mortgage. 19.6% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $2,785 and for owners without a mortgage it was $1,015.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for 02121 was $1,325. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.