Side-by-side metrics and state or size-class ranks use the same Census and FBI fields shown on this profile. Results stay in the URL so you can bookmark or share them.
Place dossier plate
SheetMA-SPRINGFIELD-MA · Springfield, MA 154,751 pop · income 22nd pct · 104 tracts
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Springfield
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Springfield on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Macon-Bibb Co… · lowest
50,747
Macon-Bibb Co… · lowest
50,747 median HH income
27.9% of the leader · rank #1
Crittenden · near
51,336
Crittenden · near
51,336 median HH income
28.2% of the leader · rank #2
Springfield · this city
51,339
Springfield · this city
51,339 median HH income
28.2% of the leader · rank #3
Wapato · near
51,341
Wapato · near
51,341 median HH income
28.2% of the leader · rank #4
Earlimart · near
51,343
Earlimart · near
51,343 median HH income
28.2% of the leader · rank #5
Socorro · near
51,343
Socorro · near
51,343 median HH income
28.2% of the leader · rank #6
Sunnyvale · highest
181,862
Sunnyvale · highest
181,862 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Springfield on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 154,751.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Springfield - the verdict
Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Springfield places in the 22nd percentile for household income and the 9th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
22nd
percentile, household income
49th
percentile, home value
98th
percentile, median rent
9th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Springfield, MA
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 154,751 residents in Springfield, a mid-sized U.S. city within Massachusetts. The typical household in Springfield brings in $51,339 a year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 19.0%. Home values in Springfield run a median of $222,700, and the median resident age is 33.7 years. Educational attainment runs 19.7% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 52.9% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 163 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Building Boom), up 3975% from five years earlier. Springfield's reported crime rate runs above the national norm: FBI UCR figures show 3726.9 crimes per 100,000 residents, above the national average (reporting is voluntary across agencies, so treat this as reporting activity rather than a definitive danger score).
Massachusetts carries a cost-of-living premium: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Massachusetts at 105.8 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Above Average). Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $2,261 monthly. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Massachusetts run around $330, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. Natural-hazard exposure scores 78.8 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (High).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Springfield's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from within-city variation to work and mobility to schools and households to reported crime to comparison shortlist to housing and income to population change; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Springfield, city-specific coverage includes FBI reported-crime rates, within-city Census tract profiles, annual population history, matched public-school count, commute-mode shares, local building permits.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
1. Within-city variation
What can 104 Census tracts reveal inside Springfield?
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
PlainCities matches 104 Census tracts to this city.
What does the journey to work look like in Springfield?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 73.0%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
What does the education layer cover for Springfield?
The NCES join finds 71 public schools within the city match. 19.7% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
Which cities make useful reference points for Springfield?
Within Massachusetts, the closest population matches are Cambridge (117,794 residents, $126,469 income); Lowell (114,799 residents, $76,205 income); Brockton (105,080 residents, $77,089 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Kansas City, KS (154,776 residents); Sunnyvale, CA (153,455 residents); Killeen, TX (156,144 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in Springfield?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 3726.9 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 63% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
2835.5
Violent rate
891.4
Total reported rate
3726.9
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
How far does income reach against housing in Springfield?
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 4.3 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 19.0%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.
Household income
$51,339
Home value
$222,700
Value / income
4.3×
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
Is Springfield growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
The recent population line is broadly flat. That makes the composition of change more important than the headline count: housing turnover, household size, and age structure can shift even when the total barely moves.
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -480 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -0.3% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 163 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Period change
-0.3%
2025 estimate
154,702
2020 estimate
155,182
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Bachelor's+ share F
19.7%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income F
$51,339
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Cost of living F
105.8 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Poverty rate F
19.0%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Violent crime F
891 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Springfield profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Bachelor's+ share: 33/100 (F) · 19.7%
Household income: 22/100 (F) · $51,339
Cost of living: 18/100 (F) · 105.8 index
Poverty rate: 15/100 (F) · 19.0%
Violent crime: 0/100 (F) · 891 /100k
Where Springfield sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Springfield's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Springfield highlighted among 11 peers.Read the chart values
Springfield, MA (this city): home $222,700, crime 3,727/100k
Kansas City, KS : home $147,100, crime 4,654/100k
Sunnyvale, CA : home $1,816,600, crime 2,154/100k
Killeen, TX : home $196,000, crime 1,910/100k
Lakewood, CO : home $548,200, crime 5,881/100k
Cambridge, MA : home $1,040,500, crime 3,081/100k
Lowell, MA : home $395,100, crime 2,195/100k
Brockton, MA : home $405,500, crime 1,945/100k
Worcester, MA : home $339,500, crime 17/100k
Quincy, MA : home $598,100, crime 1,668/100k
Lynn, MA : home $472,600, crime 1,745/100k
How does Springfield compare to other US cities?
Where Springfield sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income22% higher than other cities
Home value49% pricier than other cities
Median rent98% pricier than other cities
Safety9% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
National percentiles can mask local variation. Looking only at Massachusetts, Springfield ranks #147 of 149 Massachusetts cities by lowest crime rate - a narrower, more locally useful cut than the national comparison above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Springfield against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Massachusetts only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Massachusetts-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Springfield near the bottom of Massachusetts's cities
Among the 247 Massachusetts cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Springfield ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Springfield only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#230 of 233
1st percentile in Massachusetts
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 247
0th percentile in Massachusetts
Median Home Value
#234 of 240
3rd percentile in Massachusetts
Poverty Rate
#4 of 247
98th percentile in Massachusetts
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#232 of 247
6th percentile in Massachusetts
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Massachusetts only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
22nd percentile nationally for median household income · 9th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Springfield's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Springfield's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Springfield's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$222,700Among the most affordablemore affordable than 51% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Springfield's home-value-to-income ratio: 4.3×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#11,620 of 15,516
More affordable than 25% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#366 of 750
Mid-size cities (50,000–199,999)
At 4.3×, Springfield sits in the moderate band:
national rank #11,620 of 15,516 and #366 of 750mid-size cities (50,000–199,999).
Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$51,339Springfield, MA median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Springfield, MA median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Springfield, MA.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)19.7%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)19.0%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)52.9%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
154,751
Median Income
$51,339
Median Home Value
$222,700
Median Age
33.7
Poverty Rate
19.0%
Labor force participation
52.9%
Bachelor's Degree+
19.7%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
3726.9
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
891.4
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
2835.5
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
71
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Springfield's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
155,182 residents
2021
154,922 residents
2022
154,307 residents
2023
154,032 residents
2024
154,390 residents
2025
154,702 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
163
housing units authorized
Single-Family
57
detached homes
Multifamily
106
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
1.1
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
4
4
0
$0.8M
2020
93
77
16
$25.8M
2021
3
3
0
$0.8M
2022
28
24
4
$7.8M
2023
90
49
41
$16.3M
2024
163
57
106
$27.7M
Permit volume increased 3975% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
73.0%
Carpool
10.4%
Public Transit
3.8%
Walk
2.9%
Work from Home
7.6%
Other
2.3%
Based on 63,047 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Massachusetts statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $330
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Massachusetts at $330 (electricity about $160 , water and sewer about $60 ).
These are Massachusetts statewide averages, not a meter reading for Springfield. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Massachusetts's BEA cost-of-living index is 105.8 (Above Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Springfield is $2,261/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Massachusetts statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 78.8 / 100 (High).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Massachusetts statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Springfield sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Springfield compares to similar-size Massachusetts cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, 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.