Elevation of Boston
48ft
above sea level · 15 m
Boston is the capital of Massachusetts and its most populous city, with 672,973 people. Of the 50 state capitals, it’s the 8th lowest.
By the Mapsfera Team
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Place facts
- Coordinates
- 42.36° N · 71.06° W
- In degrees, minutes and seconds: 42° 21′ 30″ N · 71° 3′ 35″ W
- UTM coordinates
- 19T · 330,372 E · 4,691,628 N
- Zone 19 · NAD83, the official US datum
- Time zone
- Eastern Time
- UTC−5 · UTC−4 in summer (daylight saving time)
- Population (2025)
- 672,973 people
- 48.3 sq mi of land · 13,922 people/sq mi
- Elevation model
- USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
- Lidar from March 2021: the ground height at the city’s reference point.
Population
Boston had 672,973 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 0.8% fewer than in April 2020, when it had 678,617. Its 48.3 sq mi of land work out to 13,922 people/sq mi; the state average is 917 people/sq mi.
It’s the most populous of the 248 places the Census counts in Massachusetts (cities, towns and CDPs), and holds 9.4% of the state’s population.
It lies entirely within Suffolk County. Its reference point in the USGS gazetteer is 2.5 mi from the geographic center the Census gives for the city.
Compared with other state capitals
Boston sits at 48 ft (15 m) above sea level. Of the 50 state capitals, the highest is Santa Fe (6,997 ft) and the lowest is Providence (9 ft). The average is 1,098 ft: Boston is 1,050 ft below it.
Among the 91 cities with more than 250,000 people, it’s the 22nd lowest.
The highest point in Massachusetts is Mount Greylock, at 3,491 ft according to the USGS: 3,443 ft above Boston, 109 mi away in a straight line.
- 43 Boston 48 ft
Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list
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Frequently asked questions
What people most often ask about the elevation of Boston.
What is the elevation of Boston?
Boston is 48 feet (15 m) above sea level. That’s the ground height from the USGS 3DEP elevation model at the city’s reference point in the official gazetteer (GNIS). The city doesn’t have a single elevation: it rises and falls from one neighborhood to another.
What are the coordinates of Boston?
Latitude 42.35843 and longitude -71.05977, in decimal degrees (42° 21′ 30″ N · 71° 3′ 35″ W). In UTM, zone 19: 330,372 E and 4,691,628 N, on NAD83.
How does Boston rank among the highest state capitals?
It’s the 8th lowest of the 50 state capitals. The highest is Santa Fe (6,997 ft) and the lowest is Providence (9 ft).
What county is Boston in?
Suffolk County, Massachusetts.
Which is higher, Boston or Providence?
Boston. Boston sits at 48 ft and Providence at 9 ft: a difference of 39 ft, 41 mi apart in a straight line.
How is elevation measured?
Elevation is the height above mean sea level. In the US the official reference is the NAVD88 vertical datum. Summits are surveyed on the ground, with leveling and precise GPS. The USGS 3DEP is an elevation model of the whole country, largely from 1-meter lidar: it gives the ground height at every point. That’s why it can differ by a few feet from the official figure of a sharp summit.
Sources
- USGS 3DEP (EPQS service) The elevation: the ground height at the reference point. Public domain.
- USGS GNIS (official gazetteer) The city’s reference point (“Populated Place”). Public domain.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates Population, land area (2025 Gazetteer) and counties. Public domain.
- TIGERweb (U.S. Census Bureau) Which county and city the point falls in. Public domain.
- timezone-boundary-builder The point’s time zone (ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors).
- Terrain Tiles, OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The relief shading and the base map (ODbL).
Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know