City · Massachusetts
Watertown, Massachusetts
Watertown, city, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Watertown had 35,710 residents on July 1, 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, up 1.1% since 2020 and the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates put it at 35,543 (±33). GEOID 2573405.
Residents, July 2025 estimate
35,710
Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: – · ACS 2020-2024: 35,543 ±33
Median household income
$126,265
±$6,062 (90% margin)
Massachusetts: $103,960
Median home value
$784,600
±$31,188 (90% margin)
Massachusetts: $562,100
Median gross rent
$2,502
±$107 (90% margin)
Massachusetts: $1,762
Where is Watertown and what county is it in?
Watertown is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. It covers 4.0 square miles of land.
Watertown is in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metropolitan statistical area, which takes in 7 counties (Census Bureau delineation, July 2023).
Source: 2024 Gazetteer and 2020 place-by-county files, U.S. Census Bureau · Census reference files
How many people live in Watertown, and is it growing?
The Census Bureau estimates that 35,710 people lived in Watertown on July 1, 2025, up 1.1% since 2020, slower than Massachusetts (+1.7%). The 2020-2024 American Community Survey, a five-year sample, puts the population at 35,543 (±33).
| Measure | Watertown | Middlesex County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 35,543±33 | 1,638,365 | – |
| Households | 16,371±500 | 634,215 | – |
| Average household size | 2.15±0.07 | 2.49 | – |
| Housing units | 17,206±496 | 664,267 | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); Census PEP Vintage 2025 (SUB-EST2025, CO-EST2025); 2020 Census P.L. 94-171 · Check it at data.census.gov
Who lives in Watertown?
The median resident of Watertown is 39.4 years old; 14.3% are under 18 and 18.3% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 70.5%, then non-Hispanic Asian residents at 11.6%. 25.7% of residents were born outside the United States.
| Measure | Watertown | Middlesex County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 39.4±1.3 | 38.9 | – |
| Under 18 years | 14.3%±1.2 pts | 19.5% | – |
| 65 years and over | 18.3%±1.6 pts | 16.3% | – |
| Male | 45.5%±1.7 pts | 49.4% | – |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 6.0%±1.6 pts | 9.3% | – |
| White alone, not Hispanic | 70.5%±3.1 pts | 65.1% | – |
| Black or African American alone, not Hispanic | 3.8%±1.4 pts | 4.7% | – |
| Asian alone, not Hispanic | 11.6%±2.1 pts | 13.6% | – |
| American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic | 0.1%±0.2 pts | 0.1% | – |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic | 0.0%±0.1 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Two or more races, not Hispanic | 6.6%±1.8 pts | 5.8% | – |
| Some other race alone, not Hispanic | 1.4%±0.8 pts | 1.4% | – |
| Born outside the United States | 25.7%±2.3 pts | 23.1% | – |
| Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+) | 30.3%±2.8 pts | 29.1% | – |
| Civilian veterans (age 18+) | 3.4%±0.8 pts | 3.3% | – |
| With a disability | 11.8%±1.4 pts | 9.9% | – |
| No health insurance coverage | 1.3%±0.7 pts | 2.4% | – |
| High school graduate or higher (age 25+) | 95.1%±1.4 pts | 93.2% | – |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 66.5%±2.6 pts | 59.5% | – |
| Graduate or professional degree (age 25+) | 35.8%±2.6 pts | 30.5% | – |
| Lived in the same house a year earlier | 83.9%±2.5 pts | 87.2% | – |
| Moved from another state in the past year | 2.6%±0.8 pts | 2.7% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov
What do households in Watertown earn?
Half of Watertown's 16,371 households earn less than $126,265 a year (±$6,062), against $130,847 in Middlesex County and $103,960 in Massachusetts. 7.5% of residents live below the poverty line.
| Measure | Watertown | Middlesex County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $126,265±$6,062 | $130,847 | – |
| Mean household income | $160,326±$7,334 | $178,070 | – |
| Per capita income | $73,851±$3,569 | $69,556 | – |
| People below the poverty line | 7.5%±1.6 pts | 7.7% | – |
| Children under 18 below the poverty line | 7.1%±3.8 pts | 7.9% | – |
| Households receiving SNAP | 6.4%±1.6 pts | 9.3% | – |
| Households with a computer | 96.9%±1.0 pts | 97.0% | – |
| Households with a broadband subscription | 95.1%±1.4 pts | 94.7% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What does housing cost in Watertown?
