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)

Amherst Town, MA had the highest rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income) of 54 cities in 2022, at 64.8%. Somerville, MA had the lowest, at 36.9%. The median was 52% and the figure for Massachusetts was 50.2%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest64.8Amherst Town, MA
Lowest36.9Somerville, MA
Median5254 cities
Massachusetts50.2History

All cities, 2022

Amherst Town, MA: 64.8 %Amherst Town, MA64.8Randolph Town, MA: 61.5 %Randolph Town, MA61.5Barnstable Town, MA: 60.1 %Barnstable Town, MA60.1West Springfield Town, MA: 58.1 %West Springfield Town, MA58.1Lynn, MA: 57.6 %Lynn, MA57.6Peabody, MA: 57.5 %Peabody, MA57.5Lawrence, MA: 57.4 %Lawrence, MA57.4Haverhill, MA: 57.4 %Haverhill, MA57.4Springfield, MA: 57.2 %Springfield, MA57.2Gloucester, MA: 57.1 %Gloucester, MA57.1Woburn, MA: 56.8 %Woburn, MA56.8Winthrop Town, MA: 56.8 %Winthrop Town, MA56.8Revere, MA: 56.8 %Revere, MA56.8Southbridge Town, MA: 56.6 %Southbridge Town, MA56.6Chelsea, MA: 56.4 %Chelsea, MA56.4Greenfield, MA: 56.2 %Greenfield, MA56.2Northampton, MA: 55.6 %Northampton, MA55.6Taunton, MA: 55.2 %Taunton, MA55.2Salem, MA: 55.1 %Salem, MA55.1Weymouth Town, MA: 54.6 %Weymouth Town, MA54.6North Adams, MA: 54.4 %North Adams, MA54.4Everett, MA: 54.3 %Everett, MA54.3Beverly, MA: 53.9 %Beverly, MA53.9Marlborough, MA: 53.2 %Marlborough, MA53.2Worcester, MA: 52.7 %Worcester, MA52.7Brockton, MA: 52.6 %Brockton, MA52.6Malden, MA: 52.5 %Malden, MA52.5Pittsfield, MA: 51.6 %Pittsfield, MA51.6Bridgewater Town, MA: 51.6 %Bridgewater Town, MA51.6Framingham, MA: 51.5 %Framingham, MA51.5Palmer Town, MA: 50.8 %Palmer Town, MA50.8Fitchburg, MA: 50.2 %Fitchburg, MA50.2Lowell, MA: 50.2 %Lowell, MA50.2Boston, MA: 50.1 %Boston, MA50.1Franklin Town, MA: 49.6 %Franklin Town, MA49.6Holyoke, MA: 49.5 %Holyoke, MA49.5Attleboro, MA: 49.4 %Attleboro, MA49.4Chicopee, MA: 49.2 %Chicopee, MA49.2Gardner, MA: 48.9 %Gardner, MA48.9Fall River, MA: 48.8 %Fall River, MA48.8Leominster, MA: 47.5 %Leominster, MA47.5New Bedford, MA: 46.9 %New Bedford, MA46.9Melrose, MA: 46.8 %Melrose, MA46.8Westfield, MA: 46.8 %Westfield, MA46.8Newburyport, MA: 46.6 %Newburyport, MA46.6Braintree Town, MA: 46.4 %Braintree Town, MA46.4Quincy, MA: 45.9 %Quincy, MA45.9North Attleborough Town, MA: 45.7 %North Attleborough Town, MA45.7Agawam Town, MA: 44.5 %Agawam Town, MA44.5Cambridge, MA: 44.2 %Cambridge, MA44.2Waltham, MA: 42 %Waltham, MA42Newton, MA: 41.5 %Newton, MA41.5Medford, MA: 40 %Medford, MA40Somerville, MA: 36.9 %Somerville, MA36.9Amherst Town, MA: 64.8 %Amherst Town, MA64.8Randolph Town, MA: 61.5 %Randolph Town, MA61.5Barnstable Town, MA: 60.1 %Barnstable Town, MA60.1West Springfield Town, MA: 58.1 %West Springfield Town, MA58.1Lynn, MA: 57.6 %Lynn, MA57.6Peabody, MA: 57.5 %Peabody, MA57.5Lawrence, MA: 57.4 %Lawrence, MA57.4Haverhill, MA: 57.4 %Haverhill, MA57.4Springfield, MA: 57.2 %Springfield, MA57.2Gloucester, MA: 57.1 %Gloucester, MA57.1Woburn, MA: 56.8 %Woburn, MA56.8Winthrop Town, MA: 56.8 %Winthrop Town, MA56.8Revere, MA: 56.8 %Revere, MA56.8Southbridge Town, MA: 56.6 %Southbridge Town, MA56.6Chelsea, MA: 56.4 %Chelsea, MA56.4Greenfield, MA: 56.2 %Greenfield, MA56.2Northampton, MA: 55.6 %Northampton, MA55.6Taunton, MA: 55.2 %Taunton, MA55.2Salem, MA: 55.1 %Salem, MA55.1Weymouth Town, MA: 54.6 %Weymouth Town, MA54.6North Adams, MA: 54.4 %North Adams, MA54.4Everett, MA: 54.3 %Everett, MA54.3Beverly, MA: 53.9 %Beverly, MA53.9Marlborough, MA: 53.2 %Marlborough, MA53.2Worcester, MA: 52.7 %Worcester, MA52.7Brockton, MA: 52.6 %Brockton, MA52.6Malden, MA: 52.5 %Malden, MA52.5Pittsfield, MA: 51.6 %Pittsfield, MA51.6Bridgewater Town, MA: 51.6 %Bridgewater Town, MA51.6Framingham, MA: 51.5 %Framingham, MA51.5Palmer Town, MA: 50.8 %Palmer Town, MA50.8Fitchburg, MA: 50.2 %Fitchburg, MA50.2Lowell, MA: 50.2 %Lowell, MA50.2Boston, MA: 50.1 %Boston, MA50.1Franklin Town, MA: 49.6 %Franklin Town, MA49.6Holyoke, MA: 49.5 %Holyoke, MA49.5Attleboro, MA: 49.4 %Attleboro, MA49.4Chicopee, MA: 49.2 %Chicopee, MA49.2Gardner, MA: 48.9 %Gardner, MA48.9Fall River, MA: 48.8 %Fall River, MA48.8Leominster, MA: 47.5 %Leominster, MA47.5New Bedford, MA: 46.9 %New Bedford, MA46.9Melrose, MA: 46.8 %Melrose, MA46.8Westfield, MA: 46.8 %Westfield, MA46.8Newburyport, MA: 46.6 %Newburyport, MA46.6Braintree Town, MA: 46.4 %Braintree Town, MA46.4Quincy, MA: 45.9 %Quincy, MA45.9North Attleborough Town, MA: 45.7 %North Attleborough Town, MA45.7Agawam Town, MA: 44.5 %Agawam Town, MA44.5Cambridge, MA: 44.2 %Cambridge, MA44.2Waltham, MA: 42 %Waltham, MA42Newton, MA: 41.5 %Newton, MA41.5Medford, MA: 40 %Medford, MA40Somerville, MA: 36.9 %Somerville, MA36.9
