02138 — Cambridge, Massachusetts
Area Profile
Income, jobs, climate, physical risk and development data for ZIP code 02138. Its median home value runs 11% above Cambridge as a whole, which is why this ZIP carries a profile of its own.
How this area ranks
Data updated · 14 sources02138 ranks in the top 19% of ZIP areas measured for employment opportunity, with unemployment at 3.6% and median household income of $119,967. The unemployment rate is published for Cambridge, MA, which contains 02138, rather than for 02138 alone.
Public schools test above most of the state: 61% of students met the mathematics standard, placing the area in the top 13% of published profiles for schools.
Housing costs more relative to local incomes than in most ZIP areas measured: rent takes 31% of renter income and the median home is 6.8 times what its owners earn.
These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.
At a glance
Jobs & opportunity
Unemployment across Cambridge, MA, which contains 02138, is 3.6%, lower than in 78% of the 3,127 measured US ZIP areas.
Employment across Cambridge, MA, which contains 02138, fell 1.6% over the past year, to 70,610 employed residents.
86% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 99% of measured US ZIP areas.
Median household income of $119,967 is higher than in 91% of measured US ZIP areas.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income of new arrivalsMiddlesex County, MA’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $106,409 | 91st percentileof 2,996 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Income of those who leftMiddlesex County, MA’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $125,881 | 96th percentileof 2,996 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Median household income ±$9,9932024 ACS 5-Year | $119,967 | Top 9%of 31,049 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income ±$5,2042024 ACS 5-Year | $75,496 | Top 5%of 32,822 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 8.6% | Top 41%of 32,846 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Average commute ±1.1 min2024 ACS 5-Year | 25.7 min | Top 39%of 32,887 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Bachelor's degree or higher ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 85.6% | Top 1%of 33,193 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Drove alone to work ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 23.2% | 2nd percentileof 32,798 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| EmploymentCambridge, MA’s figureJuly 2026 | 70,610 | Top 38%of 3,127 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (3 years)Cambridge, MA’s figureJuly 2026 | 0.0% | Top 48%of 3,127 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year)Cambridge, MA’s figureJuly 2026 | −1.6% | Bottom 31%of 3,127 | July 2026 |
| Labor forceCambridge, MA’s figureJuly 2026 | 73,278 | 62nd percentileof 3,127 | July 2026 |
| Labor force participation ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 79.2% | Top 46%of 32,883 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Mean annual wageBoston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS | $89,620 | Top 7%of 2,760 | 2025 OEWS |
| Median annual wageBoston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS | $66,620 | Top 7%of 2,760 | 2025 OEWS |
| Public transit to work ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 12.6% | 98th percentileof 32,798 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment change (year over year)Cambridge, MA’s figureJuly 2026 | −0.3% | Top 38%of 3,127 | July 2026 |
| Unemployment rateCambridge, MA’s figureJuly 2026 | 3.6% | Top 22%of 3,127 | July 2026 |
| Worked from home ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 31.7% | 96th percentileof 32,798 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
Median household income, successive ACS releases
Largest occupations — Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
| Occupation | People employed | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 72,420 | $40,910 |
| General and Operations Managers | 70,950 | $133,800 |
| Registered Nurses | 64,240 | $106,180 |
| Retail Salespersons | 64,150 | $36,850 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 60,130 | $36,290 |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 43,160 | $46,550 |
Searches the 40 largest occupations here that have a published wage.
Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish labor-force data for ZIP areas. This is the figure for Cambridge, MA, the city containing this ZIP code.
61% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 63% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.
There are 9.4 students for every full-time teacher across 3 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.
| School | District | Students | Per teacher | Math | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridge Rindge and Latin | Cambridge | 2,072 | 9.3 | 62% | 62% |
| Maria L. Baldwin | Cambridge | 360 | 11.3 | 62% | 72% |
| Haggerty | Cambridge | 250 | 8.3 | 47% | 57% |
Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Massachusetts’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.
