What does this measure?
The home value reported by the homeowner to the Census Bureau, adjusted for inflation. The median represents the mid-point of home values (half the values are above the median and half below).
Why is this important?
A home is usually a person's or a family's highest-valued possession. Home values are also an indicator of the region's cost of living, relative wealth, and general prosperity.
How is Brookline doing?
In 2017-21, the median home value for Brookline was $1,055,000, much higher than the state ($424,700) and U.S. ($244,900). Median values in Brookline increased 64% since 2000, which could make homeownership increasingly inaccessible to residents with low or moderate incomes. Values increased at a slower pace in Massachusetts (43%) and the nation as whole (35%).
Among comparison communities, Brookline had the highest median home value followed by Newton ($922,800), Cambridge ($888,000), Arlington ($733,700) and Everett ($477,100). Brookline's increase in median home value since 2000 was similar to Cambridge (65%) and Everett (64%), and higher than Arlington (58%) and Newton (47%).
Notes about the data
Data are presented in 2021 dollars. Because of limitations in available data, figures for 2000 are only for single-family homes, but figures for the ACS five years include all owner-occupied housing units. Figures for the region and surrounding counties were calculated by aggregating county medians based on each county's share of the region's population. Multiyear figures are from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. The bureau combined five years of responses to the survey to provide estimates for smaller geographic areas and increase the precision of its estimates. The survey provides data on characteristics of the population that used to be collected only during the decennial census. Data for this indicator are released annually in December.
| 2000 | 2007-11 | 2012-16 | 2017-21 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brookline | $642,944 | $820,599 | $856,240 | $1,055,400 |
| Arlington, Middlesex County | $463,381 | $597,500 | $617,342 | $733,700 |
| Cambridge, Middlesex County | $539,338 | $658,816 | $710,937 | $888,000 |
| Everett, Middlesex County | $290,813 | $409,577 | $381,379 | $477,100 |
| Newton, Middlesex County | $677,588 | $830,718 | $890,223 | $992,800 |
| Norfolk County | $368,721 | $479,566 | $467,410 | $529,200 |
| Essex County | $336,354 | $436,440 | $408,927 | $462,900 |
| Middlesex County | $397,509 | $494,022 | $488,070 | $575,500 |
| Massachusetts | $297,319 | $413,793 | $384,992 | $424,700 |
Notes: Figures in 2021 dollars. Multiyear results are from rolling American Community Survey. * Margin of error between 20% & 35% of estimate; ** margin of error between 35% & 50%; *** margin of error greater than 50%.
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