Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 85/100
A−
Median home value$1,582,700
Boston $646,300
Median rent$2,886/mo
Boston $2,023/mo
Cost-burdened households26%
Boston 36%
Wellesley
Norfolk County30,347 residentsWellesley
76
B
Suburbgrade score
2nd of 60 Boston suburbs. Strong on schools and housing & affordability, held back by commute & transport.
76
Boston median 61
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Wellesley yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 76 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 Wellesley is like to live in, by category
Bars show Wellesley against Boston. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 95/100
A+
Within-state proficiency97th pct
Boston median 47th pct
Student–teacher ratio10.5
Boston median 11.8
Graduation rate98%
Boston median 91%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 63/100
C+
Housing cost index136
Boston 100
Eff. tax rate0.92%
Boston 1.01%
Local sales tax6.25%
Boston median 6.25%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 61/100
C
Mean commute27.2 min
Boston 30.3 min
Under 30 minutes55%
Boston 52%
Transit stops / sq mi1.0
Boston median 8.1 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 70/100
B−
Restaurants & cafés41
Boston median 51 · within 2 miles
Groceries4
Boston median 4 · within 2 miles
Parks94
Boston median 65 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 73/100
B
Median household income$250,000+
Boston $115,863
Unemployment4.4%
Boston 4.9%
Professional occupations74%
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 Wellesley 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 Wellesley on commute & transport
Wellesley's weakest grade is C. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbCommuteOverall
Cambridge10 mi from WellesleyB 74 B Waltham6 mi from WellesleyB 65 C+ Newton4 mi from WellesleyB− 75 B Brookline7 mi from WellesleyB− 77 B Watertown7 mi from WellesleyB− 68 B− Woburn14 mi from WellesleyC+ 63 C+ Mean commute: ACS 2020–24 · Commuting under 30 minutes: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Wellesley
Is Wellesley, MA a good place to live?
Wellesley scores 76 out of 100, 2nd 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 Wellesley expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C+. The median home is $1,582,700, 145% above the Boston median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.92%. $2,886/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Wellesley?
Schools grade A+. The districts serving Wellesley sit at the 97th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 98% graduation rate and a 10.5 student–teacher ratio. Wellesley is served by Wellesley. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Wellesley?
The mean commute is 27.2 min, with 55% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 32% working from home. Transit density is 1.0 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Wellesley?
Within two miles there are 4 groceries, 41 restaurants and cafés and 94 parks, which grades B− on amenities.
Are the homes in Wellesley old or new?
The median home in Wellesley was built in 1955 — 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. 85% 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.