Boston and Malden receive effectively the same standardized Area Score. Which fits you better depends on which dimensions you weight — the differences below are where they actually diverge.
Signals
Boston
Malden
Opportunity
64 · Top 33%
vs61 · Top 40%
Growth
54 · Top 43%
vs51 · Top 49%
Climate
65 · Bottom 36%
vs65 · Bottom 36%
Physical resilience
97 · Top 1%
vs88 · Top 14%
Housing affordability
44 · Bottom 6%
vs51 · Bottom 11%
Schools
41 · Bottom 36%
vs59 · Top 40%
Access
99 · Top 14%
vs99 · Top 14%
Economic stability
55 · Bottom 39%
vs66 · Top 38%
Measured values
| Metric | Boston | Malden | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 666,442 | 65,906 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median household income | $97,344 | $100,606 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income | $61,698 | $48,581 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Population density | 13,786/sq mi | 13,064/sq mi | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value | $731,700 | $633,500 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median gross rent | $2,147 | $2,204 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate | 35.7% | 41.3% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment rate | 4.2% | 4.0% | June 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year) | -1.5% | -1.7% | June 2026 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 54.9% | 45.1% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate | 16.6% | 11.4% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units permitted (12 months) | 2,086 | 25 | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Permits per 1,000 residents | 3.1 | 0.4 | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Permit change (year over year) | 21.2% | 92.3% | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Average July high | 82°F | 82°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low | 23°F | 23°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Annual precipitation | 43.6" | 43.6" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Distance to major airport | 2 mi | 5 mi | NASR current cycle |
| Average commute | 33.1 min | 37.4 min | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median age | 33.3 | 35.8 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Public schools | 127 | 8 | 2024-25 school year |
| Students per teacher | 10.92 | 14.35 | 2024-25 school year |
| Math proficiency | 21.9% | 33.1% | 2019-20 school year |
| Reading proficiency | 34.8% | 47.8% | 2019-20 school year |
A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.
Physical risk tradeoff
Boston
Elevated or high exposure: hurricane.
Malden
Elevated or high exposure: earthquake.
Full profiles: Boston, MA · Malden, MA · How this is calculated: methodology