Photo: Robert Linsdell from St. Andrews, CanadaCC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Saturday, November 14, 2026

Boston

43°F (6°C)

Partly sunny · H 47° L 33°

Population

666,4422024

Higher than communities in Commonwealth of Massachusetts

More favorable than communities in Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Less favorable than communities in Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Work from home

21.3%2024

Source: Polco GPAL, using data from the original source shown for each indicator.

Community Advocacy

Advocates urge council to tighten ordinance, require audit logs and bar problematic AI features

A coalition of civil-liberties groups told the committee the city must enforce its 2025 vote and expand the surveillance ordinance to require granular ALPR reporting, stop vendor-side data sharing, prohibit certain AI identification features and fund oversight capacity.

Boston City — Nov 10, 2026

Councillors and advocates press BPD on ALPRs, vendor switches and data-sharing risks

Nov 10, 2026

Police describe drone pilot as situational-awareness tool; councilors press for limits

Nov 10, 2026

Boston councilors press police on continued use of social-media monitoring, ALPR vendor swaps and drone pilots

Nov 10, 2026

Council asks why social-media monitoring continued after prior council disapproval

Nov 10, 2026

First Responder Health

Council hearing spotlights gaps in city-funded health screenings for first responders

Nov 10, 2026

Police Screening

Detectives and patrol unions describe mobile screening model and call for city backing

Nov 10, 2026

Budget Followup

Councilors ask for written costings and FEMA grant details as budget season nears

Nov 10, 2026

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What stands out in Boston

Data from Polco GPAL
Standouts compare Boston with communities in Commonwealth of Massachusetts or of similar population size. Surprises are where the measured figure was unusually far from what Polco's model expected. Each fact gives its year; public data runs one to two years behind.

In 2024, Boston was more favorable than communities in Commonwealth of Massachusetts on workers who take public transit.

100th percentile · 2024 · Census ACS, via Polco GPAL

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All the data →

Recent meetings

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Nov 10Public Safety & Criminal Justice, and Government Operations Joint Hearing on November 10, 2026Advocates requested ALPR query tallies, entity lists for queries, and retention/download tallies in the annual report.Nov 10Ways and Means on November 10, 2026Administration said it could cost proposals but noted collective bargaining constraints; councilors sought budget office participation in follow-up.Nov 9Education on November 9, 2026Hearing kept in committee; council committed to creating an independent oversight/task force.Nov 9Environmental Justice, Resiliency & Parks on November 9, 2026No formal confirmation votes were taken; committee adjourned the dockets at the end of the hearing (no_action recorded).

More coverage

Councilors press administration on PFAS-free turnout gear before Jan. 1, 2027 deadline

Nov 10, 2026

Firefighters say early-detection screenings find problems in over half of tests; union gives cost estimate

Nov 10, 2026

Council hearing urges independent oversight as parents report widespread IEP and transportation failures

Nov 9, 2026

Parents tell council their children missed IEP services; some placed out of district

Nov 9, 2026