Are you sick of being a city slicker?
Do you long for life in suburban Massachusetts? Where you can drive an overly-large vehicle to the store for groceries and schlep the kids around to practices and appointments without worrying about a parking space.
We do, too.
If you wanted to move out to the suburbs in Massachusetts, where would you go? And how would you decide on the ranking factors to help you pick which Massachusetts suburb was best?
No worries. We got it all figured out here using Saturday Night Science.
$190,304 median income · $1,528,894 median home price
Located in
Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Newton is a suburban city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is approximately 7 miles west of downtown Boston and is bordered by Boston’s Brighton and West Roxbury neighborhoods to the east and south, respectively, and by the suburb of Brookline to the east, the suburbs of Watertown and Waltham to the north, and Wellesley and Needham to the west. Rather than having a single city center, Newton resembles a patchwork of thirteen villages. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Newton was 85,146, making it the eleventh largest city in the state.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$133,953 median income · $908,131 median home price
Located in
Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Melrose is a city located in the Greater Boston metropolitan area in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Its population as per the 2010 United States Census is 26,983. It is a suburb located approximately seven miles north of Boston and is situated in the center of the triangle created by Interstates 93, 95 and US Route 1.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$120,216 median income · $826,437 median home price
Located in
Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Waltham is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, and was an early center for the labor movement as well as a major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, the city was a prototype for 19th century industrial city planning, spawning what became known as the Waltham-Lowell system of labor and production. The city is now a center for research and higher education, home to Brandeis University and Bentley University. The population was 60,636 at the census in 2010.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$106,044 median income · $755,767 median home price
Located in
Essex County, Massachusetts
Coordinates: 423329N 705248W 42.558; -70.880
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$132,572 median income · $940,239 median home price
Located in
Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Somerville is a city located directly to the northwest of Boston, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of 2010, the United States Census lists the city with a total population of 75,754 people, making it the most densely populated municipality in New England. As of 2010, it was the 16th most densely populated incorporated municipality in the country. Somerville was established as a town in 1842, when it was separated from Charlestown. In 2006, the town was named the best-run city in Massachusetts by the Boston Globe. In 1972, in 2009, and again in 2015, the city received the All-America City Award.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$130,748 median income · $1,041,569 median home price
Located in
Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, and part of the Boston metropolitan area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$129,540 median income · $842,298 median home price
Located in
Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Medford is a city 3.2 miles northwest of downtown Boston on the Mystic River in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. In the 2010 U.S. Census, Medford’s population was 56,173. It is home to Tufts University.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$111,185 median income · $758,603 median home price
Located in
Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Woburn is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 38,120 at the 2010 census. Woburn is located 9 miles north of Boston, Massachusetts.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$96,657 median income · $694,094 median home price
Located in
Essex County, Massachusetts
Peabody is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the 2010 census, the population was 51,251, and in 2014 the estimated population was 52,376. Peabody is located in the North Shore region of Massachusetts.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$83,883 median income · $760,558 median home price
Located in
Essex County, Massachusetts
Gloucester is a city on Cape Ann in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is part of Massachusetts’ North Shore. The population was 28,789 at the 2010 U.S. Census. An important center of the fishing industry and a popular summer destination, Gloucester consists of an urban core on the north side of the harbor and the outlying neighborhoods of Annisquam, Bay View, Lanesville, Folly Cove, Magnolia, Riverdale, East Gloucester, and West Gloucester.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Massachusetts’s statewide median.
Massachusetts statewide median: $103,960
Massachusetts statewide median: $656,690
On the map
Where Massachusetts’s best suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we crunched the suburb numbers for the Bay State
We have to use Saturday Night Science and look at several metrics to give you the best suburbs in Massachusetts. We want to measure the type of place around major cities that people arguing at a bar would say makes it the “best suburb.”
First, we had to define a suburb. Using U.S. Census data produced for the state of Massachusetts, we looked at every town with at least 21,000 residents, and within 30 miles of a city that’s over 200,000 people.
