Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Population 1,638,365 · Cambridge, Lowell, Newton
- Overall cost of living: +8.3% vs the US average, higher than 97% of US counties.
- Median home price: $727,800, higher than 99% of US counties.
- Median rent: $2,201, higher than 99% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈+8.3% | higher than 97% of US counties <−17.5%US median −11.6%>+12.6% |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for the whole Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $727,800 | higher than 99% of US counties <$73,700US median $185,200>$793,400 |
| Median rent | $2,201 | higher than 99% of US counties <$521US median $877>$2,092 |
| Electric bill | $151/mo | lower than 72% of US counties <$99/moUS median $174/mo>$241/mo |
| Child care (preschool) | $16,120/yr | higher than 99% of US counties <$4,848/yrUS median $7,502/yr>$16,489/yr |
| Property tax rate | 1.03% | higher than 66% of US counties <0.27%US median 0.8%>2.32% |
| Sales tax | 6.25% | higher than 66% of US counties 0%US median 6%7.25% |
| State income tax | 5% | higher than 57% of US counties 0%US median 4.9%9.3% |
| Property tax paid / yr | $7,501 | higher than 99% of US counties <$349US median $1,622>$8,007 |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $130,847 | higher than 99% of US counties <$35,456US median $65,651>$130,189 |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 4.1% | higher than 52% of US counties <1.9%US median 4%>8.9% |
| Job growth (5 yr) | +0.2% | lower than 54% of US counties <-15.7%US median +0.8%>+26.1% |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 593.6 | higher than 98% of US counties <65.7US median 266.4>705.9 |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈196 days | lower than 71% of US counties <111 daysUS median 214 days>295 days |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 83°F | lower than 75% of US counties <68°FUS median 87°F>97°F |
| January low | 18°F | lower than 66% of US counties <-2°FUS median 23°F>49°F |
| Annual snowfall | 59 in | higher than 92% of US counties 0 inUS median 12 in>129 in |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 13 days | lower than 76% of US counties 0 daysUS median 34 days>137 days |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 140 days | higher than 71% of US counties <2 daysUS median 110 days>227 days |
| Severe drought | 4.9% of weeks | lower than 69% of US counties 0% of weeksUS median 8.3% of weeks>37.8% of weeks |
| Summer dew point | ≈60.7°F | lower than 64% of US counties <35.4°FUS median 63.3°F>74.4°F |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 48.3 in | higher than 70% of US counties <9 inUS median 42.1 in>66.8 in |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $84/yr | lower than 89% of US counties <$56/yrUS median $132/yr>$471/yr |
| Flood damage per $100k | $65/yr | lower than 73% of US counties <$28/yrUS median $83/yr>$319/yr |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $8.3/yr | higher than 83% of US counties $0/yrUS median $0.17/yr>$290/yr |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $5.6/yr | higher than 70% of US counties <$0.03/yrUS median $2.7/yr>$159/yr |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $2.3/yr | lower than 78% of US counties <$0.01/yrUS median $9.2/yr>$32/yr |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $0.07/yr | lower than 74% of US counties <$0.01/yrUS median $0.6/yr>$157/yr |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 7.2 µg/m³ | lower than 64% of US counties <4.2 µg/m³US median 7.8 µg/m³>12.3 µg/m³ |
| Distance to coast | 19.6 mi | lower than 90% of US counties <0.8 miUS median 202.1 mi>748.3 mi |
| Terrain relief | ≈1,016.1 ft | higher than 75% of US counties <32.4 ftUS median 436.5 ft>6,945.4 ft |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 93.2% | higher than 77% of US counties <72.1%US median 90.2%>97.1% |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 59.5% | higher than 99% of US counties <9.5%US median 22.1%>58.5% |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 30.5% | higher than 99% of US counties <2.5%US median 7.4%>26.2% |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 76 | higher than 99% of US counties 0US median 2>65 |
| Student-teacher ratio | 11.9:1 | lower than 77% of US counties <7.5:1US median 13.8:1>23.1:1 |
| On-time high school graduation | 92.5% | higher than 70% of US counties <65.7%US median 89.2%>97.5% |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 10.43 | higher than 99% of US counties <gr 4.21US median gr 7.81>gr 10.18 |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 9.85 | higher than 99% of US counties <gr 5.3US median gr 7.81>gr 9.7 |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 3.44 | higher than 93% of US counties <gr 2.11US median gr 3.01>gr 3.74 |
| Library visits per resident | 4.7 | higher than 88% of US counties <0.3US median 2.3>12.8 |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 124/100k | higher than 96% of US counties 0/100kUS median 45/100k>178/100k |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 47 | higher than 99% of US counties 0US median 3>38 |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 3.4★ | higher than 61% of US counties 1★US median 3★5★ |
