What percentage of people rent in Brookline (community), MA?

Name: Renters and owners in Brookline (community), MA, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

53.1% (±2.3 points) of the occupied homes in Brookline (community), MA are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 14,662 renting households against 12,925 that own their home.

In Brookline (community), the share of households that rent went from 51.1% in 2015–2019 to 53.1% in 2020–2024 (+2.0 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 53.1% (±2.3 points)
Renting households: 14,662 (±768)
Median renter income: $104,171 (±$5,949)

Who rents and who owns in Brookline (community)

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Brookline (community)	Norfolk County	Massachusetts	United States
Renter-occupied share	53.1% (±2.3 points)	31.3% (±0.7 points)	37.5% (±0.3 points)	34.8%
Renting households	14,662 (±768)	88,556 (±2,152)	1,043,884 (±6,942)	45,017,354
Owning households	12,925 (±689)	194,812 (±2,140)	1,741,158 (±8,598)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	2.0 (±0.1)	2.0 (±0.0)	2.1 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.5 (±0.1)	2.8 (±0.0)	2.6 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$104,171 (±$5,949)	$74,159 (±$3,427)	$60,987 (±$576)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$214,736 (±$26,582)	$166,233 (±$2,455)	$135,402 (±$770)	$100,009

In Brookline (community), the renter share is higher than in Norfolk County (31.3%).

It is also higher than in Massachusetts (37.5%).

It is higher than the national figure (34.8%).

In Norfolk County, Brookline (community) ranks 1 of 14 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 7 of 167.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How renting in Brookline (community) has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	51.1% (±1.4 points)	53.1% (±2.3 points)	+2.0 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Median gross rent	$2,268 (±$50)	$2,835 (±$82)	+25.0%	No measurable change after inflation
Median household income	$117,326 (±$6,766)	$142,101 (±$8,266)	+21.1%	No measurable change after inflation

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Households that rent in places near Brookline (community)

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Brookline (community)
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Brookline (community)	—	53.1% (±2.3 points)	—
Newton	3.4 mi	30.0% (±1.7 points)	Lower
Watertown	3.6 mi	52.3% (±3.4 points)	Not measurably different
Cambridge	3.8 mi	66.5% (±1.1 points)	Higher
Somerville	5.1 mi	65.8% (±1.8 points)	Higher
Belmont (community)	5.3 mi	35.3% (±2.9 points)	Lower
Belmont	5.3 mi	35.3% (±2.9 points)	Lower
Dedham (community)	5.7 mi	26.6% (±3.6 points)	Lower
Dedham	5.7 mi	26.6% (±3.6 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Newton, MA (30.0%), Belmont (community), MA (35.3%), Belmont, MA (35.3%).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Cambridge, MA (66.5%), Somerville, MA (65.8%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Households that rent across Norfolk County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
1	Brookline (community)	53.1% (±2.3 points)
2	Foxborough (community)	49.1% (±7.0 points)
3	Norwood (community)	46.0% (±3.1 points)
4	Bellingham (community)	31.2% (±10.0 points)
5	Dedham (community)	26.6% (±3.6 points)
6	Millis-Clicquot	24.2% (±6.6 points)
7	Walpole (community)	18.5% (±5.5 points)

Showing 7 of 14 places in Norfolk County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Brookline (community) is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for statistics, with no municipal government of its own.

It lies inside Brookline, whose figures include it.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Brookline (community)

How many renters are there in Brookline (community)?

Brookline (community) has an estimated 14,662 (±768) renting households, 53.1% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Brookline (community)?

In Brookline (community), the share of households that rent went from 51.1% in 2015–2019 to 53.1% in 2020–2024 (+2.0 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How big are renting households in Brookline (community)?

A renting household in Brookline (community) has 2.0 people on average, against 2.5 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Brookline (community)?

The median renting household in Brookline (community), MA has an income of $104,171 (±$5,949) a year, against $214,736 for households that own their home.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) for Brookline CDP, Massachusetts (place:09210, in state:25).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.