What kinds of homes are in Cambridge, MA?

Name: Types of homes in Cambridge, MA, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

Cambridge, MA has 54,840 (±793) homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is about 8,573 homes per square mile of land.

9.9% are detached single-family houses.

29.0% are in buildings of two to four units.

54.6% are in buildings of five or more units.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Housing units: 54,840 (±793)
Detached houses: 9.9%
2–4 unit buildings: 29.0%
5+ unit buildings: 54.6%

Homes in Cambridge by building size

Housing units by units in structure, 2020–2024
Building type	Cambridge	Middlesex County	Massachusetts	United States
Single-family, detached	9.9% (±0.8 points)	46.5%	51.1%	61.3%
Single-family, attached (townhouse, rowhouse)	6.5% (±0.7 points)	6.9%	5.9%	6.2%
2 units	12.0% (±1.0 points)	12.2%	9.3%	3.4%
3 or 4 units	17.0% (±1.2 points)	8.5%	10.7%	4.3%
5 to 9 units	10.7% (±0.9 points)	4.7%	5.7%	4.5%
10 to 19 units	7.4% (±0.8 points)	5.1%	4.2%	4.3%
20 or more units	36.5% (±1.3 points)	15.7%	12.3%	10.3%
Mobile home	0.1% (±0.1 points)	0.4%	0.8%	5.6%
Boat, RV, van, etc.	0.0% (±0.1 points)	0.1%	0.0%	0.1%

In Cambridge, the share of homes in buildings of five or more units is higher than in Middlesex County (25.5%).

It is also higher than in Massachusetts (22.2%).

It is higher than the national figure (19.1%).

Homes in buildings of 5 or more units in places near Cambridge

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Cambridge
Place	Distance	Homes in buildings of 5 or more units	Compared with this place
Cambridge	—	54.6% (±1.8 points)	—
Somerville	1.3 mi	29.9% (±2.0 points)	Lower
Watertown	3.1 mi	29.9% (±3.1 points)	Lower
Medford	3.3 mi	25.0% (±2.1 points)	Lower
Belmont (community)	3.4 mi	10.2% (±2.0 points)	Lower
Belmont	3.4 mi	10.2% (±2.0 points)	Lower
Arlington (community)	3.7 mi	24.9% (±2.9 points)	Lower
Arlington	3.7 mi	24.9% (±2.9 points)	Lower
Brookline (community)	3.8 mi	50.8% (±3.0 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Somerville, MA (29.9%), Watertown, MA (29.9%), Medford, MA (25.0%).

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

Homes in buildings of 5 or more units across Middlesex County, place by place

Rank	Place	Homes in buildings of 5 or more units
1	Cambridge	54.6% (±1.8 points)
2	Lowell	35.4% (±2.3 points)
3	Malden	34.7% (±2.7 points)
4	Boxborough	34.3% (±9.7 points)
5	Framingham	31.7% (±2.5 points)
6	Waltham	31.1% (±3.0 points)
7 (tie)	Somerville	29.9% (±2.0 points)

Showing 7 of 54 places in Middlesex County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates).

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Cambridge

How many homes are in Cambridge?

Cambridge, MA has an estimated 54,840 (±793) housing units, occupied and vacant (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Are most homes in Cambridge houses or apartments?

9.9% are detached houses and 6.5% attached houses, while 83.6% are in buildings of two or more units.

How many two-family and small multifamily homes are in Cambridge?

29.0% of homes in Cambridge are in buildings of two to four units, the small rental buildings that are often owner-occupied.

Sources

Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Cambridge city, Massachusetts

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) for Cambridge city, Massachusetts (place:11000, in state:25).

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

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0007PE, DP04_0007PM, DP04_0008PE, DP04_0008PM, DP04_0009PE, DP04_0009PM, DP04_0010PE, DP04_0010PM, DP04_0011PE, DP04_0011PM, DP04_0012PE, DP04_0012PM, DP04_0013PE, DP04_0013PM, DP04_0014PE, DP04_0014PM, DP04_0015PE, DP04_0015PM

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.