Compare towns
Cambridge vs Boston vs Waltham
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Massachusetts.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Cambridge has the most expensive homes ($1092k median).
Boston has the most kids (15.1% under 18).
Waltham has the most homeowners (49.7%).
Cambridge is a college town. 25.1% of residents are enrolled in college, which pulls its median age, poverty rate and renter figures away from what a year-round family would see.
What matters to you?
Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.
| Measure | Cambridge | Boston | Waltham |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 118,796 |
666,442Highest |
64,902Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +12.6%Highest MA: +7.4% |
+9.4% MA: +7.4% |
+7.6%Lowest MA: +7.4% |
| Median age | 30.4±0.4Lowest 24% below MA |
33.3±0.2 17% below MA |
34.4±1Highest 14% below MA |
| Waltham and Boston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 12.4%±0.8Lowest MA: 19.4% |
15.1%±0.3Highest MA: 19.4% |
13.6%±1.1 MA: 19.4% |
| Age 65+ | 12.2%±0.7Lowest MA: 17.9% |
13%±0.3 MA: 17.9% |
15.8%±1.1Highest MA: 17.9% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 80.8%Highest MA: 47.3% |
54.9%Lowest MA: 47.3% |
57.3% MA: 47.3% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 25.1%±1Highest MA: 7.9% |
15%±0.3Lowest MA: 7.9% |
19.1%±1.3 MA: 7.9% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $130,748±$4kHighest 26% above MA |
$97,344±$2kLowest 6% below MA |
$120,216±$7k 16% above MA |
| Cambridge and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $1,092,100±$42kHighest 94% above MA |
$731,700±$10kLowest 30% above MA |
$748,700±$27k 33% above MA |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $2,787±$48Highest 58% above MA |
$2,147±$25Lowest 22% above MA |
$2,268±$79 29% above MA |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,802Highest 20% below MA |
$4,456Lowest 26% below MA |
$4,766 20% below MA |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 45%±2.3 MA: 51.8% |
51.2%±1.2Highest MA: 51.8% |
44.7%±4.1Lowest MA: 51.8% |
| Below poverty line | 12.8% MA: 10% |
16.6%Highest MA: 10% |
9.4%Lowest MA: 10% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 33.5%Lowest MA: 62.5% |
35.7% MA: 62.5% |
49.7%Highest MA: 62.5% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1950 14 yrs older than MA |
1947Lowest 17 yrs older than MA |
1961Highest 3 yrs older than MA |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 26 min 11% below MA |
30 minHighest 4% above MA |
25 minLowest 15% below MA |
| Work from home | 30.8%±1.5Highest MA: 18.6% |
21.3%±0.5Lowest MA: 18.6% |
24.2%±2.1 MA: 18.6% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #122 of 282 in MA | #258 of 282 in MA | #217 of 282 in MA |
| School district | Cambridge | Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers: A Horace Mann · Boston | Waltham |
| High school in town | Cambridge Rindge and Latin | Boston Latin School | Waltham Sr High |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 9.3Lowest |
18.7Highest |
10.4 |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | None yet | None yet |
MA average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.