Melrose is a medium-sized city located in the state of Massachusetts. With a population of 29,938 people and seven associated neighborhoods, Melrose is the 61st largest community in Massachusetts. Much of the housing stock in Melrose was built prior to World War II, making it one of the older and more historic cities in the country.

Melrose home prices are not only among the most expensive in Massachusetts, but Melrose real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.

Also of interest is that Melrose has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

Of important note, Melrose is also a city of artists. Melrose has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Melrose’s character.

One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 29.57% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

In addition, Melrose is home to many people who could be described as "urban sophisticates". Urban sophisticates are people who are both educated and wealthy, and thus tend to be older, richer, and more established than young professionals. "Urban sophisticates" is not just about being educated and well-off financially: it is a point of view and state of mind, one that you might call 'urbaneness'. But such people can and do regularly live in small towns, suburbs and rural areas, as well as in big cities. They read, support the arts and high-end shops, and love travel.

One downside of living in Melrose, however, is that residents on average have to contend with a long commute, spending on average 35.04 minutes every day commuting to work. It is, however, a pedestrian-friendly city. Many of its neighborhoods are dense enough and have amenities close enough together that people find it feasible to get around on foot. In addition, local public transit is widely used. For those who would prefer to avoid driving entirely and leave their car at home, it may be an option to use the transit instead.

For the size of the city, public transportation in Melrose is quite heavily used. Mostly, people who use it for their daily commute are taking the subway. For Melrose, the benefits are reduced air pollution and congestion on the highways.

If knowledge is power, Melrose is a pretty powerful place. 61.95% of the adults in Melrose have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns.

The per capita income in Melrose in 2022 was $67,861, which is upper middle income relative to Massachusetts, and wealthy relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $271,444 for a family of four.

Melrose is a very ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Melrose home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Melrose residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Melrose include Irish, Italian, English, German, and Polish.

Foreign born people are also an important part of Melrose's cultural character, accounting for 17.58% of the city’s population.

The most common language spoken in Melrose is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Chinese.