The Boston–Cambridge–Newton metro has 5.0M residents (per 2024 ACS 5-year Estimates ), a 2024 median household income of $116K, median home value of $646K, median age of 39, and a 52% bachelor's-degree share among adults 25 and older. The analysis below clusters neighborhoods within the metro's urbanized areas, covering 3.9M of those 5.0M residents. A MetroWest band running through Wellesley , Newton , Needham , and Lexington leads on home value, income, and education, while the lowest values sit on the metro's southern fringe around Taunton and its northern edge toward Lawrence and the New Hampshire border.
Median home value
The Wellesley cluster leads at $1.6M, roughly 2.5× the metro median, followed by a cluster north of Cochituate at $1.3M that covers the Wayland and Weston side of MetroWest. A cluster south of Newton sits at $1.3M, another north of Needham at $1.3M, and the area east of Lexington at $1.1M. At the bottom, a South Taunton cluster reports $417K, the area north of Salisbury reports $422K, a cluster north of Lowell reports $438K, the area south of Holbrook reports $438K, and the area west of Lowell reports $439K. Most of the metro sits in the $600K–$800K band; the ≥$1.0M tier is concentrated in the MetroWest band west of Boston.
Median household income
The Wellesley cluster tops incomes at $234K, followed by the area north of Cochituate at $225K, the area north of Needham at $221K, the area north of Lexington at $212K, and the area east of Lexington at $201K. The lowest incomes sit in old mill-city pockets on the metro's northern edge and at its southern tip: the area north of Lawrence at $62K, South Taunton at $63K, the area west of Gloucester at $70K, the area west of Salem at $75K, and a cluster around Lynn at $77K. The ≥$180K tier overlaps the same MetroWest band that leads on home value; the under-$80K tier wraps Lawrence, Lynn, the North Shore, and Taunton.
Median age
The metro's oldest cluster is the area north of Scituate at 51, with the area north of Salisbury close behind at 50 along the New Hampshire border. A Peabody cluster sits at 49, and two more North Shore clusters reach 48 and 47. The youngest clusters ring the urban core and its universities: a North Boston cluster at 28, the area east of Cambridge at 30 — adjacent to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University campuses — the area west of Boston at 30, a cluster north of Brookline at 32, and a west Boston cluster at 32. Most of the metro sits in the 38–44 band; the ≥46 tier is confined to coastal pockets along the South Shore and North Shore.
Adults with a bachelor's degree
Education tracks home values closely on the high end. The Wellesley cluster leads at 89%, with the area north of Needham at 83%, the area south of Newton at 83%, the area north of Cochituate at 81%, and a cluster north of Brookline at 81%. The lowest shares run through the same northern and southern fringes as the lowest incomes: the area north of Lawrence at 16%, South Taunton at 20%, a Brockton cluster at 20%, the area west of Revere at 22%, and the Lynn cluster at 23%. The ≥80% tier follows the MetroWest band and reaches into Brookline; the under-30% tier wraps Lawrence, Brockton, Lynn, Revere, and Taunton.
Where the metrics overlap
The Wellesley cluster sits at the top of three metrics simultaneously — home value, income, and education — and the adjacent north-of-Cochituate, south-of-Newton, north-of-Needham, and Lexington clusters repeat most of that pattern across MetroWest. South Taunton and the area north of Lawrence sit at the bottom of those same three metrics together. Age cuts across the wealth gradient differently: the metro's oldest clusters are coastal South Shore and North Shore pockets, while the youngest sit in the urban core around Cambridge and Boston — the cluster north of Brookline in particular pairs a young median age of 32 with one of the metro's highest bachelor's shares at 81%.
Key Takeaways
- The Wellesley cluster leads the metro on home value ($1.6M), income ($234K), and bachelor's share (89%) at once.
- A MetroWest band running through Wellesley, Newton, Needham, Lexington, and the area north of Cochituate repeats that pattern across all three wealth-and-education metrics.
- South Taunton sits at the bottom on home value ($417K), income ($63K), and bachelor's share (20%) simultaneously.
- The area north of Lawrence reports the metro's lowest income ($62K) and lowest bachelor's share (16%).
- The North Boston cluster is the metro's youngest at 28 years; the area north of Scituate is the oldest at 51.