Boston/Compare
Beacon Hill vs Brighton
Beacon Hill and Brighton are two official planning neighborhoods in Boston. Brighton is the calmer Part I map (79 vs 42). Beacon Hill 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 | Beacon Hill | Brighton |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 42 | 79 |
| Schools | 100 | 50 |
| Walk | 34 | 26 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 67 | 23 |
| Median rent | $2,492 | $2,238 |
| Median home | $1,346,103 | $689,762 |
| Population | 8,026 | 48,045 |
| Commute to Downtown | 8 min | 28 min |
| Commute to Seaport | 14 min | 36 min |
| Commute to Longwood | 18 min | 16 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Beacon Hill | Brighton |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 60% | 77% |
| Median age | 38.2 | 29.4 |
| Median income | $169K | $94K |
| Part I per 1k | 15.6 | 10.3 |
| Groceries / 800m | 14 | 19 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 98 | 144 |
| Parks / 800m | 110 | 37 |
| 311 last 14 days | — | — |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Boston city. Up 65% since 2014. Beacon is 16% 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 Beacon Hill if the school rating nearby is the point and you want the cafes and the night. Schools score 100 vs 50. Vibe is 67 vs 23. 8 vs 28 minutes to Downtown. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Brighton if the quieter map matters more than the scene and the rent gap is the point. Safety is 79 vs 42. ACS median rent is $2,238 vs $2,492. Read both pages before you decide.
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
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, Beacon Hill or Brighton?
Brighton is the lower ACS median: $2,492 vs $2,238. About 77% rent in Brighton vs 60% in Beacon Hill. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Beacon Hill more walkable than Brighton?
Beacon Hill wins the errand count (walk 34 vs 26). Groceries inside 800 meters: 14 vs 19. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Beacon Hill or Brighton?
Brighton is the calmer Part I read (79 vs 42). Combined rate 10.3 vs 15.6 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Beacon Hill or Brighton?
Beacon Hill leads the school axis (100 vs 50). Nearby rating is 8.2 / 10 vs 6.8 / 10. Median age 38.2 vs 29.4. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
8 minutes from Beacon Hill to Downtown, 28 from Brighton. Beacon Hill is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official planning neighborhood that is not Beacon Hill or Brighton: 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.