Reference Volumes and eBooks on Massachusetts and Boston
Profiles of Massachusetts by Call Number: HA431 .P76 (Sawyer Reference, Latest at Ref. Desk)ISBN: 1592379281Publication Date: 2012This resource, with a new print (and online) edition from 2012, provides "History, Statistics, Demographics for all 575 populated places in Massachusetts, including Comparative Statistics & Rankings." The "Ancestry Rankings" can come in handy if they cover the ethnicity you are interested in. However, many specific ethnic groups are not covered. We also make this available as part of our Gale Virtual Reference Library. Links are on the catalog record.
Please Note: Massachusetts is just one state in the nation, so our statistics are often presented within the context of national surveys. Examples of national sources that provide useful data on Masschusetts are Statistical Abstract of the United States, Book of the States, and State Rankings . Likewise, County and City Extra : Annual Metro, City, and County Data Book would have useful data on the Boston area or (for example) Middlesex County. Consult a librarian for other suggestions related to your topic.
Massachusetts Municipal ProfilesCall Number: HA431 .M37 (Sawyer Reference, Latest at Ref. Desk)ISBN: 9780911273502Publication Date: 2010This useful annual includes town and city profiles for all the municipalities in the Bay State. Information includes Demographic and Socio-Economic Characteristics (including population projections five and ten years into the future). Very basic housing, taxation, municipal finance, and school figures are also provided. Sawyer Library owns backfile to 1988, so a time series can be built. Unfortunately, they have not published a new edition since 2010.
Book of Lists by Call Number: HF3163.B6 B66 (Sawyer Reference Desk)Publication Date: AnnualProduced annually by the Boston Business Journal, this book ranks businesses, groups, and even individuals, throughout Boston and Massachusetts. Categories change from year to year, but cover wide-ranging topics like "Fastest Growing Public Companies" and "Most Expensive Zip Codes." And now this resource is also available through our BizJournals Online database. Look for the link to "View Book Of Lists" on the Boston landing page.Massachusetts Election Statistics by
Call Number: JK3193 .E4 (Sawyer Reference)Publication Date: Biennial (But Slow to Publish)Want to know how many votes a particular candidate got in a specific town? This state publication tells all. Sawyer Library has backfile to 1992 under this title and earlier volumes published as Elections Statistics: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Since the print volume is slow to be produced you might also want to consult the online archive as well as the info and data available at this Massachusetts Election Stats webpage.Worldmark Encyclopedia of the States by
Call Number: eBOOK: Available through GVRLISBN: 1414411219Publication Date: 2007Info on all the states. This 7th edition (2007) electronic version of a two volume set looks at all 50 states. The listings are mostly descriptive, but do include tabular data. The chapter on Massachusetts is substantive, as it is some 22 pages long.
Older Material Not Recently Updated
- Boston Facts & FiguresREF HA730 .B67 (Most issues at Reference Desk)
This handy compendium of Boston statistics is only infrequently produced by the Boston Municipal Research Bureau. But it is one of the few sources of statistics by neighborhood (i.e., Roxbury, Back Bay). We have back copies to 1985. The latest produced was in 2002. We also, however, do keep a binder of shorter reports from the BMRB, but these are also not produced in paper any more. - Demographic Guide to MassachusettsREF HA431 .M36 2003
Based on 2000 census information, this volume contains rankings and maps, area profiles, supplemental listings, and an appendix that provides historical county population figures back to 1790. The organization is more than a little awkward and the layout of the pages is sometimes confusing, but this can still be a useful source. - Historical Atlas of MassachusettsREF G1230 .H5 1991 (Located at Reference Atlas Case)
The maps in this volume produced by the University of Massachusetts Press provide statistical illustrations of the changes in the Commonwealth from the colonial times to late 1980's. Photographs and valuable introductory analysis round out the historical picture. - Encyclopedia of MassachusettsREF F64 .E53 1999
Although the name sounds promising, this two volume set is short on statistics. It does, however, give small histories of Massachusetts towns, and provides other information, like biographies of our former governors. - Massachusetts at a GlanceREF F64 .T34 2004
Like the above, more facts than figures. This "User's Guide to the Bay State" is organized in dictionary style and defines and describes many names and places in the Commonwealth. - New England at a Glance: Profiles from the 1990 CensusREF HA218 .K37 1993
Although, as the title indicates, the information in this volume is older, it does do a good job of providing basic town by town figures on New England municipalities. And this information can often be contrasted with 2000 or 2010 census figures, which should be available on the web. - Trends and Indicators in Higher EducationREF L903.N4 T74
Connection is the name of the "Journal of the New England Board of Higher Education." Every year the group produces statistics related to colleges and universities, not just in Massachusetts, but throughout New England. Unfortunately, print is no longer produced. But there is a link on this catalog record to online updates.
