Boston/Compare
Fenway vs West End
Fenway and West End are two official planning neighborhoods in Boston. Fenway is the calmer Part I map (47 vs 32). Walk is a wash (19 vs 22). Fenway has the lower ACS median ($2,241).
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 | West End |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 47 | 32 |
| Schools | 36 | 32 |
| Walk | 19 | 22 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 75 |
| Vibe | 34 | 38 |
| Median rent | $2,241 | $3,346 |
| Median home | $727,953 | $824,636 |
| Population | 33,093 | 8,249 |
| Commute to Downtown | 14 min | 8 min |
| Commute to Seaport | 20 min | 14 min |
| Commute to Longwood | 8 min | 18 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Fenway | West End |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 90% | 84% |
| Median age | 23.7 | 34.1 |
| Median income | $62K | $143K |
| Part I per 1k | 14.9 | 19.0 |
| Groceries / 800m | 15 | 13 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 118 | 100 |
| Parks / 800m | 23 | 73 |
| 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. W End is 56% 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 Fenway if the rent gap is the point and the quieter map matters more than the scene. ACS median rent is $2,241 vs $3,346. Safety is 47 vs 32. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick West End if the shorter ride to Downtown is the point. 8 vs 14 minutes to Downtown. 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
West End
MGH, the Garden, and towers that replaced a neighborhood. New rental, high median, and a walk to the river. You live here for the job and the T, not a main street.
$3,346 median rent · safety 32 · walk 22
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Fenway or West End?
Fenway is the lower ACS median: $2,241 vs $3,346. About 90% rent in Fenway vs 84% in West End. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Fenway more walkable than West End?
Walk is basically a tie (19 vs 22). Count groceries if you care: 15 in Fenway vs 13 in West End, inside 800 meters.
Which is safer on this map, Fenway or West End?
Fenway is the calmer Part I read (47 vs 32). Combined rate 14.9 vs 19.0 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Fenway or West End?
Fenway leads the school axis (36 vs 32). Nearby rating is 6.4 / 10 vs 6.3 / 10. Median age 23.7 vs 34.1. West End has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
14 minutes from Fenway to Downtown, 8 from West End. West End is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official planning neighborhood that is not Fenway or West End: 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.