City profile · Massachusetts · Census ACS 2023

Belmont, MA

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Belmont — drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

27,009
Residents
$178,188
Median income
$1,108,800
Median home
$2,261
Median rent

Data Snapshot: Belmont, MA

Belmont is a city in Massachusetts with a population of 27,009 residents based on U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here reaches $178,188 per year, while the poverty rate sits at 2.3%. Typical homes in Belmont are valued around $1,108,800, and the median resident age is 42.4 years. About 80.2% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 65.3% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 755.1 incidents per 1,000 residents, above the national average, indicating elevated public-safety concerns.

On a cost-of-living index where 100 equals the national average, Massachusetts registers 105.8 (Near Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $2,261 per month. Average monthly utility bills run around $330 based on EIA 2023 residential energy data. Workers in Belmont report an average commute of 21.1 minutes, with 48.9% driving alone and 28.4% working from home. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 78.8 out of 100 (High).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, PlainCities renders standardized city-level demographic, income, education, employment, and housing indicators across more than 19,000 incorporated places nationwide. Population counts and median household income figures are sourced directly from Census Table B01003 and B19013 respectively, with poverty rates from B17001 and cost-of-living adjustments from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities (RPP) 2024 release. Every value displayed in this snapshot links back to the official upstream tables and is refreshed on the ACS annual release cadence (typically December of the survey year + 1).

Methodology: city boundaries follow the Census Bureau's place-level geography (incorporated places, census-designated places, and consolidated city-county governments), with FIPS codes ensuring consistent identifiers across decennial and annual surveys. Cost-of-living comparisons use BEA's Regional Price Parities (RPP) indexed to the national average (100), enabling cross-city purchasing-power comparisons. See our methodology page for full source attribution, refresh cadence, and known data quality limitations including margin-of-error disclosure and sample-size thresholds.

Population

27,009 residents

Census ACS 2023 — Massachusetts

Median Household Income

$178,188 /yr

Poverty 2.3%

Cost of Living Index

105.8 (US=100)

Near Average — BEA RPP 2024

How does Belmont compare to other US cities?

Where Belmont sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure — computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 97% higher than other cities
Home value 98% pricier than other cities
Median rent 98% pricier than other cities
Safety 74% safer than other cities

Percentiles compare Belmont against every US city with at least 1,000 residents. "Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

Income distribution context

Household income distribution — Belmont, MA Quintile shares of aggregate household income for Belmont, MA. The Lorenz curve traces cumulative income share against cumulative population share — perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Belmont, MA — median $178,188/yr — Census ACS quintile shares QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Household income distribution for Belmont, MA — Census ACS 5-year estimates. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 80.2%

Census ACS S1501 — educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 2.3%

Census ACS S1701 — poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 65.3%

Census ACS S2301 — share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
27,009
Median Income
$178,188
Median Home Value
$1,108,800
Median Age
42.4
Poverty Rate
2.3%
Labor force participation
65.3%
Bachelor's Degree+
80.2%

Safety & Crime

Total Crime Rate
755.1
per 1,000 residents
Violent Crime
51.3
per 1,000 residents
Property Crime
703.8
per 1,000 residents

Schools

Total Schools
6
Public schools in this city

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work — Census ACS 2023

Average Commute Time
21.1 minutes
Drive Alone
48.9%
Carpool
5.7%
Public Transit
11.1%
Walk
2.0%
Work from Home
28.4%
Other
3.9%

Based on 13,878 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

State-average estimates for Massachusetts — EIA 2023 residential energy data

Electricity
$160
avg/month
Natural Gas
$110
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$60
avg/month
Total Utilities
$330
estimated/month

Estimates reflect Massachusetts state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Massachusetts state-level data from PlainCost, PlainRent, and PlainHazard

Cost of Living Index
105.8
Near Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$2,261/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
State-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
78.8 / 100
High
FEMA NRI composite score

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity — Belmont, MA Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Belmont, MA — Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE — sums to 100% 59.5% 12.1% 6.1% 10.6% 10.3% ETHNICITY — Hispanic or Latino (any race) 18.7% White 59.5% Black or African American 12.1% Asian 6.1% American Indian 1.2% Native Hawaiian 0.2% Some other race 10.6% Two or more races 10.3% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

National-average reference values shown when city-level race/ethnicity table is not loaded. Source: Census ACS 5-year, OMB Directive 15 race-and-ethnicity categories.

How Belmont compares to nearby Massachusetts cities

Census ACS 2023 — population and median income benchmarks

Side-by-side population + income comparison anchored on the current city (Belmont) plus the nearest peer cities in Massachusetts, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
Selected

MA

Belmont

178.19% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$178,188
Brackets
27
Selected

MA

Wakefield

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$2,730
Brackets
27
Selected

MA

Burlington

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$2,620
Brackets
26
Selected

MA

Milford

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$2,790
Brackets
28
Census ACS 5-year FIPS MA FBI UCR NCES CCD OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Belmont, MA?

What is the population of Belmont, MA? +

Belmont, MA has a population of 27,009 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Belmont, MA? +

The median household income in Belmont is $178,188 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Belmont? +

Belmont has a cost of living index of 105.8 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Near Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data.

Is Belmont, MA safe? +

Belmont has a total crime rate of 755.1 per 1,000 residents, which is above the national average. Source: FBI UCR data.

What is the median home value in Belmont, MA? +

The median home value in Belmont is $1,108,800, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Related

Data sourced from official U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial

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