Data / Rankings / Rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income) / Cities in Massachusetts

Cities in Massachusetts by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income), 2024

Amherst Town, MA had the highest rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income) of 58 cities in 2024, at 68.1%. Somerville, MA had the lowest, at 36.2%. The median was 53.1% and the figure for Massachusetts was 51.8%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest68.1Amherst Town, MA
Lowest36.2Somerville, MA
Median53.158 cities
Massachusetts51.8History

All cities, 2024

Amherst Town, MA: 68.1 %Amherst Town, MA68.1Amesbury, MA: 66.7 %Amesbury, MA66.7Barnstable Town, MA: 64.6 %Barnstable Town, MA64.6North Adams, MA: 63.7 %North Adams, MA63.7Greenfield, MA: 63.3 %Greenfield, MA63.3Randolph Town, MA: 62.1 %Randolph Town, MA62.1Lawrence, MA: 60.6 %Lawrence, MA60.6Haverhill, MA: 60.2 %Haverhill, MA60.2West Springfield Town, MA: 60.1 %West Springfield Town, MA60.1Lynn, MA: 60 %Lynn, MA60Chelsea, MA: 59.4 %Chelsea, MA59.4Marlborough, MA: 58.9 %Marlborough, MA58.9Peabody, MA: 58.3 %Peabody, MA58.3Revere, MA: 57.9 %Revere, MA57.9Springfield, MA: 57.8 %Springfield, MA57.8Northampton, MA: 57.6 %Northampton, MA57.6Taunton, MA: 56.8 %Taunton, MA56.8Everett, MA: 56.4 %Everett, MA56.4Southbridge Town, MA: 55.8 %Southbridge Town, MA55.8Weymouth Town, MA: 55.5 %Weymouth Town, MA55.5Woburn, MA: 55.5 %Woburn, MA55.5Beverly, MA: 55.5 %Beverly, MA55.5Gloucester, MA: 55.1 %Gloucester, MA55.1Salem, MA: 54.9 %Salem, MA54.9Brockton, MA: 54.5 %Brockton, MA54.5Worcester, MA: 54.2 %Worcester, MA54.2Bridgewater Town, MA: 54.2 %Bridgewater Town, MA54.2Winthrop Town, MA: 53.6 %Winthrop Town, MA53.6Framingham, MA: 53.4 %Framingham, MA53.4Braintree Town, MA: 52.9 %Braintree Town, MA52.9Palmer Town, MA: 52.9 %Palmer Town, MA52.9Pittsfield, MA: 52.8 %Pittsfield, MA52.8New Bedford, MA: 52.6 %New Bedford, MA52.6Fall River, MA: 52.5 %Fall River, MA52.5Lowell, MA: 52.4 %Lowell, MA52.4Chicopee, MA: 52 %Chicopee, MA52Holyoke, MA: 51.7 %Holyoke, MA51.7Malden, MA: 51.2 %Malden, MA51.2Boston, MA: 51.2 %Boston, MA51.2Melrose, MA: 50.3 %Melrose, MA50.3Fitchburg, MA: 49.9 %Fitchburg, MA49.9Gardner, MA: 49.7 %Gardner, MA49.7Leominster, MA: 48.9 %Leominster, MA48.9Quincy, MA: 48.7 %Quincy, MA48.7Methuen, MA: 48.4 %Methuen, MA48.4Attleboro, MA: 48 %Attleboro, MA48Franklin Town, MA: 48 %Franklin Town, MA48Westfield, MA: 46.5 %Westfield, MA46.5Newburyport, MA: 46.4 %Newburyport, MA46.4Easthampton, MA: 45.5 %Easthampton, MA45.5Cambridge, MA: 45 %Cambridge, MA45Waltham, MA: 44.7 %Waltham, MA44.7Newton, MA: 43.3 %Newton, MA43.3Watertown, MA: 42.7 %Watertown, MA42.7North Attleborough Town, MA: 42.6 %North Attleborough Town, MA42.6Medford, MA: 41.1 %Medford, MA41.1Agawam Town, MA: 39.8 %Agawam Town, MA39.8Somerville, MA: 36.2 %Somerville, MA36.2Amherst Town, MA: 68.1 %Amherst Town, MA68.1Amesbury, MA: 66.7 %Amesbury, MA66.7Barnstable Town, MA: 64.6 %Barnstable Town, MA64.6North Adams, MA: 63.7 %North Adams, MA63.7Greenfield, MA: 63.3 %Greenfield, MA63.3Randolph Town, MA: 62.1 %Randolph Town, MA62.1Lawrence, MA: 60.6 %Lawrence, MA60.6Haverhill, MA: 60.2 %Haverhill, MA60.2West Springfield Town, MA: 60.1 %West Springfield Town, MA60.1Lynn, MA: 60 %Lynn, MA60Chelsea, MA: 59.4 %Chelsea, MA59.4Marlborough, MA: 58.9 %Marlborough, MA58.9Peabody, MA: 58.3 %Peabody, MA58.3Revere, MA: 57.9 %Revere, MA57.9Springfield, MA: 57.8 %Springfield, MA57.8Northampton, MA: 