Housing Age Ranking: Which Greater Boston Towns Have the Oldest (and Newest) Homes?
A data-driven ranking of 94 Greater Boston towns by median year built. The oldest median year is 1938 (88 years as of 2026), shared by Somerville, Belmont, Everett, Melrose, New Bedford, Brookline, Salem. The newest median year is 1990 (36 years), Hopkinton.
This guide ranks 94 Greater Boston towns by median year built from ACS 2024 5-year table B25035. Oldest median year: 1938 (Somerville, Belmont, Everett, Melrose, New Bedford, Brookline, Salem). Newest: 1990 (Hopkinton). The average of those medians is 62 years old as of 2026.
Why Housing Age Matters
Data source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (survey years 2020–2024), tables B25034 (Year Structure Built) and B25035 (Median Year Structure Built), Massachusetts county subdivisions. Retrieved 14 October 2026 from the Census Reporter API, release acs2024_5yr.
📊The Big Picture
The oldest median year in this set is 1938, shared by Somerville, Belmont, Everett, Melrose, New Bedford, Brookline, Salem. The newest is 1990 (Hopkinton). The average of the 94 median ages is 61.6 years as of 2026.
🏛️Ten Oldest Median Years
These are the ten towns with the oldest median years. 7 towns share the oldest year, 1938, so the list starts in a tie. Profile medians are the prices published on each town page, not a Census figure.
- •1. Somerville (1938, 88 years as of 2026) - $1.01M profile median | 59.0% built before 1940, 73.5% built before 1970, 12.5% built in 2000 or later
- •1. Belmont (1938, 88 years as of 2026) - $1.33M profile median | 57.1% built before 1940, 83.3% built before 1970, 9.2% built in 2000 or later
- •1. Everett (1938, 88 years as of 2026) - $655K profile median | 53.3% built before 1940, 72.6% built before 1970, 9.8% built in 2000 or later
- •1. Melrose (1938, 88 years as of 2026) - $881K profile median | 52.2% built before 1940, 77.3% built before 1970, 8.9% built in 2000 or later
- •1. New Bedford (1938, 88 years as of 2026) - $862K profile median | 52.1% built before 1940, 75.5% built before 1970, 4.9% built in 2000 or later
- •1. Brookline (1938, 88 years as of 2026) - $1.26M profile median | 51.7% built before 1940, 75.0% built before 1970, 7.2% built in 2000 or later
- •1. Salem (1938, 88 years as of 2026) - $571K profile median | 51.0% built before 1940, 68.7% built before 1970, 11.2% built in 2000 or later
- •8. Chelsea (1941, 85 years as of 2026) - $465K profile median | 49.6% built before 1940, 63.9% built before 1970, 18.6% built in 2000 or later
- •9. Medford (1942, 84 years as of 2026) - $855K profile median | 48.8% built before 1940, 69.2% built before 1970, 12.9% built in 2000 or later
- •9. Newton (1942, 84 years as of 2026) - $1.75M profile median | 48.8% built before 1940, 73.7% built before 1970, 11.8% built in 2000 or later
🏗️Ten Newest Median Years
These are the ten towns with the newest median years. The post-2000 share is listed beside the median because the two measures do not pick the same leader.
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- •1. Hopkinton (1990, 36 years as of 2026) - $1.16M profile median | 9.8% built before 1940, 23.2% built before 1970, 32.9% built in 2000 or later
- •2. Boxborough (1989, 37 years as of 2026) - $1.03M profile median | 1.3% built before 1940, 21.7% built before 1970, 20.2% built in 2000 or later
- •3. Groton (1988, 38 years as of 2026) - $960K profile median | 16.9% built before 1940, 29.8% built before 1970, 19.2% built in 2000 or later
- •4. Franklin (1985, 41 years as of 2026) - $700K profile median | 13.8% built before 1940, 34.4% built before 1970, 22.1% built in 2000 or later
- •5. Ashland (1984, 42 years as of 2026) - $610K profile median | 12.5% built before 1940, 34.6% built before 1970, 25.2% built in 2000 or later
- •5. Norfolk (1984, 42 years as of 2026) - $865K profile median | 7.8% built before 1940, 24.0% built before 1970, 23.6% built in 2000 or later
- •7. Groveland (1983, 43 years as of 2026) - $825K profile median | 17.4% built before 1940, 45.2% built before 1970, 28.2% built in 2000 or later
- •7. Westford (1983, 43 years as of 2026) - $1.1M profile median | 15.8% built before 1940, 35.5% built before 1970, 21.2% built in 2000 or later
- •9. Plymouth (1982, 44 years as of 2026) - $859K profile median | 16.1% built before 1940, 31.4% built before 1970, 28.7% built in 2000 or later
- •9. Kingston (1982, 44 years as of 2026) - $530K profile median | 14.3% built before 1940, 36.0% built before 1970, 21.7% built in 2000 or later
📈Age Groups as of 2026
80 years or older (median year 1946 or earlier): 16 towns. Examples: Somerville (88 years), Belmont (88 years), Everett (88 years), Melrose (88 years), New Bedford (88 years).