In other words, suburbs.
We paid particular attention to the following criteria:
- Median Home Values
- Median Income
- Population Density (Higher is Better)
- Unemployment Rates
- Commute Time
- Education Levels
- Health Insurance Coverage
- Poverty Rates
We ranked each suburb in Massachusetts across these criteria from one to 25, with one being the best.
We then took the average rank across all criteria, with the town posting the lowest overall score being crowned the winner of the title “Best Suburb To Live In Massachusetts.”
The result is some of the safest, quietest, and ideal places to live in Massachusetts.
Read on to see why Newton is the ‘burb with the most, while Brockton is probably not the best place to live in Massachusetts.
The full plate
The Best Suburbs In Massachusetts
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Newton | 89,044 | $190,304 | $1,528,894 |
| 2 | Melrose | 29,650 | $133,953 | $908,131 |
| 3 | Waltham | 64,902 | $120,216 | $826,437 |
| 4 | Beverly | 42,665 | $106,044 | $755,767 |
| 5 | Somerville | 81,036 | $132,572 | $940,239 |
| 6 | Cambridge | 118,796 | $130,748 | $1,041,569 |
| 7 | Medford | 59,354 | $129,540 | $842,298 |
| 8 | Woburn | 41,939 | $111,185 | $758,603 |
| 9 | Peabody | 54,695 | $96,657 | $694,094 |
| 10 | Gloucester | 30,075 | $83,883 | $760,558 |
| 11 | Salem | 44,795 | $85,153 | $606,559 |
| 12 | Malden | 65,906 | $100,606 | $684,055 |
| 13 | Leominster | 43,909 | $83,816 | $463,494 |
| 14 | Marlborough | 41,647 | $91,968 | $578,934 |
| 15 | Quincy | 102,114 | $98,882 | $675,959 |
| 16 | Taunton | 60,433 | $79,283 | $513,322 |
| 17 | Lynn | 101,709 | $75,043 | $580,316 |
| 18 | Everett | 50,045 | $85,218 | $639,070 |
| 19 | Revere | 60,012 | $86,969 | $612,971 |
| 20 | Gardner | 21,148 | $67,518 | $369,177 |
| 21 | Lawrence | 88,736 | $60,433 | $504,150 |
| 22 | Fitchburg | 41,798 | $73,040 | $396,820 |
| 23 | Lowell | 118,368 | $78,658 | $480,319 |
| 24 | Chelsea | 39,908 | $72,179 | $526,190 |
| 25 | Brockton | 105,386 | $80,115 | $503,833 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS via Saturday Night Science. 25 Massachusetts suburbs within 30 miles of a city over 200,000.
Summary
Summary: There You Have It – The Best Suburbs In Massachusetts
If you’re measuring the locations in Massachusetts where there are lots to do, and everyone wants to live, this is an accurate list.
The best suburbs in Massachusetts are Newton, Melrose, Waltham, Beverly, Somerville, Cambridge, Medford, Woburn, Peabody, and Gloucester. Not sold on Massachusetts? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Suburbs In Massachusetts FAQs
What is the best suburb in Massachusetts?
Newton is the best suburb to live in Massachusetts for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. It pairs a $190,304 median household income with a $1,528,894 median home value.
What are the best suburbs in Massachusetts?
The best suburbs in Massachusetts are Newton, Melrose, Waltham, Beverly, Somerville, Cambridge, Medford, Woburn, Peabody, and Gloucester. We ranked all 25 qualifying Massachusetts suburbs.
What counts as a suburb?
For this ranking, a suburb is a town within 30 miles of a city with more than 200,000 people. 25 Massachusetts places fit that definition this year.
How do you rank the best suburbs?
Suburbs are scored on home values, income, density, unemployment, commute times, education, insurance coverage, and poverty, using Census American Community Survey data. The best average across all eight wins.
Which Massachusetts suburb ranked last?
Brockton came in last of the 25 Massachusetts suburbs we scored. Somebody has to, and the full ordering is in the table above.
