Boston/Compare
Fenway vs Mission Hill
Fenway and Mission Hill are two official planning neighborhoods in Boston. Mission Hill is the calmer Part I map (68 vs 47). Fenway wins the errand count. Mission Hill has the lower ACS median ($1,785).
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 | Fenway | Mission Hill |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 47 | 68 |
| Schools | 36 | 21 |
| Walk | 19 | 0 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 34 | 12 |
| Median rent | $2,241 | $1,785 |
| Median home | $727,953 | $869,287 |
| Population | 33,093 | 15,407 |
| Commute to Downtown | 14 min | 16 min |
| Commute to Seaport | 20 min | 22 min |
| Commute to Longwood | 8 min | 8 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Fenway | Mission Hill |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 90% | 90% |
| Median age | 23.7 | 27.2 |
| Median income | $62K | $65K |
| Part I per 1k | 14.9 | 11.6 |
| Groceries / 800m | 15 | 5 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 118 | 73 |
| Parks / 800m | 23 | 42 |
| 311 last 14 days | — | — |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Boston city. Up 65% since 2014. Fenway is 4% above the 2024 city median. Mission is 17% below 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 Fenway if you want the cafes and the night and you want the errands on foot. Vibe is 34 vs 12. Walk is 19 vs 0. Schools score 36 vs 21. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Mission Hill if the quieter map matters more than the scene and the rent gap is the point. Safety is 68 vs 47. ACS median rent is $1,785 vs $2,241. Read both pages before you decide.
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
Mission Hill
The hill above the Longwood hospitals. Students, brick, and a walk to the Fens. Quieter than Fenway’s bars, tighter than JP’s porches.
$1,785 median rent · safety 68 · walk 0
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Fenway or Mission Hill?
Mission Hill is the lower ACS median: $2,241 vs $1,785. About 90% rent in Mission Hill vs 90% in Fenway. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Fenway more walkable than Mission Hill?
Fenway wins the errand count (walk 19 vs 0). Groceries inside 800 meters: 15 vs 5. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Fenway or Mission Hill?
Mission Hill is the calmer Part I read (68 vs 47). Combined rate 11.6 vs 14.9 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Fenway or Mission Hill?
Fenway leads the school axis (36 vs 21). Nearby rating is 6.4 / 10 vs 6.0 / 10. Median age 23.7 vs 27.2. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
14 minutes from Fenway to Downtown, 16 from Mission Hill. Fenway is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official planning neighborhood that is not Fenway or Mission Hill: 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.