60–79 years (median year 1947 to 1966): 32 towns. Examples: Boston (1947), Watertown (1947), Cambridge (1950), Malden (1950), Winchester (1954).
40–59 years (median year 1967 to 1986): 43 towns. Examples: Chelmsford (1967), Cohasset (1968), Natick (1968), Sherborn (1968), Woburn (1968).
Under 40 years (median year 1987 or later): 3 towns. Examples: Groton (38 years, 1988), Boxborough (37 years, 1989), Hopkinton (36 years, 1990).
A town median is not a house
🔍Complete Ranking: All 94 Towns
- Oldest median years:
- Somerville, Belmont, Everett, Melrose, New Bedford, Brookline, Salem (88 years, 1938)
- Chelsea (85 years, 1941)
- Medford, Newton (84 years, 1942)
- Marblehead (82 years, 1944)
- Arlington, Milton (81 years, 1945)
- Gloucester, Lynn, Hull (80 years, 1946)
- 60–79 years:
- Boston, Watertown (79 years, 1947)
- Cambridge, Malden (76 years, 1950)
- Winchester (72 years, 1954)
- Manchester-by-the-Sea, Swampscott, Wellesley (71 years, 1955)
- Beverly, Wakefield, Dedham (70 years, 1956)
- Braintree (69 years, 1957)
- Quincy (68 years, 1958)
- Brockton, Reading, Norwood, Scituate (66 years, 1960)
- Waltham (65 years, 1961)
- Rockland, Wayland (64 years, 1962)
- Danvers (63 years, 1963)
- Stoneham, Weston, Weymouth, Lynnfield (62 years, 1964)
- Revere, Lexington, Needham (61 years, 1965)
- Peabody, Holliston, Framingham, Randolph (60 years, 1966)
- 40–59 years:
- Chelmsford (59 years, 1967)
- Cohasset, Natick, Sherborn, Woburn, Norwell, Westwood, Marshfield (58 years, 1968)
- Concord, Stoughton (57 years, 1969)
- Abington, Sharon, Medfield, Dover (56 years, 1970)
- Hanson, Burlington (54 years, 1972)
- Andover, Billerica (53 years, 1973)
- Acton, Pembroke (52 years, 1974)
- Harvard, North Reading (51 years, 1975)
- Hingham, Medway, Duxbury, Westborough, Bedford (50 years, 1976)
- Rehoboth, Walpole, Sudbury (49 years, 1977)
- Hanover (48 years, 1978)
- North Andover, Wilmington (47 years, 1979)
- Northborough, Canton (46 years, 1980)
- Tewksbury (45 years, 1981)
- Plymouth, Kingston (44 years, 1982)
- Groveland, Westford (43 years, 1983)
- Ashland, Norfolk (42 years, 1984)
- Franklin (41 years, 1985)
- Under 40 years:
- Groton (38 years, 1988)
- Boxborough (37 years, 1989)
- Hopkinton (36 years, 1990)
Data source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (survey years 2020–2024), tables B25034 (Year Structure Built) and B25035 (Median Year Structure Built), Massachusetts county subdivisions. Retrieved 14 October 2026 from the Census Reporter API, release acs2024_5yr. The ranking covers 94 towns that have both a town profile on this site and a published median year.
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