State rental market analysis · MA
Massachusetts rental markets
77 tracked cities over 5,000 population, 56 ranked and summarized by their median Overall; 0 of 45 evaluable cities pass the modeled Buy & Hold screen. Every number traces to Census, Zillow and BLS. Compare state coverage and results →
Browse every Massachusetts ZIP Code area → · the full server-rendered index for this state.
Part of the New England Census division (Northeast region).
The honest read
Massachusetts ranks #34 of 37 coverage-eligible states for rental investing, with a median Overall of 38.8/100 across its ranked cities, below the national median. 56 ranked cities roll up into this grade. Its strongest factor is income growth: 5.7%, 11th of 51.
The biggest drag is affordability (price-to-income): 6.8×, 48th of 51. A state grade is the median of its ranked cities, a screen for where to look, not underwriting. Open any city below for its full shown-math breakdown, or run a specific deal through the cap rate and cash-flow calculators.
Where it ranks, factor by factor
Every value is the median across the 56 ranked cities in this state. The national rank compares all 51 states on that one factor; the engine already flips inverted factors (affordability, low unemployment) so a better rank always means a better market. Each factor sits in one of the model’s three categories (Cash Flow, Growth, or Stability); this is a representative summary, and the full thirteen-factor breakdown is on each city’s page. Full methodology.
| Factor | Category | State value | National rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross rent yield | Cash Flow | 5.1% | #38 of 51 |
| Rent growth | Growth | 4.3% | #22 of 51 |
| Home value growth | Growth | 4.8% | #17 of 51 |
| Population growth | Growth | 0.4% | #31 of 51 |
| Job growth | Growth | 0.5% | #30 of 51 |
| Price-to-income | Cash Flow | 6.8× | #48 of 51 |
| Unemployment | Stability | 4.5% | #38 of 51 |
| Rental demand | Stability | 51% renters · 3.5% vacancy | two-part measure |
| Income growth | Growth | 5.7% | #11 of 51 |
Every city in Massachusetts, ranked
Led by Randolph Town at 51/100. Click any column to re-sort; every city links to its full shown-math breakdown.
| MA rank | City | Grade | Cash Flow | Growth | Stability | Typical home value | Gross yield | National rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 med | Randolph Town | 51 | C | C | B | $496,400 | 5.1% | #1830 |
| 2 med | Bridgewater Town | 50 | D | C | B | $533,100 | 4.7% | #1900 |
| 3 med | Southbridge Town | 48 | D | C | B | $294,800 | 5.1% | #2252 |
| 4 | Lawrence | 48 | D | B | C | $513,746 | 5.6% | #2336 |
| 5 | Attleboro | 46 | D | B | C | $540,412 | 5.2% | #2554 |
| 6 | Brockton | 46 | D | B | C | $508,661 | 5.5% | #2593 |
| 7 | Lowell | 45 | D | B | C | $486,078 | 5.7% | #2668 |
| 8 | Methuen | 45 | D | C | C | $623,220 | 4.9% | #2670 |
| 9 | Taunton | 44 | D | B | C | $521,740 | 4.8% | #2849 |
| 10 | Worcester | 43 | D | B | D | $435,944 | 5.9% | #2934 |
| 11 | Malden | 43 | D | C | C | $674,568 | 5.1% | #3033 |
| 12 med | Franklin Town | 42 | D | C | C | $611,700 | 3.7% | #3086 |
| 13 | Everett | 42 | D | C | C | $628,482 | 5.4% | #3094 |
| 14 | Peabody | 42 | D | C | C | $696,552 | 4.9% | #3098 |
| 15 | Marlborough | 42 | D | C | C | $577,911 | 5.5% | #3103 |
| 16 | Medford | 42 | D | C | C | $826,077 | 5.2% | #3138 |
| 17 | Gardner | 42 | D | C | C | $373,721 | 5.1% | #3190 |
| 18 | Haverhill | 42 | D | C | C | $548,436 | 5.0% | #3203 |