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2022 (%)Change on 2021
1Amherst Town, MA64.8-0.4 pts
2Randolph Town, MA61.5+3.6 pts
3Barnstable Town, MA60.1+1 pts
4West Springfield Town, MA58.1+4.9 pts
5Lynn, MA57.6-0.2 pts
6Peabody, MA57.5+0.3 pts
7Lawrence, MA57.4-0.3 pts
8Haverhill, MA57.4+1.6 pts
9Springfield, MA57.2-1.4 pts
10Gloucester, MA57.1+6.5 pts
11Woburn, MA56.8+4.1 pts
12Winthrop Town, MA56.8+1.3 pts
13Revere, MA56.8+0.8 pts
14Southbridge Town, MA56.6+3.6 pts
15Chelsea, MA56.4-0.6 pts
16Greenfield, MA56.2+4.2 pts
17Northampton, MA55.6-2.7 pts
18Taunton, MA55.2-1.1 pts
19Salem, MA55.1+1.1 pts
20Weymouth Town, MA54.6+5.5 pts
21North Adams, MA54.4+7 pts
22Everett, MA54.3+0.1 pts
23Beverly, MA53.9-0.1 pts
24Marlborough, MA53.2+2.6 pts
25Worcester, MA52.7-0.1 pts
26Brockton, MA52.6-0.3 pts
27Malden, MA52.5+0.1 pts
28Pittsfield, MA51.6-5.1 pts
29Bridgewater Town, MA51.6+2 pts
30Framingham, MA51.5+2.4 pts
31Palmer Town, MA50.8+8 pts
32Fitchburg, MA50.2-0.6 pts
33Lowell, MA50.20 pts
34Boston, MA50.1+0.9 pts
35Franklin Town, MA49.6+2.6 pts
36Holyoke, MA49.5-2.2 pts
37Attleboro, MA49.4-5.4 pts
38Chicopee, MA49.2+2.2 pts
39Gardner, MA48.9+3 pts
40Fall River, MA48.8+1.3 pts
41Leominster, MA47.5+5.8 pts
42New Bedford, MA46.9+0.6 pts
43Melrose, MA46.8+4.6 pts
44Westfield, MA46.8+5.4 pts
45Newburyport, MA46.6+0.5 pts
46Braintree Town, MA46.4+5.9 pts
47Quincy, MA45.9+0.4 pts
48North Attleborough Town, MA45.7+2.7 pts
49Agawam Town, MA44.5+0.9 pts
50Cambridge, MA44.2+0.8 pts
51Waltham, MA42+1 pts
52Newton, MA41.5+1.8 pts
53Medford, MA40+2.2 pts
54Somerville, MA36.9-0.3 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. 4 cities with data in other periods have no value for 2022 and are left out rather than filled from another source. 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/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-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), 2022) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-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), 2022. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b25070.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/massachusetts-cities?period=2022. 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), 2022. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b25070.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/massachusetts-cities?period=2022.

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), 2022 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b25070.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/massachusetts-cities?period=2022 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_massachusetts_by_2022,
  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), 2022}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b25070.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/massachusetts-cities?period=2022. 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/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-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), 2022
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b25070.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/massachusetts-cities?period=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/massachusetts-cities?period=2022.
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/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-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 64.8% in 2022, 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 36.9% in 2022.

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. 4 cities have no value for 2022 and are not ranked.

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

Cities in Massachusetts: more rankings