What percentage of people rent in Wellesley, MA?

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

15.6% (±1.9 points) of the occupied homes in Wellesley, MA are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 1,432 renting households against 7,742 that own their home.

In Wellesley, the share of households that rent went from 19.1% in 2015–2019 to 15.6% in 2020–2024 (−3.5 percentage points), a measurable decrease.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 15.6% (±1.9 points)
Renting households: 1,432 (±188)
Median renter income: $108,214 (±$57,868)

Who rents and who owns in Wellesley

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Wellesley	Norfolk County	Massachusetts	United States
Renter-occupied share	15.6% (±1.9 points)	31.3% (±0.7 points)	37.5% (±0.3 points)	34.8%
Renting households	1,432 (±188)	88,556 (±2,152)	1,043,884 (±6,942)	45,017,354
Owning households	7,742 (±282)	194,812 (±2,140)	1,741,158 (±8,598)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	1.9 (±0.2)	2.0 (±0.0)	2.1 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.9 (±0.1)	2.8 (±0.0)	2.6 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$108,214 (±$57,868)	$74,159 (±$3,427)	$60,987 (±$576)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$250,000 or more	$166,233 (±$2,455)	$135,402 (±$770)	$100,009

In Wellesley, the renter share is lower than in Norfolk County (31.3%).

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

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

In Norfolk County, Wellesley ranks 21 of 28 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 210 of 351.

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

How renting in Wellesley 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	19.1% (±1.9 points)	15.6% (±1.9 points)	−3.5 percentage points	Measurable decrease
Median gross rent	$1,938 (±$358)	$2,886 (±$360)	+48.9%	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 Wellesley

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Wellesley
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Wellesley	—	15.6% (±1.9 points)	—
Needham (community)	2.7 mi	16.9% (±2.1 points)	Not measurably different
Needham	2.7 mi	16.9% (±2.1 points)	Not measurably different
Natick	3.7 mi	31.8% (±3.2 points)	Higher
Cochituate	3.9 mi	14.4% (±4.6 points)	Not measurably different
Weston	3.9 mi	12.5% (±3.8 points)	Not measurably different
Dover (community)	4.2 mi	2.1% (±2.4 points)	Lower
Newton	4.2 mi	30.0% (±1.7 points)	Higher
Dover	5.0 mi	2.1% (±1.5 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Dover (community), MA (2.1%), Dover, MA (2.1%).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Natick, MA (31.8%), Newton, MA (30.0%).

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
15	Wrentham	18.0% (±4.3 points)
16	Cohasset	17.0% (±4.4 points)
17	Needham	16.9% (±2.1 points)
18	Millis	16.8% (±3.9 points)
19	Walpole	16.5% (±2.6 points)
20	Holbrook	16.0% (±5.2 points)
21	Wellesley	15.6% (±1.9 points)
22	Milton	14.8% (±3.6 points)
23	Medway	14.1% (±3.5 points)
24	Medfield	13.9% (±4.1 points)
25	Westwood	12.7% (±2.9 points)
26	Sharon	12.3% (±2.6 points)
27	Norfolk	5.1% (±2.7 points)

Showing 13 of 28 places in Norfolk County, ranked from highest to lowest.

The figures for Wellesley include the places inside it that have pages of their own: Wellesley (community).

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 Wellesley

How many renters are there in Wellesley?

Wellesley has an estimated 1,432 (±188) renting households, 15.6% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Wellesley?

In Wellesley, the share of households that rent went from 19.1% in 2015–2019 to 15.6% in 2020–2024 (−3.5 percentage points), a measurable decrease.

How big are renting households in Wellesley?

A renting household in Wellesley has 1.9 people on average, against 2.9 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Wellesley?

The median renting household in Wellesley, MA has an income of $108,214 (±$57,868) a year, against $250,000 or more 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 Wellesley town, Norfolk County, Massachusetts (county subdivision:74175, in state:25 county:021).

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.