| Life expectancy | 82 yrs | higher than 97% of US counties <66.4 yrsUS median 75.6 yrs>83.6 yrs |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 2.4% | lower than 99% of US counties <3.8%US median 9.3%>23.8% |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 735/100k | higher than 97% of US counties 0/100kUS median 142/100k>1046/100k |
| Dentists / 100k | 107/100k | higher than 96% of US counties 0/100kUS median 43/100k>151/100k |
| Lyme disease cases | 62/100k | higher than 89% of US counties 0/100kUS median 0/100k>400.5/100k |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 97.1% | higher than 96% of US counties <1.5%US median 64.2%100% |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 37 min | lower than 80% of US counties <19 minUS median 57 min>135 min |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 37 min | lower than 93% of US counties <21 minUS median 108 min>398 min |
| Avg commute | 30 min | higher than 82% of US counties <12 minUS median 24 min>39 min |
| Broadband coverage | 94.7% | higher than 97% of US counties <67%US median 87%>95.7% |
| Transit commute share | 7.2% | higher than 99% of US counties 0%US median 0.2%>7.4% |
| Work-from-home share | 24.7% | higher than 99% of US counties <1.5%US median 8.7%>27.3% |
| Drive to a big city | 32 min | lower than 96% of US counties <18 minUS median 127 min>637 min |
| Street intersections | 114 per sq mi | higher than 98% of US counties 0 per sq miUS median 22 per sq mi>127 per sq mi |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 1.8 per 1k | lower than 54% of US counties 0 per 1kUS median 2 per 1k>9.2 per 1k |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 9.7 per 1k | higher than 62% of US counties 0 per 1kUS median 7.8 per 1k>32 per 1k |
| Population | 1,638,365 | higher than 99% of US counties <918US median 25,954>1,330,015 |
| Median age | 38.9 | lower than 74% of US counties <28.8US median 41.5>57.1 |
| Net domestic migration | -7.5 per 1k/yr | lower than 89% of US counties <-22.1 per 1k/yrUS median +2.3 per 1k/yr>+34 per 1k/yr |
| % Democratic vote | 68.5% Dem | higher than 97% of US counties <8.4% DemUS median 28.4% Dem>75.2% Dem |
| % Republican vote | 29% Rep | lower than 98% of US counties <21.9% RepUS median 70.3% Rep>91% Rep |
| % Third-party vote | 2.5% | higher than 90% of US counties 0%US median 1.3%>3.6% |
| % White | 65.1% | lower than 71% of US counties <14.3%US median 80.4%>96% |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 9.3% | higher than 70% of US counties <0.2%US median 5.1%>68.9% |
| % Black | 4.7% | higher than 63% of US counties 0%US median 2.1%>63.1% |
| % Asian | 13.6% | higher than 99% of US counties 0%US median 0.6%>15.9% |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.1% | lower than 50% of US counties 0%US median 0.1%>39.8% |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US 0%US median 0%>1.1% |
| % Two or more races | 5.8% | higher than 88% of US counties <0.5%US median 3.5%>11.7% |
| % Some other race | 1.4% | higher than 98% of US counties 0%US median 0.3%>1.8% |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 4415 parks | higher than 99% of US counties 0 parksUS median 51 parks>2374 parks |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 19.6 | higher than 83% of US counties 0US median 14.5>47.5 |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 4.9 | higher than 76% of US counties 0US median 3>23.3 |
| Drive to dark skies | 64 min | higher than 77% of US counties Dark hereUS median 22 min>177 min |
| Lakes & rivers | 3.4% | higher than 79% of US counties 0%US median 1.1%>58% |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 6 | higher than 97% of US counties 0US median 0>12 |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 196 | higher than 99% of US counties 0US median 11>196 |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 401 | higher than 98% of US counties 0US median 10>455 |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 8,301 km | the highest in the US 0 kmUS median 179 km>4,314 km |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 368 km | higher than 99% of US counties 0 kmUS median 1 km>364 km |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 883 | higher than 99% of US counties 0US median 10>895 |
| Bars within 30 mi | 390 | higher than 97% of US counties 0US median 15>675 |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 145 | higher than 99% of US counties 0US median 0>194 |
| Museums within 30 mi | 98 | higher than 99% of US counties 0US median 0>77 |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 69 | higher than 99% of US counties 0US median 0>74 |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 8 | higher than 88% of US counties 0US median 0>56 |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 141 | higher than 97% of US counties 0US median 17>233 |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US 0US median 0>18 |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 18 | higher than 95% of US counties 0US median 0>32 |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 208 | higher than 97% of US counties 0US median 18>439 |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 590 km | higher than 98% of US counties 0 kmUS median 9 km>914 km |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data