WYLT Neighborhood Rankings · 2026

Best Neighborhoods
in Massachusetts

Ranked by safety, schools, walkability, and value. Every verdict is based on real data — no sponsored rankings, no fluff.

25 neighborhoods reviewed
4 "Settle here" picks
12 "Good for now" picks

#1 Pick in Massachusetts

Beacon Hill, Beacon Hill is the top-rated neighborhood in Massachusetts — our highest verdict.

Top 25 Neighborhoods in Massachusetts

#1

Beacon Hill

Settle here

Beacon Hill, MA

Price

$1.7M

Walk

100/100

Schools

7.5/10

View report →
#2

Cambridge

Settle here

Cambridge, MA

Price

$1.0M

Walk

100/100

Schools

7.5/10

View report →
#3

Newton

Settle here

Newton, MA

Price

$972K

Walk

32/100

Schools

7.6/10

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#4

Brookline

Good for now

Brookline, MA

Price

$1.1M

Walk

86/100

Schools

7.5/10

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#5

Brookline

Settle here

Brookline, MA

Price

$1.1M

Walk

18/100

Schools

7.5/10

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#6

Boston

Good for now

Boston, MA

Price

$1.5M

Walk

100/100

Schools

7.5/10

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#7

Back Bay

Good for now

Back Bay, MA

Price

$1.5M

Walk

100/100

Schools

7.5/10

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#8

Somerville

Good for now

Somerville, MA

Price

$859K

Walk

89/100

Schools

7.5/10

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#9

Jamaica Plain

Good for now

Jamaica Plain, MA

Price

$730K

Walk

67/100

Schools

7.6/10

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#10

Quincy

Good for now

Quincy, MA

Price

$513K

Walk

71/100

Schools

7.5/10

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#11

Malden

Good for now

Malden, MA

Price

$571K

Walk

63/100

Schools

7.3/10

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#12

Medford

Good for now

Medford, MA

Price

$670K

Walk

58/100

Schools

7.4/10

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#13

Framingham

Good for now

Framingham, MA

Price

$568K

Walk

34/100

Schools

7.4/10

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#14

Boston

Think twice

Boston, MA

Price

$1.7M

Walk

100/100

Schools

7.5/10

View report →
#15

Waltham

Good for now

Waltham, MA

Price

$678K

Walk

9/100

Schools

7.9/10

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#16

Plymouth

Good for now

Plymouth, MA

Price

$462K

Schools

8/10

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#17

Lowell

Good for now

Lowell, MA

Price

$399K

Schools

7.2/10

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#18

Boston

Think twice

Boston, MA

Price

$1.0M

Walk

65/100

Schools

7.5/10

View report →
#19

Charlestown

Think twice

Charlestown, MA

Price

$914K

Walk

54/100

Schools

7.4/10

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#20

Lynn

Think twice

Lynn, MA

Price

$286K

Walk

58/100

Schools

7.3/10

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#21

Haverhill

Think twice

Haverhill, MA

Price

$400K

Walk

11/100

Schools

7.1/10

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#22

Worcester

Think twice

Worcester, MA

Schools

7.3/10

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#23

Fall River

Think twice

Fall River, MA

Price

$336K

Walk

15/100

Schools

7.3/10

View report →
#24

New Bedford

Think twice

New Bedford, MA

Price

$280K

Walk

22/100

Schools

7.1/10

View report →
#25

Brockton

Think twice

Brockton, MA

Price

$377K

Walk

15/100

Schools

8/10

View report →

How we rank neighborhoods in Massachusetts

Every neighborhood on this list was evaluated using real data across four dimensions: safety (violent and property crime risk), schools (rating out of 10), walkability (Walk Score out of 100), and home prices relative to the Massachusetts average. Our scoring model weighs each factor equally and assigns one of four plain-English verdicts — from "Settle here" (our highest rating) to "Hard pass" — so you know exactly where each place stands without having to decode letter grades.

Rankings are updated as new reports are generated. All data is sourced from public records, national databases, and our AI-assisted analysis. Click any neighborhood to read its full report.

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