Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 24/100
F
Median home value$429,200
Boston $646,300
Median rent$1,625/mo
Boston $2,023/mo
Cost-burdened households44%
Boston 36%
Lowell
Middlesex County118,368 residentsLowell
50
D+
Suburbgrade score
49th of 60 Boston suburbs. Strong on amenities and cost of living, held back by housing & affordability.
50
Boston median 61
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Lowell yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 50 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Lowell is like to live in, by category
Bars show Lowell against Boston. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 37/100
F
Within-state proficiency13th pct
Boston median 47th pct
Student–teacher ratio12.8
Boston median 11.8
Graduation rate78%
Boston median 91%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 79/100
B+
Housing cost index79
Boston 100
Eff. tax rate0.94%
Boston 1.01%
Local sales tax6.25%
Boston median 6.25%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 49/100
D+
Mean commute27.9 min
Boston 30.3 min
Under 30 minutes55%
Boston 52%
Transit stops / sq mi6.5
Boston median 8.1 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 81/100
B+
Restaurants & cafés106
Boston median 51 · within 2 miles
Groceries11
Boston median 4 · within 2 miles
Parks116
Boston median 65 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 42/100
D−
Median household income$78,658
Boston $115,863
Unemployment5.7%
Boston 4.9%
Professional occupations40%
Boston 54%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Lowell yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Lowell on housing & affordability
Lowell's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Wellesley23 mi from LowellA− 76 B Lexington14 mi from LowellB+ 75 B Winchester16 mi from LowellB 73 B Lynnfield16 mi from LowellB− 67 C+ Newton22 mi from LowellB− 75 B Belmont18 mi from LowellB− 73 B Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Lowell
Is Lowell, MA a good place to live?
Lowell scores 50 out of 100, 49th of 60 Boston suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on housing & affordability. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Lowell expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B+. The median home is $429,200, 34% below the Boston median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.94%. $1,625/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Lowell?
Schools grade F. The districts serving Lowell sit at the 13th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 78% graduation rate and a 12.8 student–teacher ratio. Lowell is served by Lowell. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Lowell?
The mean commute is 27.9 min, with 55% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 11% working from home. Transit density is 6.5 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Lowell?
Within two miles there are 11 groceries, 106 restaurants and cafés and 116 parks, which grades B+ on amenities.
Are the homes in Lowell old or new?
The median home in Lowell was built in 1953 — older than the Boston median of 1964. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 37% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.