Boston/Compare
Mattapan vs Roxbury
Mattapan and Roxbury are two official planning neighborhoods in Boston. Mattapan is the calmer Part I map (53 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 | Mattapan | Roxbury |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 53 | 16 |
| Schools | 0 | 4 |
| Walk | 0 | 50 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 0 | 45 |
| Median rent | $1,700 | $1,278 |
| Median home | $549,567 | $690,499 |
| Population | 27,932 | 50,658 |
| Commute to Downtown | 32 min | 16 min |
| Commute to Seaport | 30 min | 18 min |
| Commute to Longwood | 28 min | 12 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Mattapan | Roxbury |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 55% | 76% |
| Median age | 38.7 | 35 |
| Median income | $77K | $52K |
| Part I per 1k | 14.4 | 26.3 |
| Groceries / 800m | 2 | 9 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 108 | 221 |
| Parks / 800m | 21 | 134 |
| 311 last 14 days | — | — |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Boston city. Up 65% since 2014. Mattapan is 21% below 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 Mattapan if the quieter map matters more than the scene. Safety is 53 vs 16. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Roxbury if you want the errands on foot and you want the cafes and the night. Walk is 50 vs 0. Vibe is 45 vs 0. ACS median rent is $1,278 vs $1,700. Read both pages before you decide.
Mattapan
The southern T. More Caribbean grocers than cafes. Cost is the point relative to this Boston set. Weight family and budget, not a night out.
$1,700 median rent · safety 53 · walk 0
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, Mattapan or Roxbury?
Roxbury is the lower ACS median: $1,700 vs $1,278. About 76% rent in Roxbury vs 55% in Mattapan. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Mattapan more walkable than Roxbury?
Roxbury wins the errand count (walk 0 vs 50). Groceries inside 800 meters: 2 vs 9. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Mattapan or Roxbury?
Mattapan is the calmer Part I read (53 vs 16). Combined rate 14.4 vs 26.3 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Mattapan or Roxbury?
Roxbury leads the school axis (4 vs 0). Nearby rating is 5.5 / 10 vs 5.4 / 10. Median age 35 vs 38.7. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
32 minutes from Mattapan to Downtown, 16 from Roxbury. Roxbury is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official planning neighborhood that is not Mattapan or Roxbury: Jamaica Plain. JP: the Pond, Centre Street, and the first stop for people who want a porch without leaving the city line. The Southwest Corridor is the spine.
Scores are relative among official Boston planning neighborhoods with the same editorial weights. Read the method.