Rental market · Boston, MA · Incorporated city
Boston, MA: average rent, home values, and rental yield
New England · Population 663,972
How Boston ranks nationally
Each bar places Boston against all 1,863 ranked U.S. markets: the marker is this city and further right is more favorable to an investor; the tick marks the national median. Inverted measures (crime, vacancy, price-to-income) are already flipped so higher always means better here.
What a deal looks like here
A market-level buy-box for Boston, built from this market's own numbers: the investor-entry price, its rent, and local carrying costs. An illustrative scenario, not a listing.
At 25% down and 7%, this representative scenario runs negative (about −$664/mo); it reaches cash-flow break-even around 43% down.
Buy target = Zillow Bottom-Tier ZHVI (5th–35th percentile) $556,687; typical home value $787,763. Rent = Zillow ZORI typical asking rent. Assumptions: 25% down, 7% / 30-yr, 5% vacancy, 8% management, 5% maintenance, 5% capex, 0.5% insurance, 0.61% property tax. Illustrative market-level scenario: not a listing, appraisal, recommendation, or underwriting decision. As of 2026-07-10.
Market Negotiation Leverage
Balanced (46th percentile among 2,222 cities with Redfin coverage)
Equal-weight composite of three Redfin signals’ national percentiles (days on market 22, months of supply 4.3, sale-to-list 100.5%), direction-adjusted so a higher percentile always means more room for a buyer to negotiate. This is a cross-sectional snapshot against every other tracked city today, not a seasonal or historical baseline for this specific city (no multi-year time series is committed for this data). Not a prediction of what any specific seller will accept. Source: Redfin Data Center. See how this is calculated.
Measured market data
Measured observations for Boston, shown as context beside the market score (none of it feeds the score), and the model weights are unchanged. These are different measurements from the Census figures in the factor table: the ACS median value is what owners report in a 5-year survey, while ZHVI is a monthly index of typical value; ACS median gross rent is what sitting tenants pay including utilities, while ZORI indexes asking rent on newly listed units. Neither corrects the other. Monthly series, revised in recent months, observed 2026-07, not live.
| Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI, mid tier) | $787,763 |
|---|---|
| ZHVI bottom tier (5th–35th pct) | $556,687 |
| ZHVI top tier (65th–95th pct) | $1,343,059 |
| ZHVI, single-family only | $847,729 |
| Zillow asking-rent index (ZORI) | $3,414/mo |
| Measured gross yield (ZORI × 12 ÷ ZHVI) | 5.20% |
| Market heat index | 43 |
| Median days to pending | 24 |
| Share of listings with a price cut | 22.0% |
| Median sale-to-list ratio | 99.7% |
| For-sale inventory | 2,400 |
| New listings | 710 |
| Median list price | $851,667 |
| Median sale price | $875,000 |
| Measured 3-yr value growth | 1.10%/yr |
| Measured 5-yr value growth | 1.27%/yr |
| Measured 3-yr rent growth | 2.88%/yr |
| Price–rent divergence (value − rent growth) | -1.79%/yr |
| ZHVI, 1-bedroom | $620,946 |
| ZHVI, 2-bedroom | $775,992 |
| ZHVI, 3-bedroom | $827,717 |
| ZHVI, 4-bedroom | $957,029 |
| ZHVI, 5-bedroom | $1,114,228 |
Source: Zillow Economic Research public research data, observation month 2026-07. Zillow is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, Compounding Estates.
Price & rent history
Home value $219,082 → $787,763 (2000-01–2026-07) · Asking rent $2,240 → $3,414 (2015-01–2026-07)
Source: Zillow ZHVI (home value) and ZORI (asking rent) - monthly resolution for the last ~10 years (since 2016-08), quarterly before that. Home value uses the left axis, rent the right; toggle either series, change the range, hover to read any point. Gaps in the source series are left as gaps - never interpolated.
