Welcome to the land of the 1%. Where you’ll find lawyers, and doctors, and business executives. And while they aren’t made of ticky-tacky, they are definitely made of money.
These are the wealthiest neighborhoods that Boston has to offer — where houses go for well over the national median and household incomes follow suit.
But where exactly in Boston do the richest of the rich people live? That would be South Boston, where the median income is a cool $132,281.
$132,281 median income
$123,289 median income
$122,248 median income
$104,228 median income
$101,034 median income
$93,684 median income
$93,484 median income
$92,096 median income
$85,927 median income
$78,922 median income
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
Saturday Night Science
How we determined the wealthiest neighborhoods in Boston for 2026
Every city has its best neighborhoods — where everyone wants to live — and the worst neighborhoods — where no one wants to live. And then you have the wealthiest neighborhoods, where no one can afford to live.
And by no one, we mean you because there’s always someone richer than you.
How do you quantify richer than you? We looked at one simple criterion:
- Highest median household income
Using Saturday Night Science, we researched income data from the Census and BLS for every neighborhood in Boston.
We ranked every neighborhood in Boston by median income from highest to lowest. The neighborhood with the highest median income, South Boston, was named the wealthiest neighborhood in Boston.
We updated this article for 2026. This is our eleventh time ranking the most affluent neighborhoods to live in Boston.
The full plate
Richest neighborhoods in Boston for 2026 by median income
Click any column to sort. Search by neighborhood name.
| Rank | Neighborhood | Median Household Income |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Boston | $132,281 |
| 2 | Charlestown | $123,289 |
| 3 | West Roxbury | $122,248 |
| 4 | Jamaica Plain | $104,228 |
| 5 | South End | $101,034 |
| 6 | Back Bay-Beacon Hill | $93,684 |
| 7 | Central | $93,484 |
| 8 | Roslindale | $92,096 |
| 9 | Hyde Park | $85,927 |
| 10 | North Dorchester | $78,922 |
| 11 | South Dorchester | $72,827 |
| 12 | East Boston | $69,978 |
| 13 | Allston-Brighton | $61,281 |
| 14 | Mattapan | $59,871 |
| 15 | Fenway-Kenmore | $48,949 |
| 16 | Roxbury | $39,763 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. All 16 Boston neighborhoods.
Summary
Summary: The wealthiest pockets of Boston
What’s the richest neighborhood to live in Boston for 2026? According to the most recent census data, South Boston looks to be the richest Boston neighborhood to live in.
The richest neighborhoods in Boston are South Boston, Charlestown, West Roxbury, Jamaica Plain, South End, Back Bay-Beacon Hill, Central, Roslindale, Hyde Park, and North Dorchester.
The poorest neighborhood? That would be Roxbury.
We ranked the neighborhoods from richest to poorest in the chart below. Not sold on Massachusetts? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Richest Neighborhoods In Boston FAQs
What is the richest neighborhood in Boston?
South Boston is the richest neighborhood in Boston for 2026, with a median household income of $132,281. Charlestown and West Roxbury are next.
What are the richest neighborhoods in Boston?
The richest neighborhoods in Boston are South Boston, Charlestown, West Roxbury, Jamaica Plain, South End, Back Bay-Beacon Hill, Central, Roslindale, Hyde Park, and North Dorchester. We ranked all 16 neighborhoods by median household income, highest to lowest.
How much do people make in South Boston?
The median household in South Boston earns $132,281 a year, and the median home there is worth $746,666. Those two numbers travel together in most cities, and Boston is no exception.
How do you rank the richest neighborhoods?
One measure: median household income from Census tract data, ranked highest to lowest. No composite score, no adjustments — just where the money lives.
What is the poorest neighborhood in Boston?
Roxbury posts the lowest median household income of the 16 Boston neighborhoods we ranked. It anchors the bottom of the income table above.
