205 census tracts
Boston.Massachusetts housing market
This Boston housing market report covers about 310,600 homes across 205 census tracts. The average of 691 active listings, $2,562,355, costs 25.9 times the median household income, the 2nd highest ratio of the 139 markets PriceDNA tracks.
- Average listing price
- $2,562,355 691 active listings · Realtor.com Economic Research, Monthly Housing Inventory · August 2026
- Approximate homes
- 310,600 across 205 assigned tracts
- Renter-occupied
- 64% of occupied homes
Boston housing market context
- Renters occupy 64% of occupied homes, higher than in 134 of the 139 markets.
- The median household income is $99,042, higher than in 121 of the 139 markets.
- The property tax rate PriceDNA uses for rental analysis is 1.01%, lower than in 115 of the 139 markets.
These are city-level figures. To see how one property measures up against your goal, run a specific address.
Location score distribution
How location scores vary across 205 census tracts in Boston.
Half of Boston's tracts score between 76 and 84. The full range spans 62 to 93, with a median of 80.2.
What the location score shows
PriceDNA Location Score™ is a 0 to 100 signal designed to summarize local strength and risk context for rental-property analysis. Higher scores generally point to stronger location fundamentals.
The middle half of Boston's tracts is 7.5 points wide on the score, wider than in 113 of the 139 markets PriceDNA tracks.
To see the location score for your specific property, analyze a property
Housing composition
Key housing statistics for approximately 310,600 homes in Boston, including occupancy, tenure, and structure type.
Of about 310,600 homes, 8.8% are vacant. Among occupied homes, 64% are renter-occupied, providing context on the size of the local rental base.
By structure type, about 18% of Boston’s housing units are in single-family structures, 35% in small multifamily buildings (2 to 4 units), and 46% in larger multifamily buildings (5+ units). Percentages are rounded; small residual structure categories are not shown.
How Boston compares
Boston's median is above the Massachusetts median on 2 of these 8 measures and above the U.S. median on 5. The city range shows the lower quarter, median and upper quarter of its census tracts.
| Metric | Boston lower · median · upper Boston | Massachusetts MA | United States US |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Census ACS B19013 · 2020 to 2024
|
$75,328 $99,042 $132,282 | $104,611 | $77,171 |
|
Census ACS B15003 · 2020 to 2024
|
45% 66% 78% | 53% | 41% |
|
Census ACS B01001 · 2020 to 2024
|
36% 43% 54% | 32% | 32% |
|
FHFA HPI · 2025
|
4.7% every tract | 5.9% | 5.2% |
|
HUD SAFMR · 2018 to 2027 + Census ACS B25064 · 2014 to 2024
|
3.7% 4.4% 5.1% | 4.7% | 3.8% |
|
Census ACS B25103 · 2020 to 2024 + Lincoln Institute
|
1.01% every tract | 1.06% | 1.65% |
|
Census ACS B25141 · 2020 to 2024 + U.S. Treasury FIO
|
0.31% 0.33% 0.36% | 0.35% | 0.56% |
|
Census ACS B25064 + B19013 · 2020 to 2024
|
28.1% 31.3% 34.2% | 31.9% | 30.8% |
About this data
PriceDNA uses the most local reliable data available for each metric. Some signals are available at the census-tract level. Others are published or more reliable at broader geographies such as county, metro, state, or national level.
Housing-unit totals are approximate. PriceDNA sums Census ACS counts for the tracts assigned to the city by centroid, so the market total can differ from a municipal boundary count when a tract crosses the city line.
The property-tax assumption combines local residential tax data with a state-level apartment benchmark to provide more conservative context for rental-property underwriting. Insurance assumptions use available residential property insurance data and should be verified for the specific property and coverage.
These pages are designed for market screening and investor education. They do not replace property-level underwriting, inspections, appraisals, insurance quotes, lender review, or professional advice.
Nearby markets
Market pages for other cities within 300 miles.
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