What is the Best Neighborhoods USA ranking for Downtown?
Downtown is ranked #3 of 7 eligible neighborhoods in Melrose; #38 of 259 eligible neighborhoods in MA; and #1,997 of 14,967 eligible neighborhoods in the United States.
Neighborhood Profile
Downtown
Melrose, MA | Middlesex County
Scored premium profile
Best Neighborhoods USA Index
67.0
Stability and Strength
70.8
Value Opportunity
57.4
Momentum
74.4
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 | #1,997 of 14,967 |
| State rank | #38 of 259 |
| City rank | #3 of 7 |
| County rank | #14 of 110 |
| National percentile | 86.7 |
| National band | TOP_25_PERCENT |
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Housing and local fundamentals
| Housing and market metrics | Value |
|---|---|
| Current Zillow home value | $885,268 |
| Year-over-year home value change | 6.4% |
| Month-over-month home value change | -0.11% |
| Home value to income ratio | 8.14 |
| Median household income | $108,775 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 61.0% |
| Civilian unemployment rate | 0.3% |
| Homeownership rate | 47.0% |
| Housing vacancy rate | 3.5% |
| Rent burden 30% or higher | 47.7% |
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 Downtown
Is Downtown one of the best neighborhoods in Melrose?
Downtown has a Best Neighborhoods USA Index of 67.0 and a city ranking of #3 of 7 eligible neighborhoods in Melrose.
How much are homes worth in Downtown?
The current Zillow Home Value Index for Downtown is approximately $885,268.
Are home values rising or falling in Downtown?
Zillow neighborhood values changed 6.4% year over year and -0.11% month over month.
What is the Neighborhood Momentum Score for Downtown?
Downtown has a Neighborhood Momentum Score of 74.4. Momentum is 70% year-over-year and 30% month-over-month Zillow housing change.
What is the median household income in Downtown?
The NDS-derived neighborhood median household income is approximately $108,775.
How affordable is Downtown relative to household income?
The current Zillow home-value-to-household-income ratio is 8.14. Price-to-income affordability is a major Value Opportunity input.
Is Downtown primarily homeowners or renters?
The NDS-derived homeownership rate is approximately 47.0%.
What is the unemployment rate in Downtown?
The NDS-derived civilian unemployment rate is approximately 0.3%.
How educated are residents of Downtown?
Approximately 61.0% of residents age 25 and older are estimated to have a bachelor's degree or higher.
What share of renters in Downtown face high rent burden?
Approximately 47.7% 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 Downtown?
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 applications66
Estimated originations46
Home-purchase applications32
Origination rate70.0%
Home-purchase share48.9%
Average application loan$482,222
Total application loan amount$31,837,079
National application rank#6,089 of 14,874 rankable neighborhoods
Geometry coverage100.0%
Recent trend: Applications 18.2% YoY; originations 24.2% 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.