Electric Consumer

Editor: Katerine G., Editor & Data Researcher · Research & publishing: Electric Consumer Editorial Team · Data retrieved · Sources named on this page: EIA-861, EPA eGRID, Census ACS, DOE LEAD, NOAA · How we got these numbers · Report an error

Electricity rates in Boston, Massachusetts

Boston, MA ranks 2nd 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. See how to compare suppliers.

Boston on the map

Suffolk County with Boston markedSuffolkBoston

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

% of households by income, Boston, MA

  • Under $35,00024.4
  • $35,000 to $75,00017.7
  • $75,000 to $150,00025.4
  • $150,000 or more32.5
Boston, MA households against Massachusetts cities with 30,000+ residents
Boston, MAValueRank in Massachusetts (1 = highest)
Boston, MA, households under $35,00024.4%15 of 48
Boston, MA, households $150,000 or more32.5%16 of 48
Boston, MA, residents below poverty16.9%9 of 48
Boston, MA, median age33.244 of 48
Boston, MA, homes with 3+ bedrooms34.2%46 of 48
Boston, MA, households without a vehicle33.5%2 of 48
Boston, MA, households with 2+ vehicles23.3%47 of 48
Boston, MA, workers at home18.8%15 of 48
Boston, MA, cost-burdened renters50.2%31 of 48
Boston, MA, moved in since 201842.7%5 of 48
Boston, MA, moved in before 200014.7%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

Electricity price since 2015 around Boston

Boston has no price series of its own. Boston: the Massachusetts average was 19.83 ¢/kWh in 2015. Boston: 29.35 ¢ in 2024, 48% up. Boston: against 30% up for the U.S. average.

Boston: a 570 kWh month at the Massachusetts price. Boston: $113 in 2015, $167 in 2024. Boston: $2,006 a year, 2.1% of the $94,755 median income.

Boston: 10 yearly prices
YearMassachusetts averageBoston: Gap to U.S. average
2015, Boston19.83+7.18
2016, Boston19.00+6.45
2017, Boston20.06+7.17
2018, Boston21.61+8.74
2019, Boston21.92+8.91
2020, Boston21.97+8.82
2021, Boston22.89+9.23
2022, Boston25.97+10.93
2023, Boston29.61+13.61
2024, Boston29.35+12.87

Boston, MA: EIA-861 home prices, 2015 to 2024, not a Boston, MA price.

CSV

Bill and heat pump calculator, Boston

Compare Boston with nearby cities

Nearest Massachusetts cities with 30,000+ residents to Boston, MA
City near Boston, MADistance from BostonResidentsMedian incomeMedian year builtMedian home valueStorm reports within 15 milesWork from home
Boston, MA (this page)0 mi663,972$94,7551947$710,40031918.8%
Chelsea, MA4.1 mi north39,460 (-624,512)$72,220 (-$22,535)1938 (-9 yr)$476,500 (-$233,900)318 (-1)9.6% (-9.2 pts)
Everett, MA5.0 mi north49,236 (-614,736)$79,658 (-$15,097)1938 (-9 yr)$605,200 (-$105,200)329 (+10)8.6% (-10.2 pts)
Quincy, MA5.4 mi south101,361 (-562,611)$95,711 (+$956)1958 (+11 yr)$598,100 (-$112,300)302 (-17)18.1% (-0.7 pts)
Somerville, MA5.5 mi northwest80,549 (-583,423)$127,056 (+$32,301)1938 (-9 yr)$899,400 (+$189,000)352 (+33)29.0% (+10.2 pts)
Cambridge, MA5.7 mi northwest117,794 (-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

  1. 47pre-40
  2. 540s
  3. 750s
  4. 760s
  5. 870s
  6. 680s
  7. 490s
  8. 600s
  9. 910s
  10. 120+

Heating fuel in Boston, MA

% of homes by main fuel, Boston

  • Utility gas57.2
  • Electricity30.7
  • Fuel oil7.2
  • Propane2.7
  • No fuel1.5
Boston, MA housing against its county and state cities
Boston, MAValueCountyGapRank (1 = highest)
Boston, MA, median year built19471948-1 years34 of 48
Boston, MA, built before 198073.6%73.4%+0.2 points24 of 48
Boston, MA, built 2000 or later16.5%16.3%+0.2 points6 of 48
Boston, MA, detached houses12.0%13.5%-1.5 points45 of 48
Boston, MA, apartments in 5+ unit buildings45.8%44.2%+1.6 points3 of 48
Boston, MA, mobile homes0.2%0.3%-0.0 points27 of 48
Boston, MA, renter households64.6%63.4%+1.2 points5 of 48
Boston, MA, median home value$710,400$680,700+$29,70010 of 48
Boston, MA, median gross rent a month$2,093$2,069+$2411 of 48
Boston, MA, people per household2.222.29-0.0740 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.

Home energy cost, Boston, MA
Group in Boston, MAHouseholdsPower per homePower bill of the groupShare of Boston, MA median income
Boston, MA, all households279,216$1,204$336.2 million1.27%
Boston, MA, homeowners98,813$1,581$156.2 million1.67%
Boston, MA, renters180,403$990$178.6 million1.04%

Outage risk around Boston

Boston, MA, NWS reports within 15 miles of the center, 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

  1. 23'15
  2. 54'16
  3. 41'17
  4. 11'18
  5. 31'19
  6. 60'20
  7. 40'21
  8. 25'22
  9. 16'23
  10. 4'24
  11. 14'25
Storm reports near Boston, MA
Boston, MAWindTornadoTotal
Boston, MA, 201523023
Boston, MA, 201654054
Boston, MA, 201741041
Boston, MA, 201811011
Boston, MA, 201931031
Boston, MA, 202060060
Boston, MA, 202140040
Boston, MA, 202225025
Boston, MA, 202315116
Boston, MA, 2024404
Boston, MA, 202514014

Climate and electric heating around Boston

Boston is in Suffolk County, MA. Boston: degree days are county values.

Boston: 5,815 heating degree days a year. Boston: 623 cooling degree days a year.

Boston: degree days, electric heat
BostonCounty value
Boston, heating degree days, 1991-2020 normal5,815
Boston, heating degree days, 2016-2025 mean5,400
Boston, cooling degree days, 1991-2020 normal623
Boston, cooling degree days, 2016-2025 mean763
Boston, homes heated with electricity, ACS 2019-202329.9%

Boston: NOAA nClimDiv 7 Oct 2026; ACS B25040.

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 3rd of 48 Massachusetts cities for homes in buildings of 5+ units (46%). Boston, MA ranks 4th of 48 Massachusetts cities for the share of homes heated by electricity (31%).

Boston, MA ranks 5th of 48 Massachusetts cities for the share of renter households (65%).

ZIP codes in Boston

ZIP area touching Boston, MAShare of the ZIP's land inside BostonShare 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 center 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.

Primary sources for Boston, MA

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Boston, MA ranks 2nd of 48 Massachusetts cities for households without a vehicle (33.5%).