menu




Real Estate Prices & Overview

Boston University median real estate price is $541,033, which is less expensive than 71.2% of Massachusetts neighborhoods and 30.5% of all U.S. neighborhoods.

The average rental price in Boston University is currently $3,916, based on NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis. The average rental cost in this neighborhood is higher than 75.0% of the neighborhoods in Massachusetts.

Boston University is a densely urban neighborhood (based on population density) located in Boston, Massachusetts.

Boston University real estate is primarily made up of small (studio to two bedroom) to medium sized (three or four bedroom) apartment complexes/high-rise apartments and single-family homes. Most of the residential real estate is renter occupied. Many of the residences in the Boston University neighborhood are newer, built in 2000 or more recently. A number of residences were also built between 1940 and 1969.

Vacant apartments or homes are a major fact of life in Boston University. The current real estate vacancy rate here is 32.0%. This is higher than the rate of vacancies in 96.2% of all U.S. neighborhoods. In addition, most vacant housing here is vacant year round. This can sometimes be the case in neighborhoods dominated by new construction that is not yet occupied. But often neighborhoods with vacancy rates this high are places that can be plagued by a protracted vacancy problem. If you live here, you may find that a number of buildings in your neighborhood are actually empty.

Notable & Unique Neighborhood Characteristics

Many things matter about a neighborhood, but the first thing most people notice is the way a neighborhood looks and its particular character. For example, one might notice whether the buildings all date from a certain time period or whether shop signs are in multiple languages. This particular neighborhood in Boston, the Boston University neighborhood, has some outstanding things about the way it looks and its way of life that are worth highlighting.

People

Do you like to read, write, and learn? Are you curious about the world? If so, this neighborhood may be a good fit for you. NeighborhoodScout's research revealed that a full 95.1% of the adults living in the Boston University neighborhood have earned at least a bachelor's degree. This is a higher rate than NeighborhoodScout found in 99.9% of U.S. neighborhoods. In this way, this neighborhood truly stands out.

In addition, one of the really interesting characteristics about the Boston University neighborhood is that, according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive research, it is an excellent choice in which to reside for college students. Due to its popularity among college students who already choose to live here, its walkability, and its above average safety from crime, the neighborhood is ideal for prospective or already-enrolled college students. Between semesters and during school breaks, you'll notice that the excitement here fluctuates with the college seasons. Despite the excitement however, parents of college-age children can rest easy knowing that this neighborhood has an above average safety rating. For each of these reasons, the neighborhood is rated among the top 0.7% of college-friendly places to live in the state of Massachusetts.

Modes of Transportation

In the Boston University neighborhood, walking to work is a real option for many. In fact, NeighborhoodScout's exclusive research reveals walking to and from work is the chosen way to commute for 52.5% of residents here. This is a higher proportion of walking commuters than we found in 99.9% of American neighborhoods. Get ready to put on your walking shoes if you move here!

Also, if you like to ride the train to work, this neighborhood may be for you. NeighborhoodScout's research revealed that 8.3% of the Boston University neighborhood's commuters ride the train to and from work each day, which is more than we found in 95.1% of America's neighborhoods.

Real Estate

97.0% of the real estate in the Boston University neighborhood is occupied by renters, which is nearly the highest rate of renter occupancy of any neighborhood in America. Despite all of the residential real estate here in the Boston University neighborhood, NeighborhoodScout has discovered that much of it is vacant. In resort or second-home vacation areas, this naturally occurs because homes and apartments are seasonally occupied, and empty for a portion of the year. In non-vacation or resort areas, however, this can be an indicator of property abandonment or a weak real estate market. The vacancy rate here is 32.0%, which is higher than 96.2% of all U.S. neighborhoods.

In addition, the Boston University neighborhood is very densely populated compared to most U.S. neighborhoods. In fact, with 42,225 persons per square mile in the neighborhood, it is more packed with people than 98.0% of the nation's neighborhoods. Being a walkable neighborhood can help increase property values for the simple reason that people enjoy it and value it. To put it plainly, despite our love affair with the automobile, American's enjoy taking to the streets, sidewalks, paths, and courtyards of a place to get a coffee, relax, and take in the sights and sounds. And, according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive and first quantitative walkable score index, the Boston University neighborhood is one of the most walkable neighborhoods in America.

Furthermore, the real estate in the Boston University neighborhood really stands out in the way it looks for a unique reason: this neighborhood has a higher proportion of apartment complexes or high-rise apartments than nearly every neighborhood in the country. Most neighborhoods are a mixture of real estate and housing types, but here it is almost entirely dominated by big apartment buildings and complexes. In fact, 86.4% of the real estate here is classified as apartment complexes or high-rise apartments, which is more than is found in 97.7% of American neighborhoods.

Also of note, the Boston University neighborhood is very unique in that it has one of the highest proportions of one, two, or no bedroom real estate of any neighborhood in America. Most neighborhoods have a mixture of home or apartment sizes from small to large, but here the concentration of studios and other small living spaces is at near-record heights. With 89.1% of the real estate here of this small size, this most assuredly is a notable feature that makes this neighborhood unique, along with just a handful of other neighborhoods in the U.S. that share this characteristic.

Car Ownership

We Americans love our cars. Not only are they a necessity for most Americans due to the shape of our neighborhoods and the distances between where we live, work, shop, and go to school, but we also fancy them. As a result, most households in America have one, two, or three cars. But NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis shows that the Boston University neighborhood has a highly unusual pattern of car ownership. 44.3% of the households in this neighborhood don't own a car at all. This is more carless households than NeighborhoodScout found in 98.3% of U.S. neighborhoods.

Migration / Stability

The freedom of moving to new places versus the comfort of home. How much and how often people move not only can create diverse and worldly neighborhoods, but simultaneously it can produce a loss of intimacy with one's surroundings and a lack of connectedness to one's neighbors. NeighborhoodScout's exclusive research has identified this neighborhood as unique with regard to the transience of its populace. In the Boston University neighborhood, a greater proportion of the residents living here today did not live here five years ago than is found in 99.4% of U.S. Neighborhoods. This neighborhood, more than almost any other in America, has new residents from other areas.

Diversity

Did you know that the Boston University neighborhood has more Asian and Portuguese ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 30.9% of this neighborhood's residents have Asian ancestry and 2.3% have Portuguese ancestry.

Boston University is also pretty special linguistically. Significantly, 1.8% of its residents five years old and above primarily speak Russian at home. While this may seem like a small percentage, it is higher than 98.3% of the neighborhoods in America.

The Neighbors

How wealthy a neighborhood is, from very wealthy, to middle income, to low income is very formative with regard to the personality and character of a neighborhood. Equally important is the rate of people, particularly children, who live below the federal poverty line. In some wealthy gated communities, the areas immediately surrounding can have high rates of childhood poverty, which indicates other social issues. NeighborhoodScout's analysis reveals both aspects of income and poverty for this neighborhood.

The neighbors in the Boston University neighborhood in Boston are low income, making it among the lowest income neighborhoods in America. NeighborhoodScout's research shows that this neighborhood has an income lower than 100.0% of U.S. neighborhoods. With 47.4% of the children here below the federal poverty line, this neighborhood has a higher rate of childhood poverty than 93.2% of U.S. neighborhoods.

What we choose to do for a living reflects who we are. Each neighborhood has a different mix of occupations represented, and together these tell you about the neighborhood and help you understand if this neighborhood may fit your lifestyle.

In the Boston University neighborhood, 47.4% of the working population is employed in executive, management, and professional occupations. The second most important occupational group in this neighborhood is sales and service jobs, from major sales accounts, to working in fast food restaurants, with 34.3% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in clerical, assistant, and tech support occupations (14.7%), and 3.6% in manufacturing and laborer occupations.

Languages

The languages spoken by people in this neighborhood are diverse. These are tabulated as the languages people preferentially speak when they are at home with their families. The most common language spoken in the Boston University neighborhood is English, spoken by 56.0% of households. Other important languages spoken here include Chinese, Spanish, Langs. of India and Korean.

Ethnicity / Ancestry

Culture is the shared learned behavior of peoples. Undeniably, different ethnicities and ancestries have different cultural traditions, and as a result, neighborhoods with concentrations of residents of one or another ethnicities or ancestries will express those cultures. It is what makes the North End in Boston so fun to visit for the Italian restaurants, bakeries, culture, and charm, and similarly, why people enjoy visiting Chinatown in San Francisco.

In the Boston University neighborhood in Boston, MA, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as Asian (30.9%). There are also a number of people of Italian ancestry (10.1%), and residents who report Irish roots (9.6%), and some of the residents are also of German ancestry (7.9%), along with some English ancestry residents (4.3%), among others. In addition, 25.0% of the residents of this neighborhood were born in another country.

Getting to Work

Even if your neighborhood is walkable, you may still have to drive to your place of work. Some neighborhoods are located where many can get to work in just a few minutes, while others are located such that most residents have a long and arduous commute. The greatest number of commuters in Boston University neighborhood spend under 15 minutes commuting one-way to work (53.1% of working residents), one of the shortest commutes across America.

Here most residents (52.5%) hop out the door and walk to work to get to work. In addition, quite a number also take the train to get to work (8.3%) and 8.3% of residents also drive alone in a private automobile for their daily commute. This is a special neighborhood for the number of people who walk to work. Combining exercise, low cost, and reduced pollution, plus the chance to see your neighbors, walking to work is fairly uncommon in America but likely to increase as people try to reduce their dependence on automobiles, and this neighborhood offers that opportunity today.

Real Estate includes:
Average Home Values
Rental Market
Housing Market Details
Neighborhood Setting
Economics & Demographics include:
Lifestyle & Special Character
Household Types
Commute To Work
Migration & Mobility
Race & Ethnic Diversity
Employment Industries & Occupations
Income & Unemployment Rate
Higher Education Attainment
Crime includes:
Neighborhood Crime Index
Crimes Per Square Mile
Property Crime Comparison
Violent Crime Comparison
Schools include:
School Ratings
Schools In District
Public School Test Scores
School District Enrollment
Educational Expenditures

comparable neighborhoods nearby