Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 56/100
C−
Median home value$822,900
Boston $646,300
Median rent$1,970/mo
Boston $2,023/mo
Cost-burdened households31%
Boston 36%
Melrose
Middlesex County29,650 residentsMelrose
68
B−
Suburbgrade score
12th of 60 Boston suburbs. Strong on schools and amenities, held back by commute & transport.
68
Boston median 61
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Melrose yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 68 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 Melrose is like to live in, by category
Bars show Melrose against Boston. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 85/100
A−
Within-state proficiency83rd pct
Boston median 47th pct
Student–teacher ratio13.7
Boston median 11.8
Graduation rate95%
Boston median 91%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 75/100
B
Housing cost index104
Boston 100
Eff. tax rate0.89%
Boston 1.01%
Local sales tax6.25%
Boston median 6.25%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 46/100
D
Mean commute34.5 min
Boston 30.3 min
Under 30 minutes40%
Boston 52%
Transit stops / sq mi23
Boston median 8.1 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 79/100
B+
Restaurants & cafés81
Boston median 51 · within 2 miles
Groceries5
Boston median 4 · within 2 miles
Parks107
Boston median 65 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 68/100
B−
Median household income$133,953
Boston $115,863
Unemployment3.7%
Boston 4.9%
Professional occupations65%
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 Melrose 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 Melrose on commute & transport
Melrose's weakest grade is D. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbCommuteOverall
Cambridge6 mi from MelroseB 74 B Waltham10 mi from MelroseB 65 C+ Newton11 mi from MelroseB− 75 B Brookline10 mi from MelroseB− 77 B Watertown9 mi from MelroseB− 68 B− Gloucester22 mi from MelroseC+ 52 D+ Mean commute: ACS 2020–24 · Commuting under 30 minutes: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Melrose
Is Melrose, MA a good place to live?
Melrose scores 68 out of 100, 12th of 60 Boston suburbs. It is strongest on schools and weakest on commute & transport. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Melrose expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B. The median home is $822,900, 27% above the Boston median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.89%. $1,970/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Melrose?
Schools grade A−. The districts serving Melrose sit at the 83rd pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 95% graduation rate and a 13.7 student–teacher ratio. Melrose is served by Melrose. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Melrose?
The mean commute is 34.5 min, with 40% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 30% working from home. Transit density is 23 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Melrose?
Within two miles there are 5 groceries, 81 restaurants and cafés and 107 parks, which grades B+ on amenities.
Are the homes in Melrose old or new?
The median home in Melrose was built in 1939 or earlier — 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. 57% 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.