Population measures provide insight on the changing size and face of communities. The racial and ethnic composition of a community can offer insight into its levels of diversity, which can bring with it challenges and opportunities.

Brookline has grown more diverse since 2007-11. Its Asian population grew fastest, gaining 19%, followed by a 14% growth among the Latino population. The African American population was too small to make a reliable estimation and the white population decreased -3%. The white population still makes up a large majority, with 43,900 people.

Massachusetts and the nation experienced similar changes, but compared to Brookline, the state and nation had larger increases in Asian and Latino populations.

White residents were the largest racial group in every comparison locality in 2017-21. Everett experienced a larger increase in its Hispanic population than Brookline, at 98%. Brookline experienced the slowest growth among Asians compared to all selected localities. The white population declined in all comparison localities, with the exception of Cambridge which experienced 2% growth.

The composition of the U.S. population is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse as people of color grow in representation and will be a majority within the next two decades. Latino, Asian and multiracial groups are experiencing the largest growth with Latinos' rapid increase caused largely by immigration. Latino immigrants who enter the U.S. tend to be younger and of child-bearing age. Latinas in the U.S. have higher fertility rates than Black and white women. Black, Latino and multiracial populations are also experiencing higher rates of births relative to deaths, while whites are experiencing the opposite.

Rate is percentage change from 2007-11. The multiyear figures are from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. The bureau combined 5 years of responses to the survey to provide estimates for smaller geographic areas and increase the precision of its estimates. However, because the information came from a survey, the samples responding to the survey were not always large enough to produce reliable results, especially in small geographic areas. CGR has noted on data tables the estimates with relatively large margins of error. Estimates with three asterisks have the largest margins, plus or minus 50% or more of the estimate. Two asterisks mean plus or minus 35%-50%, and one asterisk means plus or minus 20%-35%. For all estimates, the confidence level is 90%, meaning there is 90% probability the true value (if the whole population were surveyed) would be within the margin of error (or confidence interval). The survey provides data on characteristics of the population that used to be collected only during the decennial census.

The Census Bureau asks people to identify their race (white, African-American, etc.) separate from their ethnicity (Hispanic or non-Hispanic). So the totals for these categories cannot be added together, as people show up in both a racial and ethnic group. Data for this indicator are released annually in December.