Primary sources for Boston, MA
- Census Bureau profile of Boston, MA, ACS data
- EIA-861 utility data for Boston, MA, prices
- DOE LEAD tool for Boston, MA, energy burden
- NOAA storms and FEMA flood claims for Boston, MA
Electricity rates in Boston, Massachusetts
Boston, MA ranks 2 of 48 Massachusetts cities for households without a vehicle (33.5%). Boston, Massachusetts has 663,972 residents in 279,216 households; 30.7% heat with electricity.
Households in Boston, MA can pick a supplier. How to compare.
Boston on the map
Suffolk County, with Boston marked
Who supplies Boston
Suffolk County lists 2 utilities for Boston, MA, a city of 663,972: no plan prices, and retail supplier plans are not in public data; which listed utility delivers to your street depends on the address. Suffolk County page.
Who lives in Boston: income, cars, homes
In Boston, MA, 93,574 households own no vehicle and 64,922 own two or more; home EV charging depends on that. Boston, MA homes: 105,180 have 3+ bedrooms, 98,002 none or one, median 4.3 rooms. In Boston, MA, 86,191 of 171,546 renter households pay 30% or more of income in rent; 119,158 households moved in since 2018 and 40,971 before 2000, so electric accounts turn over quickly. 105,290 residents of Boston, MA live below the poverty line, and the median age is 33.2. In Boston, MA, 68,114 of 279,216 households earn under $35,000, 49,348 $35,000-$75,000, 71,030 $75,000-$150,000 and 90,724 $150,000 or more. Of 370,029 workers in Boston, MA, 69,480 work from home, 126,122 drive alone, 88,917 ride transit and 50,923 walk.
Household income in Boston, MA
| Boston, MA | Value | Rank in Massachusetts |
|---|---|---|
| Boston, MA, households under $35,000 | 24.4% | 15 of 48 |
| Boston, MA, households $150,000 or more | 32.5% | 16 of 48 |
| Boston, MA, residents below poverty | 16.9% | 9 of 48 |
| Boston, MA, median age | 33.2 | 44 of 48 |
| Boston, MA, homes with 3+ bedrooms | 34.2% | 46 of 48 |
| Boston, MA, households without a vehicle | 33.5% | 2 of 48 |
| Boston, MA, households with 2+ vehicles | 23.3% | 47 of 48 |
| Boston, MA, workers at home | 18.8% | 15 of 48 |
| Boston, MA, cost-burdened renters | 50.2% | 31 of 48 |
| Boston, MA, moved in since 2018 | 42.7% | 5 of 48 |
| Boston, MA, moved in before 2000 | 14.7% | 44 of 48 |
Facts about Boston
- Residents of Boston, MA, ACS 2023
- 663,9721 of 48 Massachusetts cities with 30,000+
- Median household income in Boston, MA
- $94,75526 of 48 of those cities
- Households in Boston, MA
- 279,2162.38 people each
- Owner-occupied homes in Boston, MA
- 35.4%98,813 owners and 180,403 renter households
- Housing units in Boston, MA
- 307,84028,624 vacant or seasonal
- Homes heated by electricity in Boston, MA
- 30.7%85,739 of 279,216 homes
- Land area of Boston, MA
- 48.3 sq mi13,735.5 people per sq mi
- Bill as share of income in Boston, MA
- 2.1%at 570 kWh a month over the $94,755 median household income
- Wind and tornado reports within 15 miles of Boston, MA
- 319NWS point reports 2015 to 2025, 48.0 per 100,000 residents
- Median year homes were built in Boston, MA
- 1947226,505 of 307,840 homes (73.6%) before 1980
- Median home value and rent in Boston, MA
- $710,400$2,093 gross rent a month, 3.54% of value a year
Bill and heat pump calculator, Boston
Compare Boston with nearby cities
| City near Boston, MA | Distance from Boston | Residents | Median income | Median year built | Median home value | Storm reports within 15 miles | Work from home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston, MA (this page) | 0 mi | 663,972 | $94,755 | 1947 | $710,400 | 319 | 18.8% |
| Chelsea, MA | 4.1 mi north | 39,460 (-624,512) | $72,220 (-$22,535) | 1938 (-9 yr) | $476,500 (-$233,900) | 318 (-1) | 9.6% (-9.2 pts) |
| Everett, MA | 5.0 mi north | 49,236 (-614,736) | $79,658 (-$15,097) | 1938 (-9 yr) | $605,200 (-$105,200) | 329 (+10) | 8.6% (-10.2 pts) |
| Quincy, MA | 5.4 mi south | 101,361 (-562,611) | $95,711 (+$956) | 1958 (+11 yr) | $598,100 (-$112,300) | 302 (-17) | 18.1% (-0.7 pts) |
| Somerville, MA | 5.5 mi northwest | 80,549 (-583,423) | $127,056 (+$32,301) | 1938 (-9 yr) | $899,400 (+$189,000) | 352 (+33) | 29.0% (+10.2 pts) |
| Cambridge, MA | 5.7 mi northwest | 117,794 (-546,178) | $126,469 (+$31,714) | 1948 (+1 yr) | $1,040,500 (+$330,100) | 343 (+24) | 28.3% (+9.5 pts) |
Housing and heating in Boston
Boston, MA: 226,505 of 307,840 homes were built before 1980 and 50,944 in 2000 or later. Boston, MA has 37,040 detached houses, 141,032 homes in 5+ unit buildings and 703 mobile homes.
