What is the Best Neighborhoods USA ranking for South Boston?
South Boston is ranked #5 of 20 eligible neighborhoods in Boston; #154 of 259 eligible neighborhoods in MA; and #6,426 of 14,967 eligible neighborhoods in the United States.
Neighborhood Profile
South Boston
Boston, MA | Suffolk County
Scored premium profile
Best Neighborhoods USA Index
53.2
Stability and Strength
68.0
Value Opportunity
54.2
Momentum
28.2
Score note: Rankings show denominators so users always see the size of the eligible cohort.
| Context | Value |
|---|---|
| Location | Boston, MA |
| County | Suffolk County |
| National rank | #6,426 of 14,967 |
| State rank | #154 of 259 |
| City rank | #5 of 20 |
| County rank | #5 of 20 |
| National percentile | 57.1 |
| National band | MIDDLE_50_PERCENT |
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Housing and local fundamentals
| Housing and market metrics | Value |
|---|---|
| Current Zillow home value | $1,102,231 |
| Year-over-year home value change | -0.6% |
| Month-over-month home value change | -0.76% |
| Home value to income ratio | 7.93 |
| Median household income | $139,078 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 73.2% |
| Civilian unemployment rate | 3.6% |
| Homeownership rate | 41.3% |
| Housing vacancy rate | 9.4% |
| Rent burden 30% or higher | 36.6% |
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 South Boston
Is South Boston one of the best neighborhoods in Boston?
South Boston has a Best Neighborhoods USA Index of 53.2 and a city ranking of #5 of 20 eligible neighborhoods in Boston.
How much are homes worth in South Boston?
The current Zillow Home Value Index for South Boston is approximately $1,102,231.
Are home values rising or falling in South Boston?
Zillow neighborhood values changed -0.6% year over year and -0.76% month over month.
What is the Neighborhood Momentum Score for South Boston?
South Boston has a Neighborhood Momentum Score of 28.2. Momentum is 70% year-over-year and 30% month-over-month Zillow housing change.
What is the median household income in South Boston?
The NDS-derived neighborhood median household income is approximately $139,078.
How affordable is South Boston relative to household income?
The current Zillow home-value-to-household-income ratio is 7.93. Price-to-income affordability is a major Value Opportunity input.
Is South Boston primarily homeowners or renters?
The NDS-derived homeownership rate is approximately 41.3%.
What is the unemployment rate in South Boston?
The NDS-derived civilian unemployment rate is approximately 3.6%.
How educated are residents of South Boston?
Approximately 73.2% of residents age 25 and older are estimated to have a bachelor's degree or higher.
What share of renters in South Boston face high rent burden?
Approximately 36.6% 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 South Boston?
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 applications1,078
Estimated originations720
Home-purchase applications700
Origination rate66.8%
Home-purchase share64.9%
Average application loan$814,919
Total application loan amount$878,705,948
National application rankNot rankable
Geometry coverage81.4%
Recent trend: Applications 6.2% YoY; originations 10.6% 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.