Framingham, Massachusetts
Area Profile
72,399 residents. Public schools, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Framingham, in Middlesex County.
How this area ranks
Data updated · 15 sourcesUnemployment is 4.1% and median household income $107,419, putting employment conditions in the middle range of cities measured.
In the public schools here, 44% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 11.5 students for every teacher.
Rent takes 32% of renter income here, above the 30% threshold conventionally called cost-burdened, and the median home is 4.1 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 of 4.1%, lower than in 58% of the 4,226 measured US cities.
Employment fell 1.6% over the past year, to 38,576 employed residents.
49% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 88% of measured US cities.
Median household income of $107,419 is higher than in 85% of measured US cities.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income of new arrivalsMiddlesex County, MA’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $106,409 | 87th percentileof 4,101 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Income of those who leftMiddlesex County, MA’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $125,881 | 95th percentileof 4,101 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Median household income ±$6,2442024 ACS 5-Year | $107,419 | Top 15%of 29,223 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income ±$2,3332024 ACS 5-Year | $53,991 | Top 14%of 31,420 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 10.3% | Top 48%of 31,773 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Average commute ±1.2 min2024 ACS 5-Year | 33.4 min | Bottom 21%of 31,543 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Bachelor's degree or higher ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 48.7% | Top 12%of 31,919 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Drove alone to work ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 60.5% | 13th percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| EmploymentJuly 2026 | 38,576 | Bottom 41%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (3 years)July 2026 | −0.5% | Bottom 46%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year)July 2026 | −1.6% | Bottom 32%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Labor forceJuly 2026 | 40,232 | 40th percentileof 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Labor force participation ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 85.2% | Top 23%of 31,513 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Mean annual wageBoston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS | $89,620 | Top 10%of 3,729 | 2025 OEWS |
| Median annual wageBoston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS | $66,620 | Top 10%of 3,729 | 2025 OEWS |
| Public transit to work ±0.7%2024 ACS 5-Year | 2.4% | 91st percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026 | −0.1% | Top 50%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Unemployment rateJuly 2026 | 4.1% | Top 42%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Worked from home ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 19.6% | 85th percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
Unemployment rate
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.
44% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 46% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.
There are 11.5 students for every full-time teacher across 16 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.
| School | District | Students | Per teacher | Math | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Framingham High School | Framingham | 2,534 | 12.7 | 65% | 61% |
| Joseph P Keefe Technical High School | South Middlesex Regional Vocational Technical | 896 | 10.0 | 27% | 42% |
| Walsh Middle | Framingham | 785 | 10.8 | 51% | 55% |
| Barbieri Elementary | Framingham | 671 | 13.4 | 24% | 31% |
| Fuller Middle | Framingham | 592 | 8.7 | 21% | 24% |
| Cameron Middle School | Framingham | 592 | 11.2 | 36% | 30% |
| Potter Road | Framingham | 540 | 12.9 | 50% | 49% |
| Hemenway | Framingham | 538 | 13.4 | 56% | 68% |
| Brophy | Framingham | 504 | 12.0 | 33% | 35% |
| Miriam F McCarthy School | Framingham | 490 | 10.9 | 31% | 41% |
| Harmony Grove Elementary | Framingham | 453 | 11.0 | 15% | 18% |
| Charlotte A Dunning | Framingham | 436 | 12.8 | 53% | 63% |
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 $6,884 a year in real estate taxes, about 1.10% of the median home value.
The typical renter household here spends 32% of its income on rent, above the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $2,033 a month.
A median home at $627,300 costs 4.1 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $152,558, above the historic benchmark of about 3 times income.
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 Framingham’s median household income of $107,419, 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 22%of 3,700 | 2023 |
| Home price change (1 year)the Cambridge-Newton-Framingham, MA Metropolitan Division’s figure2026 Q2 | +2.8% | 45th percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (5 years)the Cambridge-Newton-Framingham, MA Metropolitan Division’s figure2026 Q2 | +39.7% | 40th percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (10 years)the Cambridge-Newton-Framingham, MA Metropolitan Division’s figure2026 Q2 | +88.3% | 42nd percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price to income ±0.42024 ACS 5-Year | 4.1 | Bottom 16%of 26,815 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 54.8% | 14th percentileof 31,717 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units ±7452024 ACS 5-Year | 27,918 | 98th percentileof 32,177 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median gross rent ±$572024 ACS 5-Year | $2,033 | Bottom 7%of 23,120 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value ±$9,9242024 ACS 5-Year | $627,300 | 93rd percentileof 29,111 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median property taxes ±$1692024 ACS 5-Year | $6,884 | 96th percentileof 26,440 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Owner household income ±$13,2822024 ACS 5-Year | $152,558 | Top 6%of 27,548 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Property tax rate ±0.03%2024 ACS 5-Year | 1.10% | 58th percentileof 20,543 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Rent as a share of income ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 31.6% | Bottom 33%of 22,950 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Seasonal and second homes ±1532024 ACS 5-Year | 161 | 93rd percentileof 32,330 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.6% | 58th percentileof 31,895 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year | 3.4% | 29th percentileof 31,769 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacant housing units ±3642024 ACS 5-Year | 1,115 | 95th percentileof 32,330 | 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.
