Boston

Best Boston suburbs for young professionals

Ranked on employment and income at 25%, amenities at 25%, commute at 20%, median rent at 15% (lower is better) and cost of living at 15%. Schools are not counted.

Updated Sep 2026·60 suburbs considered, 10 listed
1
Cambridge City Hall, located at 795 Massachusetts Avenue between Inman and Bigelow Streets in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was built in 1888-89 and was designed by
Cambridge$1.09M median · 25.8 min commute
Employment B−Amenities A+Commute B
73
Score
overall 74 B
2
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth$689k median · 22.2 min commute
Employment C+Amenities B+Commute B+
72
Score
overall 72 B−
3
Davis Square in Somerville, looking north up Holland St.
Somerville$911k median · 31.0 min commute
Employment B+Amenities A+Commute C−
72
Score
overall 67 C+
4
Coolidge Corner South Side, Brookline, MA, USA
Brookline$1.25M median · 27.1 min commute
Employment BAmenities A+Commute B−
70
Score
overall 77 B
5
Arlington Town Hall, in Arlington, Massachusetts
Arlington$934k median · 32.2 min commute
Employment B+Amenities A−Commute C−
70
Score
overall 74 B
6
City Hall, Waltham, Massachusetts.
Waltham$749k median · 24.7 min commute
Employment C+Amenities B+Commute B
69
Score
overall 65 C+
7
Dover City Hall, 288 Central Avenue, Dover, New Hampshire
Dover$437k median · 22.7 min commute
Employment CAmenities B−Commute B
69
Score
overall 59 C
8
Main Street in Watertown, Massachusetts, USA.
Watertown$785k median · 27.6 min commute
Employment C+Amenities A+Commute B−
68
Score
overall 68 B−
9
Newton City Hall in Massachusetts, closer view. 1000 Commonwealth Avenue, Newton Centre.
Newton$1.26M median · 26.6 min commute
Employment BAmenities BCommute B−
67
Score
overall 75 B
10
Photo was taken by Mark Haggerty in 1998.
Stoneham$672k median · 27.8 min commute
Employment B−Amenities BCommute C
67
Score
overall 68 B−
This list's weighting
Employment 25%Amenities 25%Commute 20%Median rent (lower is better) 15%Cost of living 15%
Other Boston lists
Best Boston suburbs for familiesMost affordable Boston suburbsBest Boston suburbs for schoolsShortest commutes to Downtown BostonMost walkable Boston suburbsHow we score Boston suburbs →

Photos from Wikimedia Commons: Cambridge (Beyond My Ken · CC BY-SA 4.0); Portsmouth (Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0); Somerville (4300streetcar · CC BY 4.0); Brookline (Pesotsky · CC BY 3.0); Arlington (Tim Pierce · CC BY 3.0); Waltham (Kenneth C. Zirkel · CC BY-SA 4.0); Dover (MidniteOIL · CC BY-SA 4.0); Watertown (IFCAR · Public domain); Newton (Kenneth C. Zirkel · CC BY-SA 4.0); Stoneham (The original uploader was Bhaggs at English Wikipedia. · Public domain).