Data Critique 1

When choosing two cities to compare, I selected Washington D.C. due to its similar population size to Boston. Using Data UA, I examined and compared median income levels in each city to housing costs to better understand the affordability between each city. 

According to Data USA's 2023 data the median earning from individuals in Boston annuals show that men earn about $69,413 and women earn about $55,788. The highest earning industries, which are similar amongst both men and women include finance and insurance, real estate, public administration, and waste management services. They also estimated that Boston's median household income is about 90,000. While not explicitly stating household size, this figure reflects households with two or more incomes since it's well over the estimate for individuals in the Boston area. In addition to this roughly 35% of households own their homes while the majority of homeowners have a mortgage. 

Despite this, housing costs in Boston remain high. According to US Rent Prices, the average rent for a two bedroom apartment is just under 3K a month as of 2025, with the recommended household income of approximately $117,000. Studio apartments average over $2,300 which is significant considering that the median earnings range between $55,00 and $70,000. 

In comparison, Washington D.C. shows noticeably higher individual incomes. Median earnings for men are about $93,664 while women earn around $80,327 creating a noticeable wage difference of about $13,000 which is the same difference seen between men and women in the city of Boston. The dominant industries in D.C. are also very similar to Boston, including public administration, finance and real estate which is big across both men and women. Homeownership is a little larger, but not by much with 41% of the population owning their homes, the rest having a mortgage. 

While having higher incomes, D.C. is also less expensive. US Rent prices show that studio apartments are just under $2000 a month and a two bedroom is about $2,200. When comparing the range of difference of rent prices between cities it's between $400-$700 difference from studios, to 4 bedroom apartments. However US Rent Prices does not give information on the specifics of how much income is spent on housing, affordability, variation between neighborhoods or housing insecurity. With the data we have, it can be interpreted that there is significantly higher cost pressure in Boston as compared to Washington. D.C. as Boston is one of the most expensive cities to live in. 

Despite this, it is clear that between both cities the difference in wage is a significant issue, especially considering when compared, the industries are similar amongst men and women and still have a 13k difference in salary.