Age of homes in Boston, MA
% of homes by decade built, Boston, MA
- 47pre-40
- 540s
- 750s
- 760s
- 870s
- 680s
- 490s
- 600s
- 910s
- 120+
Heating fuel in Boston, MA
| Boston, MA | Value | County | Gap | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston, MA, median year built | 1947 | 1948 | -1 years | 34 of 48 |
| Boston, MA, built before 1980 | 73.6% | 73.4% | +0.2 points | 24 of 48 |
| Boston, MA, built 2000 or later | 16.5% | 16.3% | +0.2 points | 6 of 48 |
| Boston, MA, detached houses | 12.0% | 13.5% | -1.5 points | 45 of 48 |
| Boston, MA, apartments in 5+ unit buildings | 45.8% | 44.2% | +1.6 points | 3 of 48 |
| Boston, MA, mobile homes | 0.2% | 0.3% | -0.0 points | 27 of 48 |
| Boston, MA, renter households | 64.6% | 63.4% | +1.2 points | 5 of 48 |
| Boston, MA, median home value | $710,400 | $680,700 | +$29,700 | 10 of 48 |
| Boston, MA, median gross rent a month | $2,093 | $2,069 | +$24 | 11 of 48 |
| Boston, MA, people per household | 2.22 | 2.29 | -0.07 | 40 of 48 |
Cost of living with electricity in Boston
Boston, MA: 279,216 households at $1,204 a year per home for electricity (Suffolk County average, DOE LEAD) come to about $336.2 million, an estimate; all home energy is $2,181 a year per household.
| Group in Boston, MA | Households | Power per home | Power bill of the group | Share of Boston, MA median income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston, MA, all households | 279,216 | $1,204 | $336.2 million | 1.27% |
| Boston, MA, homeowners | 98,813 | $1,581 | $156.2 million | 1.67% |
| Boston, MA, renters | 180,403 | $990 | $178.6 million | 1.04% |
Outage risk around Boston
Boston, MA, NWS reports within 15 miles of the centre, 2015 to 2025: 318 wind and 1 tornado, 48.0 per 100,000 residents of 663,972. Top gust near Boston, MA: 65 knots, 75 mph. Damage near Boston, MA: $1.6M.
Reports within 15 miles of Boston, MA
wind and tornado reports, Boston, MA
- 23'15
- 54'16
- 41'17
- 11'18
- 31'19
- 60'20
- 40'21
- 25'22
- 16'23
- 4'24
- 14'25
| Boston, MA | Wind | Tornado | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston, MA, 2015 | 23 | 0 | 23 |
| Boston, MA, 2016 | 54 | 0 | 54 |
| Boston, MA, 2017 | 41 | 0 | 41 |
| Boston, MA, 2018 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| Boston, MA, 2019 | 31 | 0 | 31 |
| Boston, MA, 2020 | 60 | 0 | 60 |
| Boston, MA, 2021 | 40 | 0 | 40 |
| Boston, MA, 2022 | 25 | 0 | 25 |
| Boston, MA, 2023 | 15 | 1 | 16 |
| Boston, MA, 2024 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Boston, MA, 2025 | 14 | 0 | 14 |
Analyst note on Boston
Boston, MA counts 663,972 residents in 279,216 households, on 48.3 square miles. Household income in Boston, MA is $94,755; 98,813 of its 279,216 households own. 85,739 of the 279,216 occupied homes in Boston, MA heat with electricity.
