With more than one-third of Boston’s population between the ages of 20-34, Boston is home to the highest proportion of young adults out of any major city in America. Recognizing the importance of this demographic, the Mayor launched the ONEin3 Initiative in 2004 to support and empower Boston’s young adult population. ONEin3 serves to engage Boston’s young adults through opportunities to participate in city government and civic affairs, facilitate communication between young adults and the city’s leadership, and connect young adults to city resources, neighborhood networks and each other.
At this time, ONEin3 includes two primary programmatic elements, the Mayor’s ONEin3 Council and the ONEin3 College Connection. Any Bostonian between the ages of 20-34 is considered a part of the ONEin3 community, regardless of previous or current involvement with either of these programs. There are many ways to become involved, and we welcome and encourage your participation. If you would like to learn more about ONEin3 or become involved in our efforts to support and empower Boston’s young adult population, please contact ONEin3 Manager Erin Santhouse at Erin.Santhouse@boston.gov.
Boston’s Young Adult Population
Live
- 20% own their own homes
- 60% rent their homes
- 82% have never been married
- 58% bike, walk or take public transportation to work
- 60% of ONEin3ers were born outside of Massachusetts
- Over one-third migrated to Boston from other places within the U.S.
- Over one-quarter were born outside the United States
- 32% speak a language other than English at home
Work
- 37% of ONEin3ers are currently enrolled in school, while nearly two-thirds have not attended school in the previous 3 months
- The ONEin3 demographic comprises 48% of the City’s workforce
- Metro Boston ranks first for the percentage of people between the ages of 18-34 who hold a bachelors degree or higher.
- ONEin3 adds one billion dollars annually to the City Gross Product
- ONEin3 expenditures support 22,241 additional jobs in the city’s economy
