ACS 2021 release
2017-2021 five-year estimate
- Median home value B25077
- $946,500Margin of error ±$74,924
- Median gross rent B25064
- $1,418Margin of error ±$164
- Population B01003
- 27,718Margin of error ±1,402
Rental market · ZIP 02118 · Boston, MA
ZIP 02118, Boston, MA rental market
Population 28,946 · Boston, Suffolk County, MA · ZIP Code Tabulation Area
Ranked · ACS 2024 5-year
DGRADE
33/100 · Rental Investor ZIP Score
National rank #15,450 of 20,132 scored ZIP Codes
MA rank #356 of 388 · data confidence: high
under 28.1DCBA
Grade cut points, score out of 100: A from 63.7 · B from 54.7 · C from 42.4 · D from 28.1. This ZIP's 33 sits in the D band, which opens at 28.1 and ends below 42.4. The cut points are the model's own, read from the published ZIP dataset, and are identical for every ZIP Code area.
The four category scores that combine into the number above, on the model's own 0 to 100 score scale. These bars are not percentiles: for where those scores place this ZIP Code against every other scored one, see how this ZIP ranks below.
Cash Flow & Affordability ZIP data
21
Local Demand & Market Quality ZIP data
65
Surrounding-Market Growth county / place context
30
Stability & Risk ZIP + place context
34
Why it ranks here: a sizeable, liquid rental market with low vacancy.
Watch: cash flow is thin relative to price. the surrounding market is flat or declining. elevated stability/risk signals.
Cash Flow & Affordability was scored using a measured (Zillow) home value, giving an effective price-to-income of 9.96× and tax burden of 0.84% of value: the number this category's score is actually based on, which can differ from the ACS survey value shown elsewhere on this page.
A transparent screening score, not a return forecast. Affordable, higher-yield markets can score well when demand, liquidity, low vacancy, reliable government data and a growing surrounding market support them. Categories labeled “context” use official county/place data, never presented as ZIP-level observation. ZIP and city scores are not directly comparable. See how this score works.
How this ZIP ranks: nationally & in-state
Each bar places this ZIP against all 20,132 scored ZIP Codes nationally.Each bar places this ZIP against the 388 scored ZIP Codes in MA. The marker is this ZIP and further right is more favorable to an investor; the tick is the median. Every position here is a percentile: the 0–100 scores and the grade they earn are stated once, in the card above, and this card states once where those same five numbers place this ZIP Code.
Overall Rental Investor ZIP Score
23rd percentile
Cash Flow & Affordability
3rd percentile
Local Demand & Market Quality
78th percentile
Surrounding-Market Growth county / place context
32nd percentile
Stability & Risk ZIP + place context
21st percentile
← 0th percentile50th (median)100th percentile →
Percentiles are the frozen model's own numbers among scored ZIP Codes (deterministic competition ranking); an unreliable or thin-peer in-state comparison reads “Not available,” never zero. All underlying figures are ACS survey estimates with margins of error. The comparability caveat and the method link for this score are stated once, in the card above.
What went into this score: 14 national factor percentiles
Cash Flow & Affordability
Gross rental yieldZIP observation
3rd
Price to incomeZIP observation
3rd
Property-tax burdenZIP observation
47th
Rent as a share of incomeZIP observation
30th
Local Demand & Market Quality
Population scaleZIP observation · scale, not quality
81st
Renter-household depthZIP observation · scale, not quality
94th
Renter share of householdsZIP observation
98th
Rental vacancyZIP observation
37th
Market heat (Zillow measured)ZIP observation
16th
Surrounding-Market Growth
County population growthcounty context
27th
Surrounding-market growthplace / county context
34th
Stability & Risk
Median year builtZIP observation
3rd
Surrounding-market stabilityplace / county context
48th
ACS data confidenceZIP observation
51st
Every figure here is the frozen model’s own national percentile for one factor, read from the published ZIP dataset: 14 of the 15 factors this model defines were available for this ZIP Code. 1 of them could not be measured here (recently built share) and was left out of the average rather than filled in with a national guess. Higher is the direction the model treats as more favourable to a rental investor; population scale and renter-household depth are size, not quality. Each category score is the plain average of its own percentiles above; the overall score combines those four at the weights shown. The percentiles are published rounded to whole numbers, so averaging the printed figures lands a fraction of a point from the published score. This ZIP’s weakest category is 21, below the model’s published floor of 30, so the model applies its floor penalty and the overall score is lower than those four weighted together would be on their own. Nothing on this panel is recomputed here, and a factor percentile is not a score.