ZIP markets in Boston
35 Census ZIP Codes (ZCTAs) officially overlap Boston by land area · 28 data-eligible for subscores. Overlap is Census land-area share, not a population or address share. Each ZIP Code's overall Rental Investor ZIP Score, grade and canonical national rank are shown below (the two component signals, affordability and rental market, are separate percentiles). There is no city-scoped ZIP rank: city overlap isn't a ranking universe, so only the national rank is shown. These ZIP rankings sit in the ZIP universe only, never mixed with, and not directly comparable to, Boston's city ranking. Vintage: the Key metric column below is Census ACS 2020–2024 (5-year), a full survey release newer than the ACS 2019–2023 figures used above for Boston itself, so the same measure can legitimately show a different number at the city and ZIP level.
| ZIP Code | Overallgrade · natl rank | Tier · overlap | Affordabilitysignal · natl rank | Rental marketsignal · natl rank | Key metric |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02108Boston | D 30#16,443 nat | RankedPrimary | 40#13,929 of 20,132 · bottom 31% | 52#8,644 of 20,132 · top 43% | 1.9%Survey yield |
| 02109Boston | — | ProfilePrimary | — | — | 4.4%Survey yield |
| 02110Boston | F 27#17,305 nat | RankedPrimary | 39#14,319 of 20,132 · bottom 29% | 39#14,654 of 20,132 · bottom 27% | 3.0%Survey yield |
| 02111Boston | D 33#15,450 nat | RankedPrimary | 33#16,441 of 20,132 · bottom 18% | 54#7,989 of 20,132 · top 40% | 2.2%Survey yield |
| 02113Boston | C 44#11,199 nat | RankedPrimary | 54#7,680 of 20,132 · top 38% | 70#2,051 of 20,132 · top 10% | 4.8%Survey yield |
| 02114Boston | D 41#12,551 nat | RankedPrimary | 43#12,591 of 20,132 · bottom 37% | 67#2,981 of 20,132 · top 15% | 3.9%Survey yield |
| 02115Boston | F 28#17,118 nat | RankedPrimary | 33#16,551 of 20,132 · bottom 18% | 61#4,970 of 20,132 · top 25% | 2.6%Survey yield |
| 02116Boston | D 37#14,245 nat | RankedPrimary | 38#14,698 of 20,132 · bottom 27% | 60#5,542 of 20,132 · top 28% | 1.8%Survey yield |
| 02118Boston | D 33#15,450 nat | RankedPrimary | 32#16,846 of 20,132 · bottom 16% | 67#2,830 of 20,132 · top 14% | 2.2%Survey yield |
| 02119Boston | D 41#12,757 nat | RankedPrimary | 44#12,016 of 20,132 · bottom 40% | 71#1,686 of 20,132 · top 8% | 2.3%Survey yield |
| 02120Boston | D 42#12,354 nat | RankedPrimary | 39#14,378 of 20,132 · bottom 29% | 75#855 of 20,132 · top 4% | 2.2%Survey yield |
| 02121Boston | D 39#13,523 nat | RankedPrimary | 44#12,407 of 20,132 · bottom 38% | 80#253 of 20,132 · top 1% | 2.7%Survey yield |
The honest read
Boston scores 41/100 overall (grade D): 31 for Cash Flow, 40 for Growth, and 58 for Stability, each a 0–100 score built from the factors in that category. The scenario above shows what a representative investor-entry purchase pencils out to at today's rates. Everything we can measure is in the table below, with its source.
Every factor, shown
The Overall score blends three category scores built from thirteen measured factors: Cash Flow (35%), Growth (35%), and Stability (30%). The table shows every factor; the tag on each percentile marks which category a scored factor feeds. Untagged factors are shown for context but not scored. Every value carries its source and as-of date. How the score works.
