Boston/Compare
Allston vs Brighton
Allston and Brighton are two official planning neighborhoods in Boston. Brighton is the calmer Part I map (79 vs 74). Brighton wins the errand count. Brighton has the lower ACS median ($2,238).
Data vintage. ACS 2024 5-year · BPD Oct 2025 – Sep 2026 · OSM Sep 2026 · updated Sep 2026
Scores
Fit axes among official Boston planning neighborhoods.
| Axis | Allston | Brighton |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 74 | 79 |
| Schools | 29 | 50 |
| Walk | 16 | 26 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 29 | 23 |
| Median rent | $2,471 | $2,238 |
| Median home | $678,174 | $689,762 |
| Population | 21,650 | 48,045 |
| Commute to Downtown | 24 min | 28 min |
| Commute to Seaport | 32 min | 36 min |
| Commute to Longwood | 16 min | 16 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Allston | Brighton |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 89% | 77% |
| Median age | 27 | 29.4 |
| Median income | $78K | $94K |
| Part I per 1k | 10.4 | 10.3 |
| Groceries / 800m | 28 | 19 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 71 | 144 |
| Parks / 800m | 27 | 37 |
| 311 last 14 days | — | — |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Boston city. Up 65% since 2014. Allston is 15% above the 2024 city median. Brighton is 4% above the 2024 city median.
Overlapping 5-year ACS windows (B25064), not asking rent. Census does not publish a rent series for each official neighborhood, so the line is the city place. Dashed marks are each area’s ACS 2024 median.
Which to pick
The same numbers as the table, in sentences. Nobody wins the city.
Pick Allston if you already want this pocket more than the table. Brighton leads the numbered axes on this page.
Pick Brighton if the school rating nearby is the point and you want the errands on foot. Schools score 50 vs 29. Walk is 26 vs 16. Brighton is tagged family on this map; Allston is not. Read both pages before you decide.
Allston
Harvard Ave and Brighton Ave are the night. Students, late buses, and a rent that still undercuts Back Bay. Brookline is the next city over, not this official polygon.
$2,471 median rent · safety 74 · walk 16
Brighton
The western end of the same student river as Allston, with more two-families. Cleveland Circle and Oak Square are the searches. You will ride the B or C more than you walk downtown.
$2,238 median rent · safety 79 · walk 26
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Allston or Brighton?
Brighton is the lower ACS median: $2,471 vs $2,238. About 77% rent in Brighton vs 89% in Allston. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Allston more walkable than Brighton?
Brighton wins the errand count (walk 16 vs 26). Groceries inside 800 meters: 28 vs 19. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Allston or Brighton?
Brighton is the calmer Part I read (79 vs 74). Combined rate 10.3 vs 10.4 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Allston or Brighton?
Brighton leads the school axis (50 vs 29). Nearby rating is 6.8 / 10 vs 6.2 / 10. Median age 29.4 vs 27. Allston has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
24 minutes from Allston to Downtown, 28 from Brighton. Allston is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official planning neighborhood that is not Allston or Brighton: Fenway. The park, the students, Kenmore, and Longwood as a search that actually sits next door. Game day is a tax. The rest of the week is apartments and hospitals.
Scores are relative among official Boston planning neighborhoods with the same editorial weights. Read the method.