Housing data for Watertown, MA
Watertown, MA has an estimated 35,543 residents and 17,206 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is a city in Middlesex County.
52.3% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $2,502 a month.
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 35,543 (±33)
- Housing units
- 17,206 (±496)
- Households that rent
- 52.3%
- Median gross rent
- $2,502
What stands out in Watertown
Households that rent: 52.3% (±3.4 points) in Watertown, higher than in Middlesex County (38.7%).
Homes heated by fuel oil: 12.6% (±1.9 points) in Watertown, lower than in Middlesex County (17.9%).
Median gross rent: $2,502 (±$107) in Watertown, higher than in Middlesex County ($2,201).
Working from home: 29.1% (±2.7 points) in Watertown, higher than in Middlesex County (24.7%).
- Renters and owners in Watertown
- Heating fuel in Watertown
- Median rent in Watertown
- Commute and cars in Watertown
Housing in Watertown at a glance
- Median rent: $2,502 median gross rent a month
- Rent by bedrooms: $2,536 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms
- Rent burden: 42.7% of renters pay 30% or more of income
- Renters and owners: 52.3% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $126,265 median household income
- Home values: $784,600 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $3,204 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $6,799 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 29.9% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 38.6% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 77.7% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 3.8% rental vacancy rate
- Heating fuel: 67.1% heat with utility gas
- Commute and cars: 27.6 minutes average trip to work
- Crime reported to police: 137 violent crimes per 100,000 residents
- How long people stay: 28.0% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 2.0% of homes have more than 1 person per room
Watertown against Middlesex County, its state and the nation
| Watertown | Middlesex County | Massachusetts | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 35,543 (±33) | 1,638,365 (exact) | 7,044,056 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 17,206 (±496) | 664,267 (±238) | 3,030,406 (±453) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 52.3% (±3.4 points) | 38.7% (±0.4 points) | 37.5% (±0.3 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $2,502 (±$107) | $2,201 (±$17) | $1,762 (±$9) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $126,265 (±$6,062) | $130,847 (±$1,164) | $103,960 (±$527) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $784,600 (±$31,188) | $727,800 (±$3,891) | $562,100 (±$2,169) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $6,799 (±$326) | $7,501 (±$59) | $5,992 (±$18) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 77.7% (±4.7 points) | 68.2% (±0.7 points) | 67.4% (±0.4 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 27.6 minutes (±1.2) | 29.9 minutes (±0.2) | 29.1 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 95.1% (±1.4 points) | 94.7% (±0.3 points) | 92.8% (±0.1 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 39.4 years (±1.3) | 38.9 years (±0.2) | 40.0 years (±0.1) | 38.9 years |
Watertown covers 4.0 square miles of land, about 8,895 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
Crime reported to police in Watertown
In 2025, the Watertown Police Department reported 137 violent and 1,614 property crimes per 100,000 residents to the FBI.
Across Middlesex County, the departments that report recorded 196 violent and 913 property crimes per 100,000 residents that year.
Places near Watertown
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belmont (community) | 1.8 mi | $2,527 | $1,159,000 | 35.3% |
| Belmont | 1.8 mi | $2,527 | $1,159,000 | 35.3% |
| Newton | 3.0 mi | $2,370 | $1,264,900 | 30.0% |
| Cambridge | 3.1 mi | $2,787 | $1,092,100 | 66.5% |
| Arlington (community) | 3.5 mi | $2,082 | $933,800 | 38.4% |
| Arlington | 3.5 mi | $2,082 | $933,800 | 38.4% |
| Waltham | 3.5 mi | $2,268 | $748,700 | 50.3% |
| Brookline (community) | 3.6 mi | $2,835 | $1,246,800 | 53.1% |
Places in Massachusetts most like Watertown
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medford | $2,509 | $755,500 | $129,540 | 45.9% |
| Waltham | $2,268 | $748,700 | $120,216 | 50.3% |
| Norwood (community) | $2,116 | $651,700 | $107,030 | 46.0% |
| Norwood | $2,116 | $651,700 | $107,030 | 46.0% |
| Somerville | $2,517 | $911,300 | $132,572 | 65.8% |
| Framingham | $2,033 | $627,300 | $107,419 | 45.2% |
Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across Massachusetts.
HUD Fair Market Rent for Watertown, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,440 | $2,518 | $3,008 | $3,584 | $3,953 |
HUD income limits for Watertown, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $36,000 | $60,000 | $96,000 |
| 2 people | $41,150 | $68,600 | $109,700 |
| 3 people | $46,300 | $77,150 | $123,400 |
| 4 people | $51,400 | $85,700 | $137,100 |
| 5 people | $55,550 | $92,600 | $148,100 |
| 6 people | $59,650 | $99,450 | $159,050 |
| 7 people | $63,750 | $106,300 | $170,050 |
| 8 people | $67,850 | $113,150 | $181,000 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH HUD Metro FMR Area, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $164,600.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
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 Watertown
What is the average rent in Watertown, MA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Watertown is $2,502 (±$107) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
How much is a one-bedroom apartment in Watertown?
The median gross rent for a one-bedroom home in Watertown, MA is $2,151 (±$150) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Are renters in Watertown rent-burdened?
42.7% of renting households in Watertown pay 30% or more of their income in gross rent, the share housing researchers usually call rent-burdened (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many renters are there in Watertown?
Watertown has an estimated 8,557 (±664) renting households, 52.3% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Watertown?
The median household income in Watertown is $126,265 (±$6,062) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Watertown, MA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $784,600 (±$31,188) for owner-occupied homes in Watertown (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Watertown city, Massachusetts
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Watertown city, Massachusetts
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Watertown city, Massachusetts
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Watertown city, Massachusetts
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Watertown city, Massachusetts
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Watertown city, Massachusetts
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Watertown city, Massachusetts
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH HUD Metro FMR Area
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH HUD Metro FMR Area
- FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: Watertown Police Department (ORI MA0094800)
- FBI: Uniform Crime Reporting statistics and their proper use
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
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 Watertown city, Massachusetts (place:73405, in state:25).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
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.
Figures last updated on .