Massachusetts Living Index
Waltham
MetroWest · pop. 64,902
Moody Street's restaurant row, Brandeis and Bentley in town, and the Charles River for paddling.
Urban WalkerCommuter ValueCollege Town
Livability Index
71
/ 100
Ranks #21 of 194 MA towns
The numbers
Median home
$749k
6.2× household income
Household income
$120k
ACS median
Commute to Boston
22 min
peak driving
Population
64,902
5-yr trend 72/100
How Waltham scores
Schools
73
Safety
62
Walkability
71
Transit
50
Biking
64
Dining
86
Nightlife
78
Arts & Culture
70
Green Space
60
Diversity
90
Climate
70
The honest read
Best for
Mid-career professionals who want walkable nightlife and a real downtown.
The tradeoff
Commercial corridors are dense, and parking can be painful on weekends.
Compare on your terms
These scores reflect a neutral weighting. Your priorities are not neutral. Open the full atlas to tune schools, walkability, affordability, commute, and seven more dimensions, and see where Waltham lands for you.
Nearby towns
Bordering and adjacent Massachusetts towns near Waltham.
Popular comparisons
Common head‑to‑heads people search when looking at Waltham.
Want my honest read on Waltham?
I'm Gary Fikes, a licensed real estate agent at MP Signature Realty and the curator of this site. Tell me what you're looking for and I'll reply personally within 1 business day. No auto-dialer, no spam, no resale.