| 19 | Woburn | 42 | D | C | B | $759,095 | 4.5% | #3212 |
| 20 | Revere | 41 | D | C | C | $613,679 | 5.5% | #3226 |
| 21 | Springfield | 41 | C | C | D | $305,068 | 7.3% | #3259 |
| 22 med | Weymouth Town | 41 | D | C | C | $552,100 | 4.2% | #3312 |
| 23 | Pittsfield | 41 | C | D | C | $309,464 | 6.1% | #3344 |
| 24 | Leominster | 41 | D | B | C | $471,837 | 4.8% | #3348 |
| 25 | Chelsea | 40 | C | D | C | $525,493 | 6.1% | #3363 |
| 26 | Fitchburg | 40 | D | C | C | $403,296 | 5.4% | #3391 |
| 27 med | Agawam Town | 40 | C | D | C | $311,600 | 4.8% | #3400 |
| 28 | Salem | 40 | D | C | B | $608,927 | 5.2% | #3431 |
| 29 | Quincy | 39 | D | C | C | $679,587 | 4.9% | #3580 |
| 30 | Waltham | 38 | D | C | B | $819,328 | 4.3% | #3643 |
| 31 | Westfield | 38 | C | D | C | $388,732 | 6.0% | #3658 |
| 32 | Somerville | 38 | F | C | B | $923,850 | 4.4% | #3688 |
| 33 | Northampton | 37 | D | C | C | $501,170 | 5.7% | #3720 |
| 34 med | Amesbury | 36 | F | C | C | $628,338 | 4.7% | #3824 |
| 35 | Chicopee | 36 | C | D | D | $322,260 | 6.1% | #3874 |
| 36 | Boston | 35 | D | C | D | $774,723 | 5.2% | #3899 |
| 37 | Beverly | 35 | F | C | B | $763,088 | 4.4% | #3955 |
| 38 | Lynn | 34 | F | B | C | $580,377 | 4.8% | #3996 |
| 39 med | Winthrop Town | 34 | F | C | B | $649,600 | 3.8% | #4000 |
| 40 | Watertown | 34 | F | C | C | $819,283 | 4.5% | #4011 |
| 41 | Fall River | 34 | F | B | D | $450,311 | 4.9% | #4020 |
| 42 med | Barnstable Town | 34 | F | C | C | $602,500 | 3.8% | #4041 |
| 43 | Framingham | 33 | F | C | C | $663,061 | 4.3% | #4076 |
| 44 | New Bedford | 33 | F | B | C | $442,741 | 5.0% | #4080 |
| 45 | Holyoke | 32 | C | D | D | $334,317 | 6.7% | #4167 |
| 46 | Cambridge | 32 | F | C | C | $1,031,739 | 4.0% | #4203 |
| 47 med | Braintree Town | 31 | F | C | D | $656,800 | 3.7% | #4216 |
| 48 | Melrose | 31 | F | C | B | $915,288 | 4.0% | #4265 |
| 49 med | West Springfield Town | 29 | D | D | D | $321,500 | 4.3% | #4358 |
| 50 med | Easthampton | 29 | D | D | D | $437,373 | 5.5% | #4370 |
| 51 med | Greenfield | 29 | F | D | B | $339,342 | 5.0% | #4372 |
| 52 | Newburyport | 29 | F | C | D | $938,245 | 4.1% | #4389 |
| 53 | Gloucester | 28 | F | C | C | $776,814 | 4.2% | #4399 |
| 54 med | Palmer Town | 26 | D | D | F | $271,400 | 4.8% | #4502 |
| 55 | Newton | 22 | F | C | B | $1,509,055 | 2.7% | #4638 |
| 56 med | North Adams | 19 | F | F | D | $262,950 | 4.9% | #4699 |
Data as of: Zillow ZHVI/ZORI through the latest monthly release · Census ACS 5-yr 2020–2024 · Census PEP July 2025 · BLS LAUS county 2025 annual (11-month average). Generated 2026-10-06. Methodology & limitations · underwrite any specific deal with the free calculators.
Limited-data cities in Massachusetts
These 21 cities lack enough measured factors to rank, so they are excluded from the state grade; their pages show exactly what could be measured.
ZIP markets in Massachusetts
539 Census ZIP Codes (ZCTAs) in Massachusetts · 388 data-eligible for subscores. These are sub-city government areas ranked separately from the Massachusetts city table. The overall Rental Investor ZIP Score leaderboard leads; the two component subscores (affordability, rental-market context) follow as independent percentiles. ZIP ranks are shown within the ZIP universe only, never mixed with, and not directly comparable to, city ranks. Vintage: the Key metric column is Census ACS 2020–2024 (5-year), the same release the city table above uses; the geographies differ, so the same measure can still disagree between the two.
