Compare towns
Somerville vs Cambridge vs Boston
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Massachusetts.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Somerville has the most people working from home (31.3%).
Cambridge has grown the fastest since 2010 (+12.6%).
Boston has the most kids (15.1% under 18).
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 | Somerville | Cambridge | Boston |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 81,036Lowest |
118,796 |
666,442Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +7%Lowest MA: +7.4% |
+12.6%Highest MA: +7.4% |
+9.4% MA: +7.4% |
| Median age | 31.9±0.6 20% below MA |
30.4±0.4Lowest 24% below MA |
33.3±0.2Highest 17% below MA |
| Kids under 18 | 9.8%±0.8Lowest MA: 19.4% |
12.4%±0.8 MA: 19.4% |
15.1%±0.3Highest MA: 19.4% |
| Age 65+ | 10%±0.8Lowest MA: 17.9% |
12.2%±0.7 MA: 17.9% |
13%±0.3Highest MA: 17.9% |
| Boston and Cambridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 69.4% MA: 47.3% |
80.8%Highest MA: 47.3% |
54.9%Lowest MA: 47.3% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 12.8%±1.2Lowest MA: 7.9% |
25.1%±1Highest MA: 7.9% |
15%±0.3 MA: 7.9% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $132,572±$6kHighest 28% above MA |
$130,748±$4k 26% above MA |
$97,344±$2kLowest 6% below MA |
| Somerville and Cambridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $911,300±$26k 62% above MA |
$1,092,100±$42kHighest 94% above MA |
$731,700±$10kLowest 30% above MA |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $2,517±$64 43% above MA |
$2,787±$48Highest 58% above MA |
$2,147±$25Lowest 22% above MA |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $6,186Highest 3% above MA |
$4,802 20% below MA |
$4,456Lowest 26% below MA |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 36.2%±2.9Lowest MA: 51.8% |
45%±2.3 MA: 51.8% |
51.2%±1.2Highest MA: 51.8% |
| Below poverty line | 9.8%Lowest MA: 10% |
12.8% MA: 10% |
16.6%Highest MA: 10% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 34.2% MA: 62.5% |
33.5%Lowest MA: 62.5% |
35.7%Highest MA: 62.5% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 26 yrs older than MA |
1950Highest 14 yrs older than MA |
1947 17 yrs older than MA |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 31 minHighest 7% above MA |
26 minLowest 11% below MA |
30 min 4% above MA |
| Work from home | 31.3%±2.2Highest MA: 18.6% |
30.8%±1.5 MA: 18.6% |
21.3%±0.5Lowest MA: 18.6% |
| Somerville and Cambridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #225 of 282 in MA | #122 of 282 in MA | #258 of 282 in MA |
| School district | Somerville | Cambridge | Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers: A Horace Mann · Boston |
| High school in town | Somerville High | Cambridge Rindge and Latin | Boston Latin School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 11.2 |
9.3Lowest |
18.7Highest |
| 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.