57.6 %Northampton, MA57.6Taunton, MA: 56.8 %Taunton, MA56.8Everett, MA: 56.4 %Everett, MA56.4Southbridge Town, MA: 55.8 %Southbridge Town, MA55.8Weymouth Town, MA: 55.5 %Weymouth Town, MA55.5Woburn, MA: 55.5 %Woburn, MA55.5Beverly, MA: 55.5 %Beverly, MA55.5Gloucester, MA: 55.1 %Gloucester, MA55.1Salem, MA: 54.9 %Salem, MA54.9Brockton, MA: 54.5 %Brockton, MA54.5Worcester, MA: 54.2 %Worcester, MA54.2Bridgewater Town, MA: 54.2 %Bridgewater Town, MA54.2Winthrop Town, MA: 53.6 %Winthrop Town, MA53.6Framingham, MA: 53.4 %Framingham, MA53.4Braintree Town, MA: 52.9 %Braintree Town, MA52.9Palmer Town, MA: 52.9 %Palmer Town, MA52.9Pittsfield, MA: 52.8 %Pittsfield, MA52.8New Bedford, MA: 52.6 %New Bedford, MA52.6Fall River, MA: 52.5 %Fall River, MA52.5Lowell, MA: 52.4 %Lowell, MA52.4Chicopee, MA: 52 %Chicopee, MA52Holyoke, MA: 51.7 %Holyoke, MA51.7Malden, MA: 51.2 %Malden, MA51.2Boston, MA: 51.2 %Boston, MA51.2Melrose, MA: 50.3 %Melrose, MA50.3Fitchburg, MA: 49.9 %Fitchburg, MA49.9Gardner, MA: 49.7 %Gardner, MA49.7Leominster, MA: 48.9 %Leominster, MA48.9Quincy, MA: 48.7 %Quincy, MA48.7Methuen, MA: 48.4 %Methuen, MA48.4Attleboro, MA: 48 %Attleboro, MA48Franklin Town, MA: 48 %Franklin Town, MA48Westfield, MA: 46.5 %Westfield, MA46.5Newburyport, MA: 46.4 %Newburyport, MA46.4Easthampton, MA: 45.5 %Easthampton, MA45.5Cambridge, MA: 45 %Cambridge, MA45Waltham, MA: 44.7 %Waltham, MA44.7Newton, MA: 43.3 %Newton, MA43.3Watertown, MA: 42.7 %Watertown, MA42.7North Attleborough Town, MA: 42.6 %North Attleborough Town, MA42.6Medford, MA: 41.1 %Medford, MA41.1Agawam Town, MA: 39.8 %Agawam Town, MA39.8Somerville, MA: 36.2 %Somerville, MA36.2
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2024 (%)Change on 2023
1Amherst Town, MA68.1+2.1 pts
2Amesbury, MA66.7n/a
3Barnstable Town, MA64.6+4.1 pts
4North Adams, MA63.7+3.3 pts
5Greenfield, MA63.3+4.8 pts
6Randolph Town, MA62.1-2 pts
7Lawrence, MA60.6+1.4 pts
8Haverhill, MA60.2+3.3 pts
9West Springfield Town, MA60.1+1.7 pts
10Lynn, MA60+1.3 pts
11Chelsea, MA59.4+3.5 pts
12Marlborough, MA58.9+4.3 pts
13Peabody, MA58.3-0.8 pts
14Revere, MA57.9-2.3 pts
15Springfield, MA57.8-0.3 pts
16Northampton, MA57.6+3.4 pts
17Taunton, MA56.8+2.7 pts
18Everett, MA56.4-0.4 pts
19Southbridge Town, MA55.8+0.8 pts
20Weymouth Town, MA55.5+1.7 pts
21Woburn, MA55.5-1 pts
22Beverly, MA55.5+0.6 pts
23Gloucester, MA55.1+0.8 pts
24Salem, MA54.9+1.5 pts
25Brockton, MA54.5-0.9 pts
26Worcester, MA54.2+0.1 pts
27Bridgewater Town, MA54.2+4.4 pts
28Winthrop Town, MA53.6+0.6 pts
29Framingham, MA53.4-1 pts
30Braintree Town, MA52.9+4.8 pts
31Palmer Town, MA52.9+6.4 pts
32Pittsfield, MA52.8-0.6 pts
33New Bedford, MA52.6+2.1 pts
34Fall River, MA52.5+0.8 pts
35Lowell, MA52.4+0.5 pts
36Chicopee, MA52+1.4 pts
37Holyoke, MA51.7+2.1 pts
38Malden, MA51.2+0.5 pts
39Boston, MA51.2+1 pts
40Melrose, MA50.3+2.6 pts
41Fitchburg, MA49.9+0.4 pts
42Gardner, MA49.7+1.1 pts
43Leominster, MA48.9-1.4 pts
44Quincy, MA48.7+1.6 pts
45Methuen, MA48.4n/a
46Attleboro, MA48-1.6 pts
47Franklin Town, MA48-0.7 pts
48Westfield, MA46.5-1.1 pts
49Newburyport, MA46.4+6.1 pts
50Easthampton, MA45.5n/a
51Cambridge, MA45+0.3 pts
52Waltham, MA44.7+0.9 pts
53Newton, MA43.3+1.5 pts
54Watertown, MA42.7n/a
55North Attleborough Town, MA42.6+0.2 pts
56Medford, MA41.1-1.3 pts
57Agawam Town, MA39.8+0.6 pts
