Boston/Compare
Allston vs Fenway
Allston and Fenway are two official planning neighborhoods in Boston. Allston is the calmer Part I map (74 vs 47). Walk is a wash (16 vs 19). Fenway has the lower ACS median ($2,241).
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 | Fenway |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 74 | 47 |
| Schools | 29 | 36 |
| Walk | 16 | 19 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 29 | 34 |
| Median rent | $2,471 | $2,241 |
| Median home | $678,174 | $727,953 |
| Population | 21,650 | 33,093 |
| Commute to Downtown | 24 min | 14 min |
| Commute to Seaport | 32 min | 20 min |
| Commute to Longwood | 16 min | 8 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Allston | Fenway |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 89% | 90% |
| Median age | 27 | 23.7 |
| Median income | $78K | $62K |
| Part I per 1k | 10.4 | 14.9 |
| Groceries / 800m | 28 | 15 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 71 | 118 |
| Parks / 800m | 27 | 23 |
| 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. Fenway 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 the quieter map matters more than the scene. Safety is 74 vs 47. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Fenway if you want the cafes and the night and the shorter ride to Downtown is the point. Vibe is 34 vs 29. 14 vs 24 minutes to Downtown. ACS median rent is $2,241 vs $2,471. 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
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.
$2,241 median rent · safety 47 · walk 19
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Allston or Fenway?
Fenway is the lower ACS median: $2,471 vs $2,241. About 90% rent in Fenway vs 89% in Allston. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Allston more walkable than Fenway?
Walk is basically a tie (16 vs 19). Count groceries if you care: 28 in Allston vs 15 in Fenway, inside 800 meters.
Which is safer on this map, Allston or Fenway?
Allston is the calmer Part I read (74 vs 47). Combined rate 10.4 vs 14.9 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Allston or Fenway?
Fenway leads the school axis (36 vs 29). Nearby rating is 6.4 / 10 vs 6.2 / 10. Median age 23.7 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, 14 from Fenway. Fenway is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official planning neighborhood that is not Allston or Fenway: Back Bay. Newbury, the brownstones, the Public Garden. Bay Village is a search term that sits inside the same planning neighborhood. You pay for the postcard and for the visitors who shop it.
Scores are relative among official Boston planning neighborhoods with the same editorial weights. Read the method.