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Data on this report is based on areas within the legal city boundary, outlined in black on the map. Any additional neighborhoods shown on the map are associated with the city by name and are included for reference only.

Cambridge, MA
Real Estate & Demographic Data






Cambridge profile


Living in Cambridge



Cambridge is a larger medium-sized city located in the state of Massachusetts. With a population of 118,488 people and 33 associated neighborhoods, Cambridge is the fourth largest community in Massachusetts. Cambridge has an unusually large stock of pre-World War II architecture, making it one of the older and more historic cities.

Cambridge home prices are not only among the most expensive in Massachusetts, but Cambridge real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.

And if you like science, one thing you'll find is that Cambridge has lots of scientists living in town - whether they be life scientists, physical scientists (like astronomers), or social scientists (like geographers!). So, if you're scientific-minded, you might like it here too.

Also of interest is that Cambridge has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

Of important note, Cambridge is also a city of artists. Cambridge has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Cambridge’s character.

Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 25.15% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Cambridge is a nice balance between life in a moderately big city and the interesting diversions and culture that come from having a big college student population. The thousands of students who arrive on campus every fall will find that Cambridge has plenty of amenities and opportunities for them, while residents of Cambridge enjoy the lectures, music, art, and economic trickle-down that colleges typically provide. "Town and Gown" complement each other in Cambridge.

Not only is Cambridge a city with many college students, but it also retains many recent graduates who are looking to start new careers, creating a decent-sized population of people who are young, single, educated, and upwardly-mobile. This makes it a good choice for other relocating single professionals. Here, these young singles will find many others like themselves, with opportunities for friendships, socializing, romance, and fun.

Like elsewhere in America, most people in Cambridge use a private automobile to get to work. But notably, a substantial number of Cambridge‘s citizens do make use of public transit in their daily commute, primarily riding the subway. This helps more people get to work with less air pollution, and require fewer highways to get them there.

Do you have a 4-year college degree or graduate degree? If so, you may feel right at home in Cambridge. 79.92% of adults here have a 4-year degree or graduate degree, whereas the national average for all cities and towns is just 21.84%.

The per capita income in Cambridge in 2018 was $72,975, which is wealthy relative to Massachusetts and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $291,900 for a family of four. However, Cambridge contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Cambridge is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Cambridge home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Cambridge residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Cambridge include Irish, English, German, Italian, and Polish.

In addition, Cambridge has a lot of people living here who were born outside of the US (29.46%).

The most common language spoken in Cambridge is English. Other important languages spoken here include Chinese and Spanish.