Various data sources about the housing stock of Cambridge.
Learn how the median price of market rate apartments has changed since 2010. Includes both prices charged at the time (also called nominal prices, which are not adjusted for inflation) and prices adjusted for inflation.
Median prices are based on advertised prices for apartments. Data excludes affordable housing and graduate student housing owned by the universities:
Learn how the rental housing market has changed over time. Topics covered include median rents, rents by neighborhood, available apartments by household size, and rents affordable to housing voucher holders. Prices and unit counts are based on advertised rental listings:
View median sales prices for single family, two family, and three family buildings as well condominiums:
Residents with widely varying incomes are affected differently by the cost of housing. Learn about housing affordability and how it is measured using cost burden:
Different housing programs use different income guidelines to determine eligibility. The guidelines derive from median income levels for the Boston region calculated by the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). These income levels are named "area median income", often called AMI.
Depending on the program, the income limit for City programs ranges from 50% to 120% of AMI:
Every year the Community Development Department compiles an inventory of the housing stock by neighborhood as of June 30. The count includes units under construction and all graduate student apartments. The inventory also counts units and residential properties based on the number of units on a property. Dormitories are not included:
The Census Bureau also counts the number of housing units. This occurs as part of the decennial census conducted every ten years. The decennial census excludes some graduate student apartments and homes in an early stage of construction. Dormitories are not included. The Cambridge inventory is not comparable to Census Bureau housing statistics:
The housing stock of Cambridge has expanded steadily in recent years. Learn how many units the City has added based on data collected from building permits:
The South Middlesex Registry of Deeds records property foreclosures. Measures of property heading toward foreclosure also include foreclosure petitions and scheduled foreclosure auctions:
The Department of Human Service Programs (DHSP) coordinates programs for persons experiencing homelessness in Cambridge. Eash year DHSP conducts an annual Point-in-Time Count of sheltered and unsheltered persons on a single night in January:
The U. S. Census Bureau published a variety of data related to housing. Two frequently cited sources are the Decennial Census and the American Community Survey (ACS).
View and download Census Bureau data at data.census.gov.
The Decennial Census undertakes a complete count of all housing units. This effort occurs every ten years. The most recent census occurred during 2020:
The Census Bureau conducts the ACS on a rolling basis every year. Unlike the decennial census, the ACS is a survey. Only a limited number of households take part every year. The ACS publishes data in one-year and five-year tables:
Educational Institutions in Cambridge house a large proportion of their students. They provide information to the Planning Board about this topic through annual Town Gown reports. Town Gown reports provide information about students housed, the number of dormitory beds, and the number of affiliate housing units owned by local schools:
The Inspectional Services Department (ISD) licenses short term rental housing units. These are units that rent for less than 30 days to a single tenant. A number of services connect owners and customers, most prominently AirBnB. Learn more about licensing short term rental units: