
Massachusetts · Census place 62535
Somerville, MA population, income and ZIP codes
Quick answer
The population of the city of Somerville, Massachusetts (Somerville, MA — Census place “Somerville city”) is 80,549 residents, ranking #13 of 248 places in Massachusetts. Median household income is $127,056, the median home is worth $899,400 and median gross rent runs $2,468 a month. Looking for the Somerville Massachusetts ZIP code list? 3 ZIP codes serve Somerville, MA: 02143, 02144, 02145.
- Population
- 80,549Somerville city residents
- Median household income
- $127,056Past 12 months, inflation adjusted
- Median home value
- $899,400Owner-occupied units
- Median gross rent
- $2,468Rent plus utilities, monthly
- Median age
- 32.3 yrsAll residents
- Homeownership rate
- 34.3%Owner-occupied households
Somerville ZIP codes (Massachusetts)
Census ZCTAs whose delivery area overlaps Somerville.
The Somerville MA ZIP code list below covers 3 ZIP codes. Open any one for its population, income, housing and rent profile.
What the numbers mean in Somerville city
Housing cost measured against local earnings.
A household earning the Somerville city median would spend about 23.3% of gross income on the median rent. The 30% mark is the federal threshold for cost burden, so anything above it signals a stretched rental market. The median home costs 7.1× the median household income; nationally that ratio sits near 4.5×. Poverty affects 10.1% of residents and 34.3% of households own their home.
Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimates · rates as published for 2019-2023 ACS 5-year
Somerville city, MA in context
How this area compares with national benchmarks.
Somerville city is a small city in Massachusetts, with 80,549 residents counted in the Census American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, which places it #13 of 248 ranked by population — larger than 95% of them. The median age here is 32.3 years against 39.1 nationally, a distinctly younger profile, typical of places with students, military posts or a fast-growing family population. At this size the Census also publishes one-year estimates; the five-year values used here are steadier and let you compare against smaller neighbours on the same basis.
Households in Somerville city earn a median of $127,056 a year, 61.8% above the national figure of $78,538 and 28% above the $99,537 median for the 222 Massachusetts cities we cover. Median household income counts every pre-tax dollar arriving at an address — wages, self-employment, Social Security, pensions, interest and public assistance — for everyone living there, so multi-earner households pull the figure up even where individual pay is modest. Poverty reaches 10.1% of residents here, below the 12.4% national rate.
The typical owner-occupied home in Somerville city is valued at $899,400, 196.4% above the national figure and 81% above the $497,400 peer median, while median gross rent runs $2,468 a month, 75.5% above the national figure, or roughly $29,616 across a full year. A household on the local median income would put about 23.3% of gross pay toward that rent against the federal 30% cost-burden threshold, so renting here is within the standard affordability guideline. The home-price-to-income ratio works out to 7.1×, against roughly 3.9× nationally, so buying is out of reach on local earnings alone and the ownership market leans on outside income, equity or dual high earners. 34.3% of occupied homes are owner-occupied versus 65% nationally, a renter-majority market, so rent figures matter more here than the home-value line. The rent line includes utilities paid by the tenant, a definition worth remembering when comparing it against a landlord's quoted rate.
Home values sit at 7.1× median household income, far past the 3.9× national mark, so ownership costs here are set by something other than local wages — second homes, retirees with equity, or commuters earning elsewhere.
All values below were released by the Census for this exact geography, with no gap-filling on our side. Small-area estimates still carry wider margins of error than state or national figures, so check the linked ACS tables before relying on them for lending, appraisal or legal work.
Compare with nearby places
Places of similar size in Massachusetts.
- Framingham city 72,013
- Lawrence city 88,297
- Haverhill city 67,387
- Newton city 88,504
- Malden city 65,509
- Fall River city 93,764
- Waltham city 64,723
- New Bedford city 100,731
Keep going
More Massachusetts coverage.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about this area.
- What is the population of Somerville city?
- Somerville city has 80,549 residents on Census ACS 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, ranking #13 of 248 in Massachusetts.
- What is the median household income in Somerville city?
- Median household income in Somerville city is $127,056 a year, 61.8% above the national figure of $78,538.
- How much does it cost to rent or buy in Somerville city?
- Median gross rent is $2,468 a month and the median home value is $899,400, so rent absorbs about 23.3% of median household income.
- Is Somerville city affordable compared with the rest of the US?
- Homes cost about 7.1× the local median income here versus roughly 3.9× nationally, so Somerville city is less affordable to buy in than the typical US market, and rent takes 23.3% of median income against the 30% cost-burden line.
- How current is this Somerville city data?
- All figures come from the US Census Bureau American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year five-year estimates. At this size the Census also publishes one-year estimates; the five-year values used here are steadier and let you compare against smaller neighbours on the same basis.