Saugus, Massachusetts
Area Profile
28,773 residents. Public schools, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Saugus, in Essex County.
How this area ranks
Data updated · 14 sourcesUnemployment is 4.8% and median household income $101,539, putting employment conditions in the middle range of cities measured. The unemployment rate is published for Essex County, MA, which contains Saugus, rather than for Saugus alone.
In the public schools here, 53% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 14.5 students for every teacher.
1,217 housing units were authorized over the past twelve months, within 13% of the prior year — steady rather than turning. The permit count and 1 other measure here are published for Essex County, MA, which contains Saugus, rather than for Saugus alone.
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 Essex County, MA, which contains Saugus, is 4.8% — higher than in all but 32% of the 4,226 measured US cities.
Employment across Essex County, MA, which contains Saugus, fell 1.6% over the past year, to 421,683 employed residents.
31% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 71% of measured US cities.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income of new arrivalsEssex County, MA’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $105,193 | 86th percentileof 4,101 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Income of those who leftEssex County, MA’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $100,470 | 85th percentileof 4,101 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Median household income ±$3,4812024 ACS 5-Year | $101,539 | Top 17%of 29,223 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income ±$5,2242024 ACS 5-Year | $48,230 | Top 19%of 31,420 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 6.3% | Top 30%of 31,773 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Average commute ±1.5 min2024 ACS 5-Year | 32.3 min | Bottom 25%of 31,543 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Bachelor's degree or higher ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 31.4% | Top 29%of 31,919 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Drove alone to work ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 71.7% | 32nd percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| EmploymentEssex County, MA’s figureJuly 2026 | 421,683 | Top 20%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (3 years)Essex County, MA’s figureJuly 2026 | −0.6% | Bottom 44%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year)Essex County, MA’s figureJuly 2026 | −1.6% | Bottom 33%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Labor forceEssex County, MA’s figureJuly 2026 | 443,037 | 80th percentileof 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Labor force participation ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 81.3% | Top 39%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 ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 2.4% | 91st percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment change (year over year)Essex County, MA’s figureJuly 2026 | −0.2% | Top 44%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Unemployment rateEssex County, MA’s figureJuly 2026 | 4.8% | Bottom 32%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Worked from home ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 14.3% | 74th percentileof 31,433 | 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 a labor-market series for this place — true of a consolidated city-county, a city and county sharing one government, or a Puerto Rico municipio, regardless of population. This is the figure for Essex County, MA, which contains this city.
53% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 55% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.
There are 14.5 students for every full-time teacher across 5 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.
| School | District | Students | Per teacher | Math | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belmonte STEAM Academy | Saugus | 814 | 16.0 | — | — |
| Saugus High | Saugus | 744 | 15.5 | 42% | 52% |
| Pioneer Charter School of Science II · charter | Pioneer Charter School of Science II | 621 | 11.9 | 82% | 72% |
| Saugus Middle School | Saugus | 616 | 13.7 | 41% | 42% |
| Veterans Early Learning Center | Saugus | 501 | 16.2 | 47% | 54% |
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 $6,049 a year in real estate taxes, about 1.00% 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 $2,241 a month.
A median home at $603,400 costs 5.6 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $108,527, 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 Saugus’s median household income of $101,539, 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 | 5.6 | Bottom 6%of 26,815 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 71.5% | 41st percentileof 31,717 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units ±3532024 ACS 5-Year | 11,402 | 95th percentileof 32,177 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median gross rent ±$2012024 ACS 5-Year | $2,241 | Bottom 5%of 23,120 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value ±$12,9532024 ACS 5-Year | $603,400 | 92nd percentileof 29,111 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median property taxes ±$1222024 ACS 5-Year | $6,049 | 93rd percentileof 26,440 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Owner household income ±$6,6482024 ACS 5-Year | $108,527 | Top 21%of 27,548 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Property tax rate ±0.03%2024 ACS 5-Year | 1.00% | 52nd percentileof 20,543 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Rent as a share of income ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year | 31.2% | Bottom 35%of 22,950 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Seasonal and second homes ±612024 ACS 5-Year | 55 | 84th percentileof 32,330 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.5% | 56th 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 ±1452024 ACS 5-Year | 444 | 88th 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.
Federal tax returns show Essex County, which contains Saugus, lost about 0.4% 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 $105,193, close to the $100,470 of households that moved out.
At 1.5 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US cities. The permit rate is published for Essex County, MA, which contains Saugus, rather than for Saugus alone.
People moving in and out
Where newcomers came from
- Middlesex County, MA 7,552 people · 30% of arrivals
- Suffolk County, MA 4,352 people · 18% of arrivals
- Rockingham County, NH 1,280 people · 5.2% of arrivals
- Norfolk County, MA 748 people · 3.0% of arrivals
- Hillsborough County, NH 627 people · 2.5% of arrivals
Where people who left went
- Middlesex County, MA 6,252 people · 23% of departures
- Suffolk County, MA 2,736 people · 10.0% of departures
- Rockingham County, NH 2,649 people · 9.7% of departures
- Hillsborough County, NH 1,041 people · 3.8% of departures
- Worcester County, MA 986 people · 3.6% 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 Essex County, MA. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.
The Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey lists only jurisdictions that issue their own permits, and Saugus, MA is not one. This is the figure for Essex County, MA, which contains this city.
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.
Air quality measures a median index of 37, in the Good band, and about 4 days a year pass 100, the threshold at which the air is unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Precipitation
| Metric | Value | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| 90th percentile air quality index2024 calendar year | 58 | 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 | 4 | 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, coastal flooding and hurricane, with inland flooding alone responsible for 63% 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 73% of measured US cities.
Low or minimal exposure: inland flooding, lightning, tornado, strong wind, cold wave, landslide, wildfire, winter weather, 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.
Saugus's police department reported 169 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, near the middle of places with a department reporting. Property crime runs at 1,273.
Essex County records 1.7 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 3.2 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, since the figure counts suicides and accidents as well as homicides.
Drug overdose deaths run at 19.9 per 100,000 residents in Essex 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 Saugus’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 Saugus (Essex County) rather than Saugus 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 7 miles.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadband access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 91.1% | Top 44%of 31,588 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Distance to major airportNASR current cycle | 7 mi | Top 17%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 ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 5.9% | Top 41%of 31,588 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Airport | Code | Distance | Longest runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Edward Lawrence Logan Intl | BOS | 7 mi | 10,083 ft |
| Manchester Boston Rgnl | MHT | 39 mi | 9,250 ft |
| Rhode Island TF Green Intl | PVD | 56 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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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 Saugus |
| Cambridge | Middlesex County | 118,796 | 70 | Cambridge vs Saugus |
| Lowell | Middlesex County | 118,368 | 60 | Lowell vs Saugus |
| 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 | |
| Framingham | Middlesex County | 72,399 | 63 | |
| Haverhill | Essex County | 67,698 | 56 | |
| Malden | Middlesex County | 65,906 | 63 |
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 Saugus side by side with a similar place.
Moving to Saugus 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 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics | 2025 OEWS |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics | July 2026 |
| Development | U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, Jobs | U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File) | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| 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.
ZIP codes in Saugus
1 ZIP areaEvery ZIP area in Saugus with census figures of its own, largest first. The ones linked below diverge enough from the city as a whole to carry a full profile; the rest track Saugus closely, so their figures are here rather than on a page that would repeat this one. An Area Score is calculated for published profiles only, which is why it is blank on those rows.
| ZIP | Population | Median household income | Median home value | Area Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01906 | 28,773 | $101,539 | $603,400 | — |