What percentage of people rent in Watertown, MA?

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

52.3% (±3.4 points) of the occupied homes in Watertown, MA are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 8,557 renting households against 7,814 that own their home.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 52.3% (±3.4 points)
Renting households: 8,557 (±664)
Median renter income: $105,360 (±$15,512)

Who rents and who owns in Watertown

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Watertown	Middlesex County	Massachusetts	United States
Renter-occupied share	52.3% (±3.4 points)	38.7% (±0.4 points)	37.5% (±0.3 points)	34.8%
Renting households	8,557 (±664)	245,322 (±2,507)	1,043,884 (±6,942)	45,017,354
Owning households	7,814 (±564)	388,893 (±2,870)	1,741,158 (±8,598)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	2.0 (±0.1)	2.2 (±0.0)	2.1 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.3 (±0.1)	2.7 (±0.0)	2.6 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$105,360 (±$15,512)	$84,135 (±$1,906)	$60,987 (±$576)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$144,712 (±$14,516)	$169,746 (±$1,660)	$135,402 (±$770)	$100,009

In Watertown, the renter share is higher than in Middlesex County (38.7%).

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

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

In Middlesex County, Watertown ranks 6 of 54 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 20 of 351.

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

Households that rent in places near Watertown

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Watertown
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Watertown	—	52.3% (±3.4 points)	—
Belmont (community)	1.8 mi	35.3% (±2.9 points)	Lower
Belmont	1.8 mi	35.3% (±2.9 points)	Lower
Newton	3.0 mi	30.0% (±1.7 points)	Lower
Cambridge	3.1 mi	66.5% (±1.1 points)	Higher
Arlington (community)	3.5 mi	38.4% (±2.3 points)	Lower
Arlington	3.5 mi	38.4% (±2.3 points)	Lower
Waltham	3.5 mi	50.3% (±2.5 points)	Not measurably different
Brookline (community)	3.6 mi	53.1% (±2.3 points)	Not measurably different

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

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

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

Households that rent across Middlesex County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
1	Cambridge	66.5% (±1.1 points)
2	Somerville	65.8% (±1.8 points)
3	Everett	62.8% (±2.8 points)
4	Malden	58.7% (±2.4 points)
5	Lowell	56.8% (±2.1 points)
6	Watertown	52.3% (±3.4 points)
7	Waltham	50.3% (±2.5 points)
8	Medford	45.9% (±2.4 points)
9	Framingham	45.2% (±1.9 points)
10	Woburn	44.3% (±2.7 points)
11	Marlborough	44.0% (±3.4 points)
12	Lincoln	42.7% (±8.8 points)

Showing 12 of 54 places in Middlesex County, ranked from highest to lowest.

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

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).

How big are renting households in Watertown?

A renting household in Watertown has 2.0 people on average, against 2.3 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Watertown?

The median renting household in Watertown, MA has an income of $105,360 (±$15,512) a year, against $144,712 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 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 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.