Boston/Compare
Fenway vs Roxbury
Fenway and Roxbury are two official planning neighborhoods in Boston. Fenway is the calmer Part I map (47 vs 16). Roxbury wins the errand count. Roxbury has the lower ACS median ($1,278).
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 | Roxbury |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 47 | 16 |
| Schools | 36 | 4 |
| Walk | 19 | 50 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 34 | 45 |
| Median rent | $2,241 | $1,278 |
| Median home | $727,953 | $690,499 |
| Population | 33,093 | 50,658 |
| Commute to Downtown | 14 min | 16 min |
| Commute to Seaport | 20 min | 18 min |
| Commute to Longwood | 8 min | 12 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Fenway | Roxbury |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 90% | 76% |
| Median age | 23.7 | 35 |
| Median income | $62K | $52K |
| Part I per 1k | 14.9 | 26.3 |
| Groceries / 800m | 15 | 9 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 118 | 221 |
| Parks / 800m | 23 | 134 |
| 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. Roxbury is 40% 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 the school rating nearby is the point and the quieter map matters more than the scene. Schools score 36 vs 4. Safety is 47 vs 16. Vibe is 34 vs 45. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Roxbury if the rent gap is the point and you want the errands on foot. ACS median rent is $1,278 vs $2,241. Walk is 50 vs 19. Vibe is 45 vs 34. 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
Roxbury
Dudley, Nubian Square, and a lot of city history in one official line. New infill sits next to older streets. Weight the numbers honestly; do not skip the page.
$1,278 median rent · safety 16 · walk 50
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Fenway or Roxbury?
Roxbury is the lower ACS median: $2,241 vs $1,278. About 76% rent in Roxbury vs 90% in Fenway. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Fenway more walkable than Roxbury?
Roxbury wins the errand count (walk 19 vs 50). Groceries inside 800 meters: 15 vs 9. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Fenway or Roxbury?
Fenway is the calmer Part I read (47 vs 16). Combined rate 14.9 vs 26.3 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Fenway or Roxbury?
Fenway leads the school axis (36 vs 4). Nearby rating is 6.4 / 10 vs 5.5 / 10. Median age 23.7 vs 35. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
14 minutes from Fenway to Downtown, 16 from Roxbury. Fenway is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official planning neighborhood that is not Fenway or Roxbury: 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.