Boston Neighborhoods: Independent Research Guide

Boston Neighborhood Guide

Independent research on every major Boston neighborhood. Rent ranges, transit access, demographics, and honest tradeoffs.

How to read the B-NDI score

About the Boston Neighborhood Demand Index

The B-NDI scores each Greater Boston neighborhood from 1 to 100 on relative housing demand. A higher score means stronger renter and buyer demand compared to other Boston neighborhoods, not a measure of how expensive or desirable a neighborhood is. Back Bay, for example, carries premium rents but a smaller pool of active renters at that price point, which is reflected in its relative demand score.

Current scores are Q2 2026 baseline estimates. They are informed assessments built from public data sources, including US Census ACS, Zillow Research, Massachusetts Association of Realtors, and MBTA ridership data. They are not yet derived from completed survey research.

Our proprietary Boston Renter Survey is collecting responses now. If Q4 2026 reaches 100 valid responses, the first survey based release follows in January 2027, when neighborhoods marked Q3 2026 receive their first scores and existing estimates are updated with survey data. Until then, all scores should be read as preliminary baseline figures.

Read the full methodology

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