Richest and poorest places in the Boston area
Richest and poorest places in the Boston area
From historic Beacon Hill to the suburban beauty of Newton, Boston is known for its share of affluent areas. But for all the wealth contained throughout Beantown, there is a wide range of economic realities that can vary from community to community.
To help understand income disparity throughout the Boston, Stacker analyzed data from the most recent American Community Survey from the U.S. Census. Stacker focused on the 23 Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) that make up Norfolk, Middlesex, and Suffolk counties, defined as statistical geographic areas with populations of over 100,000.
The research team has ranked these areas by median income per capita from low to high, including supporting data around the population, unemployment rates, and median rental rates.
Read on to find out the richest and poorest areas in the Boston area.
RELATED: Best public high schools in Boston
#23. Boston City—Mattapan and Roxbury
- Median income: $19,362
- Total population: 136,191
- Unemployment rate: 13.6%
- One-bedroom median gross rent: $422
#22. Boston City—Allston, Brighton, and Fenway
- Median income: $21,368
- Total population: 111,437
- Unemployment rate: 8.8%
- One-bedroom median gross rent: $1,633
#21. Middlesex County (far Northeast)—Lowell City
- Median income: $25,542
- Total population: 110,572
- Unemployment rate: 5.6%
- One-bedroom median gross rent: $803
#20. Plymouth and Norfolk Counties—Brockton City, Stoughton, and Avon Towns
- Median income: $28,129
- Total population: 128,723
- Unemployment rate: 8.8%
- One-bedroom median gross rent: $809
#19. Suffolk County (North)—Revere, Chelsea, and Winthrop
- Median income: $28,328
- Total population: 111,969
- Unemployment rate: 5.4%
- One-bedroom median gross rent: $1,090
#18. Middlesex County (East)—Malden and Medford Cities
- Median income: $36,370
- Total population: 118,043
- Unemployment rate: 5.1%
- One-bedroom median gross rent: $1,180
#17. Middlesex County (East)—Somerville and Everett Cities
- Median income: $36,454
- Total population: 127,664
- Unemployment rate: 4.9%
- One-bedroom median gross rent: $1,445
#16. Norfolk County (Northeast)—Quincy City and Milton Town
- Median income: $37,435
- Total population: 121,039
- Unemployment rate: 4.9%
- One-bedroom median gross rent: $1,169
#15. Worcester and Middlesex Counties (outside Leominster, Fitchburg, and Gardner Cities)
- Median income: $37,506
- Total population: 111,862
- Unemployment rate: 3.5%
- One-bedroom median gross rent: $753
#14. Boston City—Dorchester and South Boston
- Median income: $39,571
- Total population: 129,231
- Unemployment rate: 7%
- One-bedroom median gross rent: $1,202
#13. Middlesex County (South)—Framingham Town, Marlborough City, and Natick Town
- Median income: $39,585
- Total population: 147,410
- Unemployment rate: 4.5%
- One-bedroom median gross rent: $1,268
#12. Norfolk County (Central)—Randolph, Norwood, Dedham, Canton, and Holbrook Towns
- Median income: $39,635
- Total population: 120,853
- Unemployment rate: 3.4%
- One-bedroom median gross rent: $1,181
#11. Middlesex County (East)—Cambridge City
- Median income: $40,100
- Total population: 110,644
- Unemployment rate: 6.3%
- One-bedroom median gross rent: $1,827
#10. Boston City—Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Roslindale, and West Roxbury
- Median income: $40,108
- Total population: 138,867
- Unemployment rate: 5.6%
- One-bedroom median gross rent: $1,177
#9. Middlesex County—Waltham City, Lexington, Burlington, Bedford, and Lincoln Towns
- Median income: $41,695
- Total population: 145,978
- Unemployment rate: 2.6%
- One-bedroom median gross rent: $1,355
#8. Norfolk County (Southwest)—Greater Franklin
- Median income: $44,011
- Total population: 132,739
- Unemployment rate: 4.7%
- One-bedroom median gross rent: $1,128
#7. Middlesex County (outside Lowell City)
- Median income: $44,346
- Total population: 116,351
- Unemployment rate: 4.7%
- One-bedroom median gross rent: $1,107
#6. Boston City—Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Charlestown, East Boston, Central, and South End
- Median income: $45,801
- Total population: 156,535
- Unemployment rate: 3.9%
- One-bedroom median gross rent: $1,711
#5. Middlesex (far Southwest), Norfolk (Northwest), and Worcester (far East) Counties
- Median income: $46,363
- Total population: 123,299
- Unemployment rate: 3.7%
- One-bedroom median gross rent: $989
#4. Middlesex (Southeast) and Norfolk (Northeast) Counties—Newton City and Brookline Town
- Median income: $52,245
- Total population: 148,172
- Unemployment rate: 3.2%
- One-bedroom median gross rent: $1,711
#3. Middlesex (West Central) and Worcester (East) Counties
- Median income: $52,526
- Total population: 127,003
- Unemployment rate: 2.7%
- One-bedroom median gross rent: $952
#2. Middlesex County—Watertown, Arlington, Belmont, and Winchester Towns
- Median income: $55,289
- Total population: 129,353
- Unemployment rate: 1.9%
- One-bedroom median gross rent: $1,348
#1. Norfolk (Northeast) and Middlesex (Southeast) Counties (West of Boston City)
- Median income: $59,435
- Total population: 113,021
- Unemployment rate: 3.4%
- One-bedroom median gross rent: $1,430