Boston, MA has 307,840 housing units, 28,624 of them vacant or seasonal. Boston, MA ranks 3 of 48 Massachusetts cities for homes in buildings of 5+ units (46%). Boston, MA ranks 4 of 48 Massachusetts cities for the share of homes heated by electricity (31%).
Boston, MA ranks 5 of 48 Massachusetts cities for the share of renter households (65%).
ZIP codes in Boston
| ZIP area touching Boston, MA | Share of the ZIP's land inside Boston | Share of Boston's land in the ZIP |
|---|---|---|
| 02132 (Boston, MA) | 100.0% | 10.1% |
| 02128 (Boston, MA) | 93.7% | 9.7% |
| 02136 (Boston, MA) | 100.0% | 9.5% |
| 02130 (Boston, MA) | 100.0% | 7.3% |
| 02124 (Boston, MA) | 100.0% | 6.1% |
| 02131 (Boston, MA) | 100.0% | 5.8% |
| 02135 (Boston, MA) | 100.0% | 5.4% |
| 02125 (Boston, MA) | 100.0% | 4.5% |
| 02127 (Boston, MA) | 100.0% | 4.3% |
| 02121 (Boston, MA) | 100.0% | 3.9% |
| 02126 (Boston, MA) | 100.0% | 3.8% |
| 02122 (Boston, MA) | 100.0% | 3.5% |
| 02119 (Boston, MA) | 100.0% | 3.3% |
| 02129 (Boston, MA) | 100.0% | 2.8% |
| 02134 (Boston, MA) | 100.0% | 2.6% |
| 02118 (Boston, MA) | 100.0% | 2.3% |
| 02210 (Boston, MA) | 100.0% | 1.9% |
| 02215 (Boston, MA) | 95.0% | 1.7% |
| 02115 (Boston, MA) | 100.0% | 1.5% |
| 02116 (Boston, MA) | 100.0% | 1.3% |
| 02120 (Boston, MA) | 100.0% | 1.3% |
| 02114 (Boston, MA) | 100.0% | 0.9% |
| 02108 (Boston, MA) | 100.0% | 0.6% |
| 02111 (Boston, MA) | 100.0% | 0.4% |
| 02163 (Boston, MA) | 100.0% | 0.4% |
| 02110 (Boston, MA) | 100.0% | 0.4% |
| 02109 (Boston, MA) | 100.0% | 0.4% |
| 02113 (Boston, MA) | 100.0% | 0.2% |
| 02199 (Boston, MA) | 100.0% | 0.1% |
| 02205 (Boston, MA) | 100.0% | 0.1% |
| 02133 (Boston, MA) | 100.0% | 0.0% |
| 02203 (Boston, MA) | 100.0% | 0.0% |
Census 2020 ZCTA to place land-area overlap. Look up any ZIP.
Massachusetts: home prices since 2001, planned plants.
Questions on Boston
Boston: what is the electricity rate?
No single rate in Boston, MA: Massachusetts households pick a supplier and plan, and Suffolk County lists 2 utilities.
Boston: how does it rank among Massachusetts cities?
Boston, MA: rank 1 of 48 by its 663,972 residents, rank 26 of 48 by $94,755 median income.
Boston: how many homes heat with electricity?
Boston, MA: 85,739 of 279,216 occupied homes, 30.7%; Suffolk County 29.9%.
Boston: how much income goes to electricity?
At 570 kWh a month, 2.1% of the $94,755 median income in Boston, MA.
Boston: can I choose a supplier?
In most of Massachusetts yes; municipal and co-op areas around Boston, MA may be closed.
Boston: damaging storms reported nearby?
319 NWS wind and tornado reports within 15 miles of the centre of Boston, MA, 2015 to 2025, 48.0 per 100,000 residents.
How old are the homes in Boston?
Boston, MA: median home built 1947; 226,505 of 307,840 homes (73.6%) predate 1980, 37,040 are detached and 141,032 sit in buildings of 5+ units.
How many Boston, MA households have no car?
93,574 households; 64,922 have two or more.
How big are the homes in Boston, MA?
105,180 of 307,840 homes have 3+ bedrooms; median 4.3 rooms.
How many Boston, MA renters struggle with rent?
86,191 of 171,546 renter households pay 30% or more of income in rent.