Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 53/100
C−
Median home value$911,300
Boston $646,300
Median rent$2,517/mo
Boston $2,023/mo
Cost-burdened households34%
Boston 36%
Somerville
Middlesex County81,036 residentsSomerville
67
C+
Suburbgrade score
17th of 60 Boston suburbs. Strong on amenities and employment & income, held back by housing & affordability.
67
Boston median 61
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Somerville yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 67 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 Somerville is like to live in, by category
Bars show Somerville against Boston. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 55/100
C−
Within-state proficiency35th pct
Boston median 47th pct
Student–teacher ratio12.0
Boston median 11.8
Graduation rate85%
Boston median 91%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 73/100
B
Housing cost index122
Boston 100
Eff. tax rate0.67%
Boston 1.01%
Local sales tax6.25%
Boston median 6.25%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 55/100
C−
Mean commute31.0 min
Boston 30.3 min
Under 30 minutes44%
Boston 52%
Transit stops / sq mi46
Boston median 8.1 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 100/100
A+
Restaurants & cafés589
Boston median 51 · within 2 miles
Groceries35
Boston median 4 · within 2 miles
Parks323
Boston median 65 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 79/100
B+
Median household income$132,572
Boston $115,863
Unemployment3.0%
Boston 4.9%
Professional occupations71%
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 Somerville 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 Somerville on housing & affordability
Somerville's weakest grade is C−. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Wellesley11 mi from SomervilleA− 76 B Lexington8 mi from SomervilleB+ 75 B Winchester5 mi from SomervilleB 73 B Needham10 mi from SomervilleB 73 B Lynnfield10 mi from SomervilleB− 67 C+ Newton7 mi from SomervilleB− 75 B Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Somerville
Is Somerville, MA a good place to live?
Somerville scores 67 out of 100, 17th 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 Somerville expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B. The median home is $911,300, 41% above the Boston median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.67%. $2,517/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Somerville?
Schools grade C−. The districts serving Somerville sit at the 35th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 85% graduation rate and a 12.0 student–teacher ratio. Somerville is served by Somerville. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Somerville?
The mean commute is 31.0 min, with 44% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 31% working from home. Transit density is 46 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Somerville?
Within two miles there are 35 groceries, 589 restaurants and cafés and 323 parks, which grades A+ on amenities.
Are the homes in Somerville old or new?
The median home in Somerville 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. 15% 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.