Boston/Compare
Dorchester vs South Boston
Dorchester and South Boston are two official planning neighborhoods in Boston. South Boston is the calmer Part I map (26 vs 21). Dorchester wins the errand count. Dorchester has the lower ACS median ($1,812).
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 | Dorchester | South Boston |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 21 | 26 |
| Schools | 14 | 61 |
| Walk | 100 | 18 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 95 |
| Vibe | 46 | 18 |
| Median rent | $1,812 | $2,628 |
| Median home | $660,954 | $858,080 |
| Population | 126,527 | 36,766 |
| Commute to Downtown | 22 min | 12 min |
| Commute to Seaport | 20 min | 8 min |
| Commute to Longwood | 26 min | 22 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Dorchester | South Boston |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 63% | 55% |
| Median age | 36.2 | 32.9 |
| Median income | $80K | $166K |
| Part I per 1k | 24.7 | 19.5 |
| Groceries / 800m | 24 | 7 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 431 | 143 |
| Parks / 800m | 120 | 43 |
| 311 last 14 days | — | — |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Boston city. Up 65% since 2014. Dot is 16% below the 2024 city median. Southie is 22% 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 Dorchester if you want the errands on foot and the rent gap is the point. Walk is 100 vs 18. ACS median rent is $1,812 vs $2,628. Vibe is 46 vs 18. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick South Boston if the school rating nearby is the point and the shorter ride to Downtown is the point. Schools score 61 vs 14. 12 vs 22 minutes to Downtown. Read both pages before you decide.
Dorchester
The largest official neighborhood in the set. Dot Ave, Savin Hill, Fields Corner, and Ashmont are searches inside one BPDA line. A median here hides a lot of different 10 p.m.s.
$1,812 median rent · safety 21 · walk 100
South Boston
Southie. Broadway is one 10 p.m.; the Seaport search is another, and the waterfront is its own BPDA polygon we fold here as an alias. The beach is real. The parking is also real.
$2,628 median rent · safety 26 · walk 18
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Dorchester or South Boston?
Dorchester is the lower ACS median: $1,812 vs $2,628. About 63% rent in Dorchester vs 55% in South Boston. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Dorchester more walkable than South Boston?
Dorchester wins the errand count (walk 100 vs 18). Groceries inside 800 meters: 24 vs 7. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Dorchester or South Boston?
South Boston is the calmer Part I read (26 vs 21). Combined rate 19.5 vs 24.7 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Dorchester or South Boston?
South Boston leads the school axis (61 vs 14). Nearby rating is 7.1 / 10 vs 5.8 / 10. Median age 32.9 vs 36.2. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
22 minutes from Dorchester to Downtown, 12 from South Boston. South Boston is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official planning neighborhood that is not Dorchester or South Boston: 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.