| Factor | Value | National percentile | Source · as-of | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expense-adjusted yield | 2.4% | 43rd percentile · Cash Flow | Zillow ZORI/ZHVI · 2026-07-31 | Annual rent divided by price, net of a modeled vacancy, tax, capex, and management allowance: the core of the Cash Flow category and what the score is actually computed from. The unadjusted gross yield is shown elsewhere on this page. |
| Price to income | 8.3x | 11th percentile · Cash Flow | Zillow + ACS income · 2026-07-31 | Home price over local median income. Lower is cheaper relative to what people earn. Part of the Cash Flow category. |
| Population growth | 0.1%/yr | 31st percentile · Growth | Census PEP · Census PEP 2020→2024 (vintage 2024) + Census PEP 2014→2024 (vintages 2019+2024) | Census population trend for the place, capped at 4.5%/yr before scoring (diminishing returns above that rate): the heaviest factor in the Growth category. |
| Job growth | 0.5%/yr | 38th percentile · Growth | BLS LAUS (county) · BLS LAUS county annual 2019→2023 (pre-COVID anchor) + BLS LAUS county annual 2013→2023 | County employment trend, capped at 4.0%/yr before scoring (diminishing returns above that rate). A Growth-category factor. |
| Income growth | 7.4%/yr | 83rd percentile · Growth | Census ACS · ACS 5-yr 2019-2023 | Local median-income trend. A Growth-category factor. |
| Rent growth | 3.5%/yr | 36th percentile · Growth | Zillow ZORI · 3yr + 10yr to 2026-07-31 | A 40/60 blend of 3-year and 10-year rent trend (the model's own weighting). A Growth-category factor. |
| Home-value growth | 2.5%/yr | 9th percentile · Growth | Zillow ZHVI · 3yr + 10yr to 2026-07-31 | A 40/60 blend of 3-year and 10-year price trend (the model's own weighting). A small Growth-category factor. |
| Unemployment | 3.4% | 56th percentile · Stability | BLS LAUS (county) · BLS LAUS county annual 2023 | County unemployment rate. Lower is steadier, a Stability-category factor. |
| Rental vacancy | 4.4% | 54th percentile · Stability | Census ACS B25004 · ACS 5-yr 2019-2023 | Share of rentals empty. Lower means more pricing power. A Stability-category factor. |
| Property tax rate | 0.6% | 86th percentile · Stability | Census ACS B25103/B25077 · ACS 5-yr 2019-2023 | Median tax over median value. A direct drag on cash flow, scored in the Stability category as carrying-cost burden. |
| Months of supply | 4.3 mo | 17th percentile · Stability | Redfin Data Center · 2026-05-01 | Listings over sales pace. Under about 4 is a seller market, over 6 a buyer market. A Stability-category factor. |
| Days on market | 22 days | 74th percentile | Redfin Data Center · 2026-05-01 | How fast homes sell. Lower means more liquidity and an easier exit. Shown for context, not scored. |
| Sale-to-list ratio | 100.5% | 73rd percentile | Redfin Data Center · 2026-05-01 | Sale price over asking. Above 100% means homes clear over ask. Shown for context, not scored. |
| Net domestic migration | -13.8/1k | 3rd percentile | Census PEP (county) · PEP vintage 2024 | Net people moving in or out of the county, per 1,000 residents. Shown for context, not scored. |
| Building permits | 8.0/1k | 64th percentile | Census BPS (county) · BPS 2023 | New-construction permits per 1,000 homes. More means more supply coming. Shown for context, not scored. |
| Rent burden | 30% | 54th percentile | Census ACS B25071 · ACS 5-yr 2019-2023 | Median rent as a share of income. Higher means less headroom for increases. Shown for context, not scored. |
| Median year built | 1947 | 3rd percentile | Census ACS B25035 · ACS 5-yr 2019-2023 | Age of the housing stock. Older stock carries more capex. Shown for context, not scored. |
| Max drawdown | 15% | 68th percentile | Zillow ZHVI · 2026-07-31 | Worst peak-to-trough home-value decline on record. Shown for context, not scored. |
| Violent crime | not reported | - | FBI CDE | No agency reported this place to the FBI. We never impute a crime number; where it is missing, the Stability category renormalizes over its remaining factors. |
- † Job growth and unemployment are county-level (BLS LAUS, county FIPS 25025); large multi-county cities inherit their dominant county’s figures.
Related cities
Nearby in the Massachusetts rankings · all Massachusetts cities
Similar overall grade, elsewhere in the country
Compare Boston head-to-head
Side by side, the three category scores plus every measured column with sources - the same shown math as this page.
Underwrite a Boston deal
For learning, not advice. A market screen from public data - not a forecast, not underwriting, not a recommendation to buy anywhere.