Key metrics
28,946
Population
±1,500 ±5.1% tight
$1,058,200
Median home value (ACS, owner-reported)
±$83,000 ±7.8% tight
$1,968
Median gross rent (ACS, incl. utilities)
±$230 ±11.7% moderate
2.2%
Survey gross-rent yield (proxy)
Derived from ACS estimates: no published margin of error
$98,224
Median household income
±$21,000 ±22% moderate
5.3%
Rental vacancy
Derived from ACS estimates: no published margin of error
67.5%
Renter share
Derived from ACS estimates: no published margin of error
0.8%
Estimated property-tax burden
Derived from ACS estimates: no published margin of error
1947
Median year built
±10 years margin in years; a share of a year number would not mean anything
47.9%
Multifamily (5+ units)
Derived from ACS estimates: no published margin of error
Market context
Trend context
Loading home value context…
View source data
Each point is one ACS 5-year estimate on the same 2020-Census ZCTA boundary. Adjacent releases overlap, so the release-to-release differences are not independent annual market movement.
| Series | 2017–2021 | 2018–2022 | 2019–2023 | 2020–2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value B25077 | $946,500 ±$74,924 | $1,002,700 ±$104,138 | $1,029,100 ±$84,412 | $1,058,200 ±$82,734 |
| Median gross rent B25064 | $1,418 ±$164 | $1,485 ±$168 | $1,748 ±$217 | $1,968 ±$230 |
| Population B01003 | 27,718 ±1,402 | 28,392 ±1,493 | 28,522 ±1,433 | 28,946 ±1,471 |
ACS 2022 release
2018-2022 five-year estimate
- Median home value B25077
- $1,002,700Margin of error ±$104,138
- Median gross rent B25064
- $1,485Margin of error ±$168
- Population B01003
- 28,392Margin of error ±1,493
ACS 2023 release
2019-2023 five-year estimate
- Median home value B25077
- $1,029,100Margin of error ±$84,412
- Median gross rent B25064
- $1,748Margin of error ±$217
- Population B01003
- 28,522Margin of error ±1,433
ACS 2024 release
2020-2024 five-year estimate
- Median home value B25077
- $1,058,200Margin of error ±$82,734
- Median gross rent B25064
- $1,968Margin of error ±$230
- Population B01003
- 28,946Margin of error ±1,471
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year, table-based Summary File (ZCTA geography); tables B25077 (median value), B25064 (median gross rent), and B01003 (population); estimate + margin of error. Missing releases remain gaps and are never interpolated. Home value is owner-reported; gross rent describes renter housing stock; population is a ZCTA estimate. Dollar figures are nominal.
Measured market data
Measured observations for this ZIP Code, published beside the government survey figures above rather than replacing them. They measure different things and will legitimately disagree; the reconciliation below states on which axis, one axis at a time, instead of leaving a reader to guess. ZORI does not correct the ACS rent; neither is a better version of the other. Monthly series, revised in recent months, observed 2026-07, not live.
| Figure | ACS survey estimate | Zillow measured index |
|---|---|---|
| Typical home value | $1,058,200±$83,000, the Census Bureau’s published 90% margin of error | $978,285no published margin of error |
| Methodology typical home value | The median of what owners themselves estimate their own home to be worth, across owner-occupied homes only. | A smoothed index of the typical value of homes in the middle tier (35th to 65th percentile) of the local stock, whether or not they sold. |
| Typical rent | $1,968/mo±$230, the Census Bureau’s published 90% margin of error | $3,872/mono published margin of error |
| Methodology typical rent | The median gross rent sitting tenants actually pay, including utilities, across the whole occupied rental stock. | An index of the rent landlords are asking on units newly listed for rent: what is on the market now, not what sitting tenants pay. |
| Gross rent yield | 2.23%no published margin of error | 4.75%no published margin of error |
| Methodology gross rent yield | The two survey medians above, divided. Renter gross rent against owner-occupied value is different housing stock, so this is a proxy and not a cap rate. | The two measured indices above, divided (ZORI × 12 ÷ ZHVI): asking rent against a whole-stock value index. |
| Source | U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. | Zillow Economic Research public research data. |
| Vintage | ACS 2024 5-year: one estimate pooled over 2020–2024. Restated once a year, not monthly, and adjacent releases overlap. | Monthly series, observed 2026-07 and revised in recent months. Not live. |
| Geography | 2020 Census ZIP Code Tabulation Area 02118. | USPS ZIP code 02118: a related, but not identical, area. |
The index for typical home value is $79,915 lower than the survey estimate, whose own 90% margin of error is ±$83,000: the two are not separated by more than survey sampling error alone. The index for typical rent is $1,904/mo higher than the survey estimate, whose own 90% margin of error is ±$230: the two are separated by more than survey sampling error alone accounts for. A gap of either size is expected when the source, vintage, methodology and geography all differ, and is not evidence that either figure is wrong. Neither figure corrects the other, and no margin of error is implied for the index, which publishes none.
| Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI, mid tier) | $978,285 |
|---|---|
| ZHVI bottom tier (5th–35th pct) | $660,090 |
| ZHVI top tier (65th–95th pct) | $2,040,583 |
| Zillow asking-rent index (ZORI) | $3,872/mo |
| Measured gross yield (ZORI × 12 ÷ ZHVI) | 4.75% |
| Market heat index | 37 |
| Share of listings with a price cut | 20.0% |
| For-sale inventory | 209 |
| New listings | 47 |
| Median list price | $1,049,000 |
| Median sale price | $1,335,000 |
| Measured 3-yr value growth | 0.65%/yr |
| Measured 5-yr value growth | 0.95%/yr |
| Measured 10-yr value growth | 1.56%/yr |
| Measured 3-yr rent growth | 3.01%/yr |
| Price–rent divergence (value − rent growth) | -2.36%/yr |
| ZHVI, 1-bedroom | $780,651 |
| ZHVI, 2-bedroom | $1,160,354 |
| ZHVI, 3-bedroom | $2,439,993 |
| ZHVI, 4-bedroom | $3,495,279 |
Measured value-growth signal: 24 of 100: this ZIP Code area ranks #14,750 of 19,419 ZIP Codes with a measured 3-year value growth rate. This is a separate national signal, published beside the overall score and deliberately not folded into it.
Measured-cohort score: 52.1 of 100, #2,207 of 4,756. This is ranked only against the 4,756 ZIP Code areas Zillow measures asking rent for: a cohort percentile, not a national one, and not comparable to the overall score above.
Source: Zillow Economic Research public research data, observation month 2026-07. Zillow keys on USPS ZIP codes; this page is a 2020 Census ZCTA, related but not identical geographies, so a Zillow value is matched to this ZCTA by code and is not a statement that the two areas are the same. Zillow is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, Compounding Estates.
Market Negotiation Leverage
Strong buyer leverage (84th percentile among scored ZIP Codes)
Derived from Zillow's market-heat index for this ZIP, inverted (a cooler market means more room for a buyer to negotiate). 20% of listings have had a price cut · 209 active listings. This is a cross-sectional snapshot (how this ZIP compares to every other tracked ZIP today), not a seasonal or historical baseline for this specific ZIP (no multi-year time series exists to support that claim). Not a prediction of what any specific seller will accept. See how this is calculated.
Source: Zillow Economic Research public research data. Zillow is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, Compounding Estates.
Underwrite with these as starting points
Opening a calculator pre-loads the ACS median owner value and median gross rent as a survey-level starting point; every calculator input is editable. Owner-occupied median value and renter median gross rent describe different housing stock: the median-valued home is not the typical rental, so this is a screen, not a listing, appraisal, asking rent, cap rate, or forecast. Bring your own entry price and rent.
ZIP Codes bordering 02118
7 ZIP Code areas share a land boundary with 02118 in the official Census 2020 ZCTA map, ordered by shared-boundary length, not ZIP-number proximity or driving distance. 7 of them are in CE’s ranked set and are listed below, each with its own Rental Investor ZIP Score, grade and national rank, read from the same published dataset as this page. The rest are counted here and searchable from the ZIP Code explorer. A neighbour’s score is a score for that area, never for 02118, and this list is ordered by border length, so it is not a ranking and no neighbour is called best.
- 02119 Boston, MAD41/100#12,757 nat2.9 km shared border
- 02116 Boston, MAD37/100#14,245 nat2.0 km shared border
- 02127 Boston, MAC48/100#9,525 nat1.9 km shared border
- 02120 Boston, MAD42/100#12,354 nat1.1 km shared border
- 02115 Boston, MAF28/100#17,118 nat0.97 km shared border
- 02125 Boston, MAC48/100#9,309 nat0.55 km shared border
- 02111 Boston, MAD33/100#15,450 nat0.38 km shared border
Evidence, sources & limitations
Official geography: Boston city, Suffolk County. Analytical entity: the U.S. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) 02118, an approximation of the USPS ZIP delivery area, not its exact route boundaries. Model z3-measured-v1; data ACS 2024 5-year.
This ZIP Code area is primarily in Suffolk County, overlapping Boston, by land-area overlap from the official Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files (not population or address share).
| Population | survey ACS B01003 · ±5.1% margin of error |
|---|---|
| Median home value (ACS, owner-reported) | survey ACS B25077 · ±7.8% margin of error |
| Median gross rent (ACS, incl. utilities) | survey ACS B25064 · ±11.7% margin of error |
| Survey gross-rent yield (proxy) | derived 12 * ACS B25064 / B25077 · no published margin of error |
| Median household income | survey ACS B19013 · ±22% margin of error |
| Rental vacancy | derived ACS B25004 E002 / (B25003 E003 + B25004 E002) · no published margin of error |
| Renter share | derived ACS B25003 E003/E001 · no published margin of error |
| Estimated property-tax burden | derived ACS B25103 / B25077 · no published margin of error |
| Median year built | survey ACS B25035 · ±0.5% margin of error |
| Multifamily (5+ units) | derived ACS B25024 (5+ unit structures / total) · no published margin of error |
Class: survey = ACS estimate (with margin of error); derived = computed from ACS. The survey gross-rent yield is a proxy (renter gross rent vs owner-occupied value, different housing stock; ACS top-codes very high values/rents) and is not a cap rate. Subscores are national percentiles among data-eligible areas; ranks are competition-ranked with deterministic ties. No vendor, listing, parcel, or school data. Not investment advice.