Housing & affordability
How it’s calculated — housing affordability →Prices for everything a household buys run about 10% above the national average — the Bureau of Economic Analysis index reads 110.4, against 100 for the nation. Nationally, housing drives most of the spread between places in this index; other goods vary far less.
The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the Cambridge-Newton-Framingham, MA Metropolitan Division is up 40% over five years, and up 2.8% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.
Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $5,936 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.49% of the median home value.
The typical renter household here spends 31% of its income on rent, above the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $2,772 a month.
A median home at $1,212,400 costs 6.8 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $179,179, well above the historic benchmark, at a level conventionally described as seriously unaffordable.
Prices here run about 10% above the national average. The spread between places is driven mostly by housing — goods vary far less — and this excludes taxes.
Published for the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Metro Area as a whole. Prices are regional — people shop, commute and rent across a metropolitan area rather than within a city boundary — so this describes the cost of living around this place better than a figure drawn to its own limits would.
The figures above are measured against 02138’s median household income of $119,967, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost of living indexthe Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Metro Area’s figure2023 | 110.4 | Bottom 15%of 2,737 | 2023 |
| Home price change (1 year)the Cambridge-Newton-Framingham, MA Metropolitan Division’s figure2026 Q2 | +2.8% | 44th percentileof 3,071 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (5 years)the Cambridge-Newton-Framingham, MA Metropolitan Division’s figure2026 Q2 | +39.7% | 37th percentileof 3,071 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (10 years)the Cambridge-Newton-Framingham, MA Metropolitan Division’s figure2026 Q2 | +88.3% | 39th percentileof 3,071 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price to income ±12024 ACS 5-Year | 6.8 | Bottom 3%of 29,275 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 41.9% | 6th percentileof 32,750 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units ±6062024 ACS 5-Year | 16,043 | 93rd percentileof 33,460 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median gross rent ±$742024 ACS 5-Year | $2,772 | Bottom 1%of 26,396 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value ±$118,5062024 ACS 5-Year | $1,212,400 | 99th percentileof 30,812 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median property taxes ±$4612024 ACS 5-Year | $5,936 | 92nd percentileof 28,935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Owner household income ±$34,6472024 ACS 5-Year | $179,179 | Top 3%of 29,802 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Property tax rate ±0.06%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.49% | 12th percentileof 24,099 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Rent as a share of income ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 31.2% | Bottom 34%of 26,247 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Seasonal and second homes ±1602024 ACS 5-Year | 327 | 91st percentileof 33,772 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year | 2.0% | 59th percentileof 32,961 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year | 9.6% | 65th percentileof 32,788 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacant housing units ±3672024 ACS 5-Year | 1,874 | 96th percentileof 33,772 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures and the cost-of-living index.
Growth & development
How it’s calculated — growth →Development Momentum
An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.
83% of the 337 units permitted over the past twelve months are in buildings of five or more homes, so new supply is concentrated in apartments and condominiums rather than detached houses. The multifamily share is published for Cambridge, MA, which contains 02138, rather than for 02138 alone.
At 2.8 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US ZIP areas. The permit rate is published for Cambridge, MA, which contains 02138, rather than for 02138 alone.
People moving in and out
Where newcomers came from
- Suffolk County, MA 13,242 people · 20% of arrivals
- Essex County, MA 6,252 people · 9.6% of arrivals
- Norfolk County, MA 5,010 people · 7.7% of arrivals
- Worcester County, MA 4,356 people · 6.7% of arrivals
- Hillsborough County, NH 1,666 people · 2.6% of arrivals
Where people who left went
- Suffolk County, MA 9,405 people · 13% of departures
- Worcester County, MA 7,627 people · 10% of departures
- Essex County, MA 7,552 people · 10% of departures
- Norfolk County, MA 5,643 people · 7.5% of departures
- Hillsborough County, NH 3,235 people · 4.3% of departures
Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. This is the figure for Middlesex County, MA. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.
The Building Permits Survey is not published for ZIP areas. This is the figure for Cambridge, MA, the city containing this ZIP code.
Weather & climate
5 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 82°F and January a low of 23°F.
