Boston has plenty to offer, but the price of admission usually comes with traffic, sky-high rent, and a calendar that fills itself.
If you want the upside of Boston without the daily grind, the answer is almost always a good suburb. The catch: not every suburb is worth the move.
So we ranked them. Using Saturday Night Science, we pulled the numbers on every place within commuting distance of Boston: incomes, home prices, unemployment, schools, the works. The result is a no-nonsense ranking of where you actually want to live.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 best suburbs to live around Boston for 2026:
What’s the best suburb of Boston? Melrose ranks as the best suburb of Boston for 2026 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of Melrose, you’re probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.
We’ll tell you what makes each of these 10 Boston ‘burbs better than the rest–but first, a bit about our methodology.
Feel free to check out some more reading about Massachusetts:
The 10 Best Boston Suburbs To Live For 2026
/10
Population: 29,650
Median Income: $133,953
Unemployment Rate: 3.7%
Poverty Rate: 3.8%
More on Melrose: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Melrose is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Boston area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Melrose.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $133,953 a year, which is the 2nd highest in the Boston region. And only 3.74% are out of work. Homes average more than $908,130 each.
/10
Population: 89,044
Median Income: $190,304
Unemployment Rate: 3.8%
Poverty Rate: 4.5%
More on Newton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Newton is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Boston for 2026.
It ranks 1st for incomes in the area and only 1.23% of residents lack insurance, good for 2nd best.
/10
Population: 81,036
Median Income: $132,572
Unemployment Rate: 3.0%
Poverty Rate: 9.8%
More on Somerville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Here in Somerville, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Boston metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Somerville.
/10
Population: 118,796
Median Income: $130,748
Unemployment Rate: 3.4%
Poverty Rate: 12.8%
More on Cambridge: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Cambridge ranks as the 4th best suburb of Boston for 2026.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Cambridge and the schools are some of the best around.
Crime is low, I believe. The school system is exceptional and unique with the “controlled choice” policies that foster diversity. Lots of quirky and trendy places to eat and hangout.
Lots of young adults because of all the colleges. Also the style is very historic with all the brick.
/10
Population: 59,354
Median Income: $129,540
Unemployment Rate: 4.3%
Poverty Rate: 7.6%
More on Medford: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Coming in as the fifth best is Medford.
Medford gets kudos for having the 5th most expensive homes in the Boston area, where houses sell for an average of $842,297. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
Schools s***s. Sirens keep me up all night. I wanna die.
The new target is cool. The people who work there s**k though.
/10
Population: 64,902
Median Income: $120,216
Unemployment Rate: 3.7%
Poverty Rate: 9.4%
More on Waltham: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Waltham is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 3.73%.
According to online reports, Waltham is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Boston area, meaning you need to get in soon.
Close to everything, new high school being built
Location, ease of commute, excellent restaurants, very diverse, close to everything.
/10
Population: 42,665
Median Income: $106,044
Unemployment Rate: 4.4%
Poverty Rate: 9.4%
More on Beverly: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Beverly.
Beverly schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 18.0 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
/10
Population: 41,939
Median Income: $111,185
Unemployment Rate: 7.9%
Poverty Rate: 7.9%
More on Woburn: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Woburn is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 1.62% of people lack insurance, good for 3rd in the area.
/10
Population: 54,695
Median Income: $96,657
Unemployment Rate: 4.9%
Poverty Rate: 7.7%
More on Peabody: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Is ‘Everything Better In Peabody?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
/10
Population: 4,790
Median Income: $99,671
Unemployment Rate: 0.0%
Poverty Rate: 7.7%
More on Watertown: Data | Movers
And rounding out the top ten for 2026 is Watertown.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Boston for 2026
Figuring out the best suburbs around Boston was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2020-2024 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- Low unemployment rate
- High median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college-educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Boston.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 4,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 24 suburbs to evaluate around Boston.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 24 in each category, where 1 was the “best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near Boston.” We’re lookin’ at you, Melrose.
This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best Boston suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
Summary: Welcome to the Best Boston ‘Burbs of 2026
We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
The best suburbs of Boston are .
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Boston but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you.
For more Massachusetts reading, check out:
- Best Places To Retire In Massachusetts
- Richest Cities In Massachusetts
- Safest Places In Massachusetts
Table: Best Boston Suburbs
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melrose, MA | 29,650 | $133,953 | $908,130 |
| 2 | Newton, MA | 89,044 | $190,304 | $1,528,893 |
| 3 | Somerville, MA | 81,036 | $132,572 | $940,239 |
| 4 | Cambridge, MA | 118,796 | $130,748 | $1,041,569 |
| 5 | Medford, MA | 59,354 | $129,540 | $842,297 |
| 6 | Waltham, MA | 64,902 | $120,216 | $826,437 |
| 7 | Beverly, MA | 42,665 | $106,044 | $755,766 |
| 8 | Woburn, MA | 41,939 | $111,185 | $758,602 |
| 9 | Peabody, MA | 54,695 | $96,657 | $694,094 |
| 10 | Watertown, MA | 4,790 | $99,671 | $374,889 |
| 11 | Malden, MA | 65,906 | $100,606 | $684,055 |
| 12 | Gloucester, MA | 30,075 | $83,883 | $760,558 |
| 13 | Quincy, MA | 102,114 | $98,882 | $675,958 |
| 14 | Salem, MA | 44,795 | $85,153 | $606,558 |
| 15 | Marlborough, MA | 41,647 | $91,968 | $578,933 |
| 16 | Revere, MA | 60,012 | $86,969 | $612,970 |
| 17 | Lynn, MA | 101,709 | $75,043 | $580,315 |
| 18 | Southfield, MA | 76,236 | $68,166 | $250,952 |
| 19 | Everett, MA | 50,045 | $85,218 | $639,069 |
| 20 | Lowell, MA | 118,368 | $78,658 | $480,318 |
| 21 | Taunton, MA | 60,433 | $79,283 | $513,321 |
| 22 | Chelsea, MA | 39,908 | $72,179 | $526,190 |
| 23 | Brockton, MA | 105,386 | $80,115 | $503,832 |
| 24 | Lawrence, MA | 88,736 | $60,433 | $504,150 |
