Boston/Compare
Back Bay vs Beacon Hill
Back Bay and Beacon Hill are two official planning neighborhoods in Boston. Beacon Hill is the calmer Part I map (42 vs 0). Beacon Hill wins the errand count. Beacon Hill has the lower ACS median ($2,492).
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 | Back Bay | Beacon Hill |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 0 | 42 |
| Schools | 93 | 100 |
| Walk | 26 | 34 |
| Cost fit | 88 | 100 |
| Vibe | 58 | 67 |
| Median rent | $2,853 | $2,492 |
| Median home | $1,568,816 | $1,346,103 |
| Population | 16,912 | 8,026 |
| Commute to Downtown | 10 min | 8 min |
| Commute to Seaport | 16 min | 14 min |
| Commute to Longwood | 12 min | 18 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Back Bay | Beacon Hill |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 68% | 60% |
| Median age | 36.2 | 38.2 |
| Median income | $131K | $169K |
| Part I per 1k | 81.5 | 15.6 |
| Groceries / 800m | 11 | 14 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 95 | 98 |
| Parks / 800m | 78 | 110 |
| 311 last 14 days | — | — |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Boston city. Up 65% since 2014. Back Bay is 33% above the 2024 city median. Beacon is 16% 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 Back Bay if you already want this pocket more than the table. Beacon Hill leads the numbered axes on this page.
Pick Beacon Hill if the quieter map matters more than the scene and you want the cafes and the night. Safety is 42 vs 0. Vibe is 67 vs 58. ACS median rent is $2,492 vs $2,853. Read both pages before you decide.
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.
$2,853 median rent · safety 0 · walk 26
Beacon Hill
Gas lamps, brick, and a hill that actually is a hill. Charles Street is the errand. The Common is the lawn. Quieter than Back Bay, tighter than it looks on a map.
$2,492 median rent · safety 42 · walk 34
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Back Bay or Beacon Hill?
Beacon Hill is the lower ACS median: $2,853 vs $2,492. About 60% rent in Beacon Hill vs 68% in Back Bay. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Back Bay more walkable than Beacon Hill?
Beacon Hill wins the errand count (walk 26 vs 34). Groceries inside 800 meters: 11 vs 14. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Back Bay or Beacon Hill?
Beacon Hill is the calmer Part I read (42 vs 0). Combined rate 15.6 vs 81.5 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Back Bay or Beacon Hill?
Beacon Hill leads the school axis (100 vs 93). Nearby rating is 8.2 / 10 vs 8.0 / 10. Median age 38.2 vs 36.2. Back Bay has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
10 minutes from Back Bay to Downtown, 8 from Beacon Hill. Beacon Hill is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official planning neighborhood that is not Back Bay or Beacon Hill: South End. SoWa, brownstones, and a grid that walks. Tremont and Washington are the strips. Quieter than Back Bay’s shopping, denser than JP.
Scores are relative among official Boston planning neighborhoods with the same editorial weights. Read the method.