Owners occupy 47.7% of Watertown's occupied homes and renters 52.3%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $784,600 by its owner (±$31,188). The median renter pays $2,502 a month including utilities, and 34.3% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.
| Measure | Watertown | Middlesex County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $784,600±$31,188 | $727,800 | – |
| Median gross rent | $2,502±$107 | $2,201 | – |
| Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent | 34.3%±4.4 pts | 37.6% | – |
| Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage | $3,204±$122 | $3,224 | – |
| Owner-occupied homes | 47.7%±3.4 pts | 61.3% | – |
| Renter-occupied homes | 52.3%±3.4 pts | 38.7% | – |
| Housing units | 17,206±496 | 664,267 | – |
| Homeowner vacancy rate | 0.7%±0.9 pts | 0.6% | – |
| Rental vacancy rate | 3.8%±1.5 pts | 3.4% | – |
| Single-family detached homes | 17.2%±2.0 pts | 46.5% | – |
| Mobile homes | 0.0%±0.2 pts | 0.4% | – |
| Built 2020 or later | 1.3%±0.5 pts | 1.2% | – |
| Built 2010 to 2019 | 6.3%±1.3 pts | 7.3% | – |
| Built 1939 or earlier | 44.4%±3.0 pts | 32.3% | – |
| Households with no vehicle | 8.9%±2.0 pts | 10.3% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov
How many new homes is Watertown building?
Builders took permits for 153 new housing units in Watertown in 2025 (16 in single-family houses), 4.3 per 1,000 residents against 1.7 across Massachusetts.
Counts of units in permits a local office issued; not every permitted unit is built. A year marked with months was reported for part of the year.
Source: Building Permits Survey, annual place files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey
How do people in Watertown work and get to work?
49.7% of Watertown's workers drive alone and 29.1% work from home. The average trip to work takes 27.6 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 5.3%.
| Measure | Watertown | Middlesex County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the labor force (age 16+) | 72.5%±2.0 pts | 69.9% | – |
| Unemployment rate | 5.3%±1.4 pts | 4.4% | – |
| Drove alone to work | 49.7%±3.1 pts | 54.2% | – |
| Carpooled | 6.6%±1.5 pts | 6.3% | – |
| Public transportation | 6.6%±1.4 pts | 7.2% | – |
| Walked | 4.4%±1.1 pts | 4.2% | – |
| Worked from home | 29.1%±2.7 pts | 24.7% | – |
| Mean travel time to work | 27.6 min±1.2 | 29.9 min | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
How does Watertown compare with other places in Massachusetts?
By the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimates, Watertown is the 1,154th-most populous of the 19,476 U.S. incorporated places that have one and the 40th-most populous of 58 in Massachusetts.
Watertown is not ranked by income or the other survey measures: those rankings include places of 1,000 or more residents (2020 Census) with a reliable estimate.
| Measure | Rank | Of |
|---|---|---|
| Population, July 2025 estimate | 40th | 58 |
Watertown's figures with every place in Massachusetts (CSV)
Every place in Massachusetts, sortable · Compare Watertown with other places
Source: PlainCities ranks computed from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed
How reliable are the figures for Watertown?
4 of the 57 figures for Watertown on this page carry a coefficient of variation over 40% and are marked with a ring: they come from a small sample, so read them as rough.
The American Community Survey samples about one household in eight over five years, so every figure is an estimate with a 90% margin of error (shown under each value). A ring marks an estimate whose coefficient of variation is over 40%. A change is called only when the gap between the two periods is larger than their combined 90% margin (the square root of the sum of the two squared margins), the Census Bureau's test. How to read a margin of error.
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026): margins of error as published · ACS technical documentation
How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections
Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Watertown are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' public schools in Watertown.