58Somerville, MA36.2-1.5 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Renter households whose gross rent (contract rent plus utilities and fuels the renter pays) was 30 percent or more of household income in the past 12 months, as a percentage of renter households for which that ratio can be computed. United States: American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.

Renters who pay no cash rent and households with no or negative income are left out of both the count and the base. 30 percent is the usual US threshold for rent burden. The EU housing cost overburden rate (housing_cost_overburden_rate) uses 40 percent of disposable income, all housing costs and people instead of households, so the two cannot be compared.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the cities are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b25070.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2026). American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more) (Cities in Massachusetts by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income), 2024) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b25070.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in Massachusetts by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income), 2024. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b25070.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/massachusetts-cities. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Cities in Massachusetts by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income), 2024. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b25070.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/massachusetts-cities.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in Massachusetts by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income), 2024 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b25070.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/massachusetts-cities (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_massachusetts_by_2024,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in Massachusetts by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income), 2024}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b25070.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/massachusetts-cities. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary\_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b25070.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in Massachusetts by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income), 2024
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b25070.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/massachusetts-cities
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/massachusetts-cities.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b25070.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Rank Cities in Massachusetts by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income) using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"rent_burden_30_plus_share","level":"municipality","within":"Massachusetts","limit":10}
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Questions

Which city has the highest rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income)?

Amherst Town, MA, with 68.1% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which city has the lowest rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income)?

Somerville, MA, with 36.2% in 2024.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income): other rankings

Cities in Massachusetts: more rankings