Population has grown 2% since 2020, reaching 73,361 in 2024.
66% of the 70 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.
Federal tax returns show Middlesex County, which contains Framingham, lost about 0.7% of its residents through moves within the US in the most recent year, counting those who arrived against those who left. Households that moved in reported an average income of $106,409, below the $125,881 of households that moved out.
At 1.0 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US cities.
Population, annual estimates
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.
Housing units permitted per year
Weather & climate
5 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 85°F and January a low of 18°F.
Normal annual precipitation is 42.6 inches.
Air quality measures a median index of 37, in the Good band, and no day in the year passed 100.
Precipitation
| Metric | Value | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| 90th percentile air quality index2024 calendar year | 54 | 2024 calendar year |
| Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals | 42.6" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low1991-2020 Normals | 18°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average July high1991-2020 Normals | 85°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 | 46°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 86% of measured US cities.
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. City values are the population-weighted mean of the counties the city overlaps, using AreaProfile place-to-county land-area weights. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.
Below these are deaths rather than offenses, published for the county. The two measure different things and are not comparable with each other.
Framingham's police department reported 264 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, near the middle of places with a department reporting. Property crime runs at 806.
Middlesex County records 0.9 homicide deaths per 100,000 residents a year, lower than most counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.
Firearm deaths of all intents run at 2.0 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, since the figure counts suicides and accidents as well as homicides.
Drug overdose deaths run at 12.6 per 100,000 residents in Middlesex County.
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.
Offenses are reported to the FBI by Framingham’s own police department and shown only where it reported every month of the year; a partial year is withheld rather than scaled up. Reported crime is what police recorded, which is not the same as what happened. 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 Framingham (Middlesex County) rather than Framingham itself. Neither is part of the Area Score. How to read crime rates and 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.
- 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 22 miles.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadband access ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year | 95.6% | Top 22%of 31,588 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Distance to major airportNASR current cycle | 22 mi | Bottom 39%of 4,226 | NASR current cycle |
| Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle | 6 | Top 27%of 4,226 | NASR current cycle |
| No internet access ±0.8%2024 ACS 5-Year | 2.8% | Top 24%of 31,588 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Airport | Code | Distance | Longest runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Edward Lawrence Logan Intl | BOS | 22 mi | 10,083 ft |
| Rhode Island TF Green Intl | PVD | 40 mi | 8,700 ft |
| Manchester Boston Rgnl | MHT | 43 mi | 9,250 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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Other cities in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
Same metropolitan area, measured the same way| City | County | Population | Area Score | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | Suffolk County | 666,442 | 62 | Boston vs Framingham |
| Cambridge | Middlesex County | 118,796 | 70 | Cambridge vs Framingham |
| Lowell | Middlesex County | 118,368 | 60 | Lowell vs Framingham |
| Brockton | Plymouth County | 105,386 | 51 | |
| Quincy | Norfolk County | 102,114 | 69 | |
| Lynn | Essex County | 101,709 | 54 | |
| Newton | Middlesex County | 89,044 | 72 | |
| Lawrence | Essex County | 88,736 | 48 | |
| Somerville | Middlesex County | 81,036 | 66 | |
| Haverhill | Essex County | 67,698 | 56 | |
| Malden | Middlesex County | 65,906 | 63 | |
| Waltham | Middlesex County | 64,902 | 65 |
Every city here is measured on the same scale from the same source releases, so the comparison is like for like. A higher Area Score reflects AreaProfile’s standardized weighting rather than a judgment about which is the better place to live.
Similar places
Matched on AreaProfile signals, not geographyCompare
Put Framingham side by side with a similar place.
Moving to Framingham from somewhere else?
You get the difference in prices, rent and weather, and the income that would keep pace.
Data & methodology
| Used for | Source | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Federal Aviation Administration Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service | NASR current cycle |
| Safety | Federal Bureau of Investigation, Crime Data Explorer Summarized offense counts by law enforcement agency | 2025 calendar year |
| 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 |
| Demographics | U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program | July 1, 2024 estimate |
| Development | U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| 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.