Other Data Sources

Within the City

  • Cambridge Open Data: Cambridge City departments are making many datasets available on the Cambridge Open Data portal; this is a smart place to start almost any search for municipal data.
  • Assessing Information and Parcel Maps
    • Approximately 15,000 taxable parcels of land exist in the City of Cambridge. Information and maps describing individual land parcels are available from the Assessing Department through the City of Cambridge web site. You can research taxes and ownership associated with a parcel, print out a map of the parcel, print out a map of an entire assessing block, or print out all the pages needed to complete a tax map atlas of the City of Cambridge.
    • If you wish to research a particular parcel you first need to determine its map and lot number. Using the street address you can locate map and lot numbers through the online Cambridge Assessor's Database. The Cambridge Assessor's Database provides parcel by parcel information about properties in Cambridge, including size, owner and assessed value. Use the street address to look up information about a parcel.
    • You can use the CityView Parcel Viewer to locate a parcel within the City, view a property record card, learn about recent comparable sales and link to a block map for the parcel.
    • Assessing block maps are available through the Cambridge Tax Atlas. Use this link to print all the pages needed to produce a complete Tax Atlas of the City of Cambridge. To place a lot in the context of abutting properties print the Assessing Block Map containing the parcel.
  • Crime Statistics: Crime statistics are available through the Cambridge Police Department Data Center and the Cambridge Police Department Data Dashboard. Note that the neighborhood boundaries used by the Police Department differ in a few instances from those employed by the Community Development Department.
  • Development Log: The Development Log tracks larger-scale residential and commercial development projects.  Projects tracked include those with more than 50,000 square feet of gross floor area or 10 housing units or that include substantial funding from the City of Cambridge.  The Development Log is updated quarterly.
  • Education Statistics: In addition to information available through the Cambridge School Department, the Massachusetts Department of Education makes available a wide range of data both about the school system as a whole and individual schools and about public charter schools located within the City.
  • Elections Commission: The Elections Commission conducts the annual city census required by state law, which forms the basis for the annual Street Listing published by the City. The city census is intended primarily as a means of determining eligibility to vote within the City and has limited utility as a source of statistics.  While responses are mandated by law, in practice many gaps occur and the figures generated cannot be used as the basis for evaluating characteristics of the population. To learn more about the annual city census, please contact the Elections Commission at 617/349-4361.
  • MyCambridge: The MyCambridge web page is easy way learn all about a parcel or address.  Just enter a Cambridge address into the search box and My Cambridge returns a range of information about the location and the neighborhood in which the parcel is located.

Elsewhere on the Web

  • Data.census.gov: The first stop for all U. S. Census Bureau data.
  • Metro Boston Data Common: The Metropolitan Area Planning Council maintains this data center on topics like the arts, education, the environment and transportation.
  • QWI Explorer: This U.S. Census Bureau tool allows users to analyze employment data easily.

Resources around the web for geographical data and mapping are available on our Mapping Tools page.

For More Information

For more information about socioeconomic and demographic statistics about Cambridge, please contact Cliff Cook, ccook@cambridgema.gov, Planning Information Manager, at 617/349-4656.