Downtown median real estate price is $802,009, which is more expensive than 60.4% of the neighborhoods in Massachusetts and 83.9% of the neighborhoods in the U.S.
The average rental price in Downtown is currently $3,839, based on NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis. The average rental cost in this neighborhood is higher than 68.9% of the neighborhoods in Massachusetts.
Downtown is a densely urban neighborhood (based on population density) located in Boston, Massachusetts.
Downtown 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 townhomes. Most of the residential real estate is renter occupied. Many of the residences in the Downtown neighborhood are newer, built in 2000 or more recently. A number of residences were also built between 1970 and 1999.
Downtown has a 10.6% vacancy rate, which is well above average compared to other U.S. neighborhoods (higher than 65.6% of American neighborhoods). Most vacant housing here is vacant year round. This could either signal that there is a weak demand for real estate in the neighborhood or that large amount of new housing has been built and not yet occupied. Either way, if you live here, you may find many of the homes or apartments are empty.
When you see a neighborhood for the first time, the most important thing is often the way it looks, like its homes and its setting. Some places look the same, but they only reveal their true character after living in them for a while because they contain a unique mix of occupational or cultural groups. This neighborhood is very unique in some important ways, according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive exploration and analysis.
The types of households in a neighborhood can tell a lot about the character and lifestyle of those living here. NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis reveals that this neighborhood, above nearly every neighborhood in America, has a greater percentage of its residents living alone: 65.8%. This is a higher percent living alone than we found in 99.4% of all U.S. neighborhoods. Often residents who live alone are new arrivals to an area who are single, and often senior citizens who have lost a spouse.
In addition, the Downtown neighborhood stands out for having an average per capita income lower than 96.0% of the neighborhoods in the United States. The Downtown neighborhood also has a greater percentage of children living in poverty (71.9%) than found in 98.8% of all U.S. neighborhoods. Children living in poverty is one of the challenges facing America, and the world, and in this neighborhood in particular, the problem can be considered acute.
Also, neighborhoodScout's analysis shows that the Downtown neighborhood has a greater concentration of residents currently enrolled in college than 95.3% of the neighborhoods in the U.S. With 10.7% of the population here attending college, this is very much a college-focused neighborhood.
In the Downtown neighborhood, 29.1% of people ride the train to work each day. This is a very high percentage compared to most places. In fact, NeighborhoodScout's analysis reveals that this is a higher level of train ridership than in 98.2% of the neighborhoods in America.
Also, in the Downtown neighborhood, carpooling is still a popular way to get to and from work. NeighborhoodScout's analysis reveals that 22.6% of commuters carpool here, which is more than in 95.3% of all U.S. neighborhoods.
The Downtown 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 91.2% 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.
In addition, one of the really unique and interesting things about the look and setting of the Downtown neighborhood is that it is almost entirely dominated by large apartment buildings, such as apartment complexes or high-rise apartments. 86.5% of the residential real estate here is classified as such. This puts this neighborhood on the map as having a higher proportion of large apartment buildings than 97.7% of all neighborhoods in America.
Furthermore, 89.7% of the real estate in the Downtown neighborhood is occupied by renters, which is nearly the highest rate of renter occupancy of any neighborhood in America.
Most American households own a car or other vehicle. Many own two cars or perhaps three. In the United States, it is useful to have an automobile not only for commuting, but also for shopping and getting to other services one needs. But NeighborhoodScout's analysis revealed that households in the Downtown neighborhood have a highly unusual car ownership. 29.7% of the households in this neighborhood don't own a car at all. This is more carless households than NeighborhoodScout found in 97.1% of U.S. neighborhoods.
With 1.7% of employed workers living in the Downtown neighborhood active in the military, this neighborhood has the distinction of having a higher proportion of people in the military than 95.5% of American neighborhoods. This is a major shaper of the neighborhood's culture and character.
Did you know that the Downtown neighborhood has more West Indian and Lebanese ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 2.0% of this neighborhood's residents have West Indian ancestry and 2.0% have Lebanese ancestry.
Downtown is also pretty special linguistically. Significantly, 22.8% of its residents five years old and above primarily speak Chinese at home. While this may seem like a small percentage, it is higher than 99.4% of the neighborhoods in America.
Some neighborhoods have more internal cohesiveness than others. While other neighborhoods feel like a collection of strangers who just happen to live near each other. Sometimes this comes down to not only the personalities of the people in a place, but how long people have been together in that neighborhood. NeighborhoodScout's research has revealed some interesting things about the rootedness of people in the Downtown neighborhood. What is interesting to note, is that the Downtown neighborhood has a greater percentage of residents born in another country (48.5%) than are found in 97.1% of all U.S. neighborhoods.
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 Downtown 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 96.0% of U.S. neighborhoods. With 71.9% of the children here below the federal poverty line, this neighborhood has a higher rate of childhood poverty than 98.8% 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 Downtown neighborhood, 58.5% of the working population is employed in executive, management, and professional occupations. The second most important occupational group in this neighborhood is clerical, assistant, and tech support occupations, with 21.3% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in sales and service jobs, from major sales accounts, to working in fast food restaurants (15.0%), and 5.2% 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 Downtown neighborhood is English, spoken by 45.7% of households. Other important languages spoken here include Chinese, Spanish, French and Korean.
Ethnicity / Ancestry
Boston's Beacon Hill blue-blood streets, Brooklyn's Orthodox Jewish enclaves, Los Angeles' Persian neighborhoods. Each has its own culture derived primarily from the ancestries and culture of the residents who call these neighborhoods home. Likewise, each neighborhood in America has its own culture – some more unique than others – based on lifestyle, occupations, the types of households – and importantly – on the ethnicities and ancestries of the people who live in the neighborhood. Understanding where people came from, who their grandparents or great-grandparents were, can help you understand how a neighborhood is today.
In the Downtown neighborhood in Boston, MA, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as Asian (34.7%). There are also a number of people of Puerto Rican ancestry (17.4%), and residents who report Dominican roots (4.7%), and some of the residents are also of Irish ancestry (4.5%), along with some French ancestry residents (3.7%), among others. In addition, 48.5% of the residents of this neighborhood were born in another country.
How you get to work – car, bus, train or other means – and how much of your day it takes to do so is a large quality of life and financial issue. Especially with gasoline prices rising and expected to continue doing so, the length and means of one's commute can be a financial burden. Some neighborhoods are physically located so that many residents have to drive in their own car, others are set up so many walk to work, or can take a train, bus, or bike. The greatest number of commuters in Downtown neighborhood spend between 30 and 45 minutes commuting one-way to work (46.5% of working residents), which is at or a bit above the average length of a commute across all U.S. neighborhoods.
Here most residents (29.1%) take the train to get to work. In addition, quite a number also carpool with coworkers, friends, or neighbors to get to work (22.6%) and 17.3% of residents also drive alone in a private automobile for their daily commute. This neighborhood is distinguished by the high number of residents who take the train to work each day, which can be a very good way to get to work at a lower cost and with less pollution.
