A+
Overall Niche Grade
How are grades calculated?
  1. Public Schools
    A+
  2. Crime & Safety
    B+
  3. Housing
    B-
  4. Nightlife
    A-
  5. Good for Families
    A+
  6. Diversity
    A-
  7. Jobs
    B+
  8. Weather
    C
  9. Cost of Living
    C-
  10. Health & Fitness
    A
  11. Outdoor Activities
    A
  12. Commute
    A
View Full Report Card
Population
87,675

Real Estate

Median Home Value
$739,700
National
$178,600
Median Rent
$1,703
National
$928
Area Feel
Suburban
Rent vs. Own
  • Rent
    31%
  • Own
    69%

Newton Rankings

Niche ranks thousands of places to live based on key statistics from the U.S. Census and and expert insights.

Crime & Safety

Crime & Safety
B+
Based on violent and property crime rates.
Violent Crimes
  • Calculated annually per 100,000 residents
National
  • Assault
    55
    0
  • Murder
    0
    0
  • Rape
    13
    41
  • Robbery
    15
    0
Property Crimes
  • Calculated annually per 100,000 residents
National
  • Burglary
    122
    1
  • Theft
    685
    2,081
  • Motor Vehicle Theft
    21
    0

Residents

Diversity
A-
Based on ethnic and economic diversity.
Median Household Income
$122,080
National
$53,889
Children
18%
Education Levels
National
  • Master's degree or higher
    48%
    11%
  • Bachelor's degree
    28%
    19%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    11%
    29%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    10%
    28%
  • Less than high school diploma
    3%
    13%
  • Public Schools
  • Private Schools
  • Colleges
Places like Newton
  • A+
    Belmont
    • Suburb of Boston, MA
    • 23 reviews
  • A+
    Waban
    • Neighborhood in Newton, MA
    • 1 review
  • A+
    West Newton
    • Neighborhood in Newton, MA
    • 19 reviews
  • A+
    Lexington
    • Suburb of Boston, MA
    • 47 reviews
More

Newton Reviews

22 reviews
All Categories
Newton, Massachusetts is a safe, family-oriented city just 5 miles outside of Boston. Due to it's safety, and it's stellar public schools, it is incredibly expensive to live here. The median cost for a home in Newton is over 1 million dollars!
I work as a teacher's aide here and although it's an outstanding public school system, there's practically no diversity when it comes to the educators. I still love working here; I just wish there were more people of color on staff.
Overall Newton, Massachusetts is a great place to work, live and go to school, and I'm fortunate for the opportunity to work here.
Review Newton
We've lived in Newton the past 10 years and have found it to be safe and family oriented with excellent public schools. Looking at some of the other towns listed here that are 15-20 miles outside Boston like Lexington, Sudbury, etc., it's really hard to compare them to Newton because they have small populations and are mostly rural rather than suburban. Newton is a true city with over 85,000 residents and borders Boston/Brookline with public transportation directly into downtown Boston. Many people, who lived in Boston, Cambridge, or Brookline, move to Newton once they have kids because the schools are way better and housing is relatively cheaper (yes, $1 million is expensive, but you'll at least get a 3 bedroom house with land versus a one bedroom condo with no parking spot in Boston). While there are many nice restaurants, nightlife is pretty dead after 9 or 10pm. Residents are generally well educated, come from diverse backgrounds, and are friendly.
Newton is still a fairly safe, clean, family oriented suburb with an extremely close and convenient proximity to Boston. But, it has fallen from what it was 20 years ago, which was a very upscale exclusive large town with impeccable educational standards. Walkability in the city is pathetic overall, and the infrastructure is so old it's just depressing. The Mass pike is a major eye and ear sore and the aesthetics and the impact on the city have been ignored for decades. Most village centers are rundown and dumpy looking compared to other towns, and green space is getting more scarce due to overdevelopment. The push for excessive multi-unit and affordable housing development in Newton has finally taken its toll on many of the neighborhoods and the school system. As the city becomes more and more crowded, exclusivity will be lost and quality will deteriorate.