Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 54/100
C−
Median home value$755,500
Boston $646,300
Median rent$2,509/mo
Boston $2,023/mo
Cost-burdened households34%
Boston 36%
Medford
Middlesex County59,354 residentsMedford
65
C+
Suburbgrade score
20th of 60 Boston suburbs. Strongest on amenities, held back by housing & affordability.
65
Boston median 61
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Medford yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 65 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 Medford is like to live in, by category
Bars show Medford against Boston. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 59/100
C
Within-state proficiency34th pct
Boston median 47th pct
Student–teacher ratio10.2
Boston median 11.8
Graduation rate90%
Boston median 91%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 69/100
B−
Housing cost index112
Boston 100
Eff. tax rate0.78%
Boston 1.01%
Local sales tax6.25%
Boston median 6.25%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 58/100
C
Mean commute30.2 min
Boston 30.3 min
Under 30 minutes50%
Boston 52%
Transit stops / sq mi30
Boston median 8.1 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 92/100
A
Restaurants & cafés151
Boston median 51 · within 2 miles
Groceries15
Boston median 4 · within 2 miles
Parks124
Boston median 65 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 66/100
C+
Median household income$129,540
Boston $115,863
Unemployment4.3%
Boston 4.9%
Professional occupations59%
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 Medford 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 Medford on housing & affordability
Medford's weakest grade is C−. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Wellesley12 mi from MedfordA− 76 B Lexington6 mi from MedfordB+ 75 B Winchester3 mi from MedfordB 73 B Needham12 mi from MedfordB 73 B Lynnfield8 mi from MedfordB− 67 C+ Newton8 mi from MedfordB− 75 B Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Medford
Is Medford, MA a good place to live?
Medford scores 65 out of 100, 20th 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 Medford expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B−. The median home is $755,500, 17% above the Boston median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.78%. $2,509/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Medford?
Schools grade C. The districts serving Medford sit at the 34th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 90% graduation rate and a 10.2 student–teacher ratio. Medford is served by Medford. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Medford?
The mean commute is 30.2 min, with 50% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 27% working from home. Transit density is 30 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Medford?
Within two miles there are 15 groceries, 151 restaurants and cafés and 124 parks, which grades A on amenities.
Are the homes in Medford old or new?
The median home in Medford was built in 1942 — 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. 40% 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.