Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 48/100
D+
Median home value$603,400
Boston $646,300
Median rent$2,241/mo
Boston $2,023/mo
Cost-burdened households41%
Boston 36%
Saugus
Essex County28,773 residentsSaugus
54
C−
Suburbgrade score
42nd of 60 Boston suburbs. Strongest on amenities, held back by schools.
54
Boston median 61
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Saugus yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 54 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 Saugus is like to live in, by category
Bars show Saugus against Boston. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 45/100
D
Within-state proficiency30th pct
Boston median 47th pct
Student–teacher ratio15.2
Boston median 11.8
Graduation rate82%
Boston median 91%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 64/100
C+
Housing cost index99
Boston 100
Eff. tax rate0.98%
Boston 1.01%
Local sales tax6.25%
Boston median 6.25%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 49/100
D+
Mean commute29.6 min
Boston 30.3 min
Under 30 minutes51%
Boston 52%
Transit stops / sq mi19
Boston median 8.1 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 68/100
B−
Restaurants & cafés52
Boston median 51 · within 2 miles
Groceries3
Boston median 4 · within 2 miles
Parks61
Boston median 65 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 54/100
C−
Median household income$101,539
Boston $115,863
Unemployment3.8%
Boston 4.9%
Professional occupations39%
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 Saugus 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 Saugus on schools
Saugus's weakest grade is D. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbSchoolsOverall
Lexington11 mi from SaugusA+ 75 B Wellesley18 mi from SaugusA+ 76 B Belmont10 mi from SaugusA+ 73 B Winchester7 mi from SaugusA+ 73 B Newton14 mi from SaugusA+ 75 B Needham17 mi from SaugusA+ 73 B Within-state proficiency: EDFacts SY2021–22 · Graduation rate: EDFacts ACGR SY2018–19
Common questions about living in Saugus
Is Saugus, MA a good place to live?
Saugus scores 54 out of 100, 42nd of 60 Boston suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on schools. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Saugus expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C+. The median home is $603,400, 7% below the Boston median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.98%. $2,241/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Saugus?
Schools grade D. The districts serving Saugus sit at the 30th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 82% graduation rate and a 15.2 student–teacher ratio. Saugus is served by Saugus. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Saugus?
The mean commute is 29.6 min, with 51% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 14% working from home. Transit density is 19 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Saugus?
Within two miles there are 3 groceries, 52 restaurants and cafés and 61 parks, which grades B− on amenities.
Are the homes in Saugus old or new?
The median home in Saugus was built in 1962 — close to 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. 70% 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.