Normal annual precipitation is 43.6 inches, including 49.2 inches of snow.
Precipitation
| Metric | Value | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| 90th percentile air quality index2024 calendar year | 54 | 2024 calendar year |
| Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals | 43.6" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Annual snowfall1991-2020 Normals | 49.2" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low1991-2020 Normals | 23°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average July high1991-2020 Normals | 82°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals | 5 | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Days above AQI 1002024 calendar year | 0 | 2024 calendar year |
| Median air quality index2024 calendar year | 37 | 2024 calendar year |
| Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals | 44°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
Air quality
A comfortable median and a bad tail are different problems. Wildfire smoke and summer ozone show up in the worst tenth of days, not in the middle of the year.
Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. Air quality is measured by EPA monitors and published by county only where a monitor sits; a county without one shows nothing rather than an estimate, and a county reading is still the county’s. How to read climate and air quality.
Physical risk
The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, hurricane and earthquake, with inland flooding alone responsible for 70% of it. Inland flooding is independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large that hazard is.
Overall hazard risk is lower than 88% of measured US ZIP areas.
Low or minimal exposure: inland flooding, lightning, strong wind, cold wave, tornado, wildfire, winter weather, coastal flooding, landslide, hail, tsunami, volcanic activity, avalanche.
Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. ZIP values are the land-area-weighted mean of the counties the ZIP Code Tabulation Area intersects. Expected annual loss is not allocated below county level. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.
These are deaths, not offenses — they say nothing about burglary, theft or assault.
Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.
Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe the county around 02138 (Middlesex County) rather than 02138 itself. They are shown and not scored. How to read death rates.
What this profile does not cover
Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.
- Reported crime
- Offenses reported to police are published by department rather than by town, so AreaProfile shows a rate only on city profiles, and only where that city’s department submitted every month of a year. A ZIP area is not a jurisdiction, so no department reports for one. Cambridge carries the figure where its department reported a full year. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
- Taxes
- Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. The cost-of-living index above is a price level for all consumption, not a household budget, and it excludes taxes. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
- Anything about a specific address
- Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.
Access
6 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest General Edward Lawrence Logan Intl at 7 miles.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadband access ±0.5%2024 ACS 5-Year | 92.7% | Top 32%of 32,663 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Distance to major airportNASR current cycle | 7 mi | Top 14%of 3,127 | NASR current cycle |
| Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle | 6 | Top 26%of 3,127 | NASR current cycle |
| No internet access ±0.8%2024 ACS 5-Year | 1.3% | Top 10%of 32,663 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Airport | Code | Distance | Longest runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Edward Lawrence Logan Intl | BOS | 7 mi | 10,083 ft |
| Manchester Boston Rgnl | MHT | 41 mi | 9,250 ft |
| Rhode Island TF Green Intl | PVD | 48 mi | 8,700 ft |
Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.
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Similar places
Matched on AreaProfile signals, not geographyData & methodology
| Used for | Source | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Federal Aviation Administration Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service | NASR current cycle |
| Physical risk | Federal Emergency Management Agency National Risk Index | National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0) |
| Demographics, Income | Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county) | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Climate | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly) | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Housing | U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional price parities and county personal income | 2023 |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics | July 2026 |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics | 2025 OEWS |
| Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, Jobs | U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File) | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Development | U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Demographics | U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program | July 1, 2024 estimate |
| Safety | U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics Provisional county-level mortality by intent | March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026 |
| Schools | U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments | 2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year |
| Climate | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System Daily Air Quality Index by county | 2024 calendar year |
| Housing | U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions) | 2026 Q2 |
| Current conditions | NOAA National Weather Service National Weather Service current conditions | Live observation, read when the page opens |
Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.
02138 vs Cambridge
How this ZIP area compares with Cambridge as a whole. Both figures come from the same ACS release, so the comparison is like for like — a gap here is a real difference between the two places, not two surveys disagreeing.
Some demographic statistics use Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, which approximate but do not exactly match USPS ZIP delivery geography. See the methodology for how AreaProfile maps between them.