What is the Best Neighborhoods USA ranking for Dorchester?
Dorchester is ranked #182 of 235 eligible neighborhoods in Baltimore; #217 of 273 eligible neighborhoods in MD; and #13,793 of 14,967 eligible neighborhoods in the United States.
Neighborhood Profile
Dorchester
Baltimore, MD | Baltimore City
Scored premium profile
Best Neighborhoods USA Index
28.0
Stability and Strength
15.9
Value Opportunity
10.8
Momentum
71.3
Score note: Rankings show denominators so users always see the size of the eligible cohort.
| Context | Value |
|---|---|
| Location | Baltimore, MD |
| County | Baltimore City |
| National rank | #13,793 of 14,967 |
| State rank | #217 of 273 |
| City rank | #182 of 235 |
| County rank | #182 of 235 |
| National percentile | 7.8 |
| National band | LOWER_25_PERCENT |
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Housing and local fundamentals
| Housing and market metrics | Value |
|---|---|
| Current Zillow home value | $226,024 |
| Year-over-year home value change | 4.7% |
| Month-over-month home value change | -0.05% |
| Home value to income ratio | 11.97 |
| Median household income | $18,890 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 16.3% |
| Civilian unemployment rate | 19.6% |
| Homeownership rate | 65.1% |
| Housing vacancy rate | 11.4% |
| Rent burden 30% or higher | 96.5% |
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 Dorchester
Is Dorchester one of the best neighborhoods in Baltimore?
Dorchester has a Best Neighborhoods USA Index of 28.0 and a city ranking of #182 of 235 eligible neighborhoods in Baltimore.
How much are homes worth in Dorchester?
The current Zillow Home Value Index for Dorchester is approximately $226,024.
Are home values rising or falling in Dorchester?
Zillow neighborhood values changed 4.7% year over year and -0.05% month over month.
What is the Neighborhood Momentum Score for Dorchester?
Dorchester has a Neighborhood Momentum Score of 71.3. Momentum is 70% year-over-year and 30% month-over-month Zillow housing change.
What is the median household income in Dorchester?
The NDS-derived neighborhood median household income is approximately $18,890.
How affordable is Dorchester relative to household income?
The current Zillow home-value-to-household-income ratio is 11.97. Price-to-income affordability is a major Value Opportunity input.
Is Dorchester primarily homeowners or renters?
The NDS-derived homeownership rate is approximately 65.1%.
What is the unemployment rate in Dorchester?
The NDS-derived civilian unemployment rate is approximately 19.6%.
How educated are residents of Dorchester?
Approximately 16.3% of residents age 25 and older are estimated to have a bachelor's degree or higher.
What share of renters in Dorchester face high rent burden?
Approximately 96.5% 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 Dorchester?
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 applications59
Estimated originations22
Home-purchase applications31
Origination rate37.6%
Home-purchase share52.9%
Average application loan$221,830
Total application loan amount$13,031,253
National application rank#6,588 of 14,874 rankable neighborhoods
Geometry coverage100.0%
Recent trend: Applications 6.2% YoY; originations -2.9% 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.