What is the Best Neighborhoods USA ranking for Melrose Highlands?
Melrose Highlands is ranked #4 of 7 eligible neighborhoods in Melrose; #77 of 259 eligible neighborhoods in MA; and #3,354 of 14,967 eligible neighborhoods in the United States.
Neighborhood Profile
Melrose Highlands
Melrose, MA | Middlesex County
Scored premium profile
Best Neighborhoods USA Index
62.0
Stability and Strength
67.2
Value Opportunity
52.8
Momentum
66.8
Score note: Rankings show denominators so users always see the size of the eligible cohort.
| Context | Value |
|---|---|
| Location | Melrose, MA |
| County | Middlesex County |
| National rank | #3,354 of 14,967 |
| State rank | #77 of 259 |
| City rank | #4 of 7 |
| County rank | #32 of 110 |
| National percentile | 77.6 |
| National band | TOP_25_PERCENT |
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Housing and local fundamentals
| Housing and market metrics | Value |
|---|---|
| Current Zillow home value | $1,034,464 |
| Year-over-year home value change | 3.8% |
| Month-over-month home value change | -0.08% |
| Home value to income ratio | 9.24 |
| Median household income | $111,927 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 69.4% |
| Civilian unemployment rate | 4.0% |
| Homeownership rate | 62.1% |
| Housing vacancy rate | 1.9% |
| Rent burden 30% or higher | 61.4% |
How to read this profile
- Ranks are always shown with denominators.
- Momentum reflects both year-over-year and month-over-month housing change.
- Stability and Strength and Value Opportunity are governed composite scores.
- Identity composition is descriptive intelligence and is not a scoring component.
Questions and Answers
Questions About Living in Melrose Highlands
Is Melrose Highlands one of the best neighborhoods in Melrose?
Melrose Highlands has a Best Neighborhoods USA Index of 62.0 and a city ranking of #4 of 7 eligible neighborhoods in Melrose.
How much are homes worth in Melrose Highlands?
The current Zillow Home Value Index for Melrose Highlands is approximately $1,034,464.
Are home values rising or falling in Melrose Highlands?
Zillow neighborhood values changed 3.8% year over year and -0.08% month over month.
What is the Neighborhood Momentum Score for Melrose Highlands?
Melrose Highlands has a Neighborhood Momentum Score of 66.8. Momentum is 70% year-over-year and 30% month-over-month Zillow housing change.
What is the median household income in Melrose Highlands?
The NDS-derived neighborhood median household income is approximately $111,927.
How affordable is Melrose Highlands relative to household income?
The current Zillow home-value-to-household-income ratio is 9.24. Price-to-income affordability is a major Value Opportunity input.
Is Melrose Highlands primarily homeowners or renters?
The NDS-derived homeownership rate is approximately 62.1%.
What is the unemployment rate in Melrose Highlands?
The NDS-derived civilian unemployment rate is approximately 4.0%.
How educated are residents of Melrose Highlands?
Approximately 69.4% of residents age 25 and older are estimated to have a bachelor's degree or higher.
What share of renters in Melrose Highlands face high rent burden?
Approximately 61.4% of the applicable renter-household universe is estimated to spend 30% or more of household income on gross rent.
How does Best Neighborhoods USA score Melrose Highlands?
The overall index combines 40% Stability and Strength, 35% Value Opportunity, and 25% Momentum. Race, ethnicity, and identity composition are not scoring components.
Governed ranking context
How this neighborhood ranks
HMDA Mortgage Intelligence
Neighborhood Mortgage Market
Modeled neighborhood-level mortgage activity allocated from governed HMDA tract data using Zillow neighborhood geometry. These neighborhood values are nonadditive and do not enter the Best Neighborhoods USA Index.
Activity year2024
Estimated applications130
Estimated originations93
Home-purchase applications58
Origination rate71.6%
Home-purchase share44.8%
Average application loan$451,020
Total application loan amount$58,604,914
National application rank#3,386 of 14,874 rankable neighborhoods
Geometry coverage100.0%
Recent trend: Applications 33.5% YoY; originations 24.9% YoY
Mortgage methodology
HMDA is natively reported at tract and other lender-reporting geographies, not Zillow neighborhood or ZIP geography. This module uses the certified NDS HMDA-to-Zillow tract-vintage crosswalk and area-weighted allocation. Rankings require governed geometry coverage. Applicant demographics are excluded. Neighborhood values may overlap and must not be summed to reconstruct ZIP or national totals.