Best overall ZIP Codes in Massachusetts
Ranked by the overall Rental Investor ZIP Score. The # is each ZIP Code's canonical MA state rank; the smaller figure is its national rank. Separate from the Massachusetts city table and not directly comparable to it.
| MA rank | ZIP Code | Overallgrade · national | Key metric |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 01604Worcester | B 64#2,093 nat | 5.4%Survey yield |
| #2 | 01545Worcester | B 62#2,611 nat | 4.3%Survey yield |
| #3 | 01801Woburn | B 62#2,645 nat | 4.0%Survey yield |
| #4 | 02360The Pinehills | B 62#2,721 nat | 4.4%Survey yield |
| #5 | 02703Attleboro | B 62#2,885 nat | 4.3%Survey yield |
| #6 | 01843Lawrence | B 61#2,957 nat | 4.9%Survey yield |
| #7 | 02148Malden | B 61#2,999 nat | 4.2%Survey yield |
| #8 | 01841Lawrence | B 61#3,160 nat | 5.0%Survey yield |
| #9 | 02760North Attleborough Town | B 61#3,241 nat | 3.8%Survey yield |
| #10 | 01844Methuen Town | B 60#3,516 nat | 4.2%Survey yield |
| #11 | 02453Waltham | B 60#3,573 nat | 3.6%Survey yield |
| #12 | 02139Cambridge | B 60#3,670 nat | 3.0%Survey yield |
Top affordability ZIP Codes in Massachusetts
State-scoped leaders on the affordability subscore only (national rank shown is within that subscore’s data-eligible universe). Substantially an inverse housing-cost signal: a component of the overall score, not a predicted return.
| # | ZIP Code | Affordability | Key metric |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 01022Chicopee | 58#6,163 nat | 11.6%Survey yield |
| 2 | 02141Cambridge | 58#6,198 nat | 4.0%Survey yield |
| 3 | 01344Millers Falls | 58#6,302 nat | 5.1%Survey yield |
| 4 | 02632Barnstable Town | 57#6,642 nat | 4.6%Survey yield |
| 5 | 02136Boston | 57#6,675 nat | 3.9%Survey yield |
| 6 | 02150Chelsea | 55#7,302 nat | 4.8%Survey yield |
| 7 | 02601Barnstable Town | 55#7,516 nat | 4.8%Survey yield |
| 8 | 02113Boston | 54#7,680 nat | 4.8%Survey yield |
| 9 | 02126Boston | 54#7,845 nat | 3.6%Survey yield |
| 10 | 02639Dennis Port | 54#7,975 nat | 3.5%Survey yield |
| 11 | 02451Waltham | 53#8,147 nat | 4.3%Survey yield |
| 12 | 02125Boston | 52#8,566 nat | 3.6%Survey yield |
Deepest rental-market ZIP Codes in Massachusetts
State-scoped leaders on the rental-market-context subscore only (national rank shown is within that subscore’s data-eligible universe). Rental depth/tightness: a separate component, never combined here with affordability.
| # | ZIP Code | Rental market | Key metric |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 02143Somerville | 83#47 nat | 3.2%Survey yield |
| 2 | 01841Lawrence | 83#62 nat | 5.0%Survey yield |
| 3 | 02144Somerville | 83#70 nat | 3.3%Survey yield |
| 4 | 01607Worcester | 82#87 nat | 4.8%Survey yield |
| 5 | 02740New Bedford | 81#134 nat | 3.8%Survey yield |
| 6 | 01843Lawrence | 81#142 nat | 4.9%Survey yield |
| 7 | 02446Brookline | 81#174 nat | 2.9%Survey yield |
| 8 | 02139Cambridge | 81#187 nat | 3.0%Survey yield |
| 9 | 02128Boston | 81#194 nat | 3.7%Survey yield |
| 10 | 01104Springfield | 80#200 nat | 5.7%Survey yield |
| 11 | 01550Southbridge Town | 80#213 nat | 5.1%Survey yield |
| 12 | 02720Fall River | 80#221 nat | 3.7%Survey yield |