Boston/Compare
Mission Hill vs South End
Mission Hill and South End are two official planning neighborhoods in Boston. Mission Hill is the calmer Part I map (68 vs 11). South End 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 | Mission Hill | South End |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 68 | 11 |
| Schools | 21 | 71 |
| Walk | 0 | 6 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 12 | 25 |
| Median rent | $1,785 | $2,274 |
| Median home | $869,287 | $1,182,045 |
| Population | 15,407 | 29,435 |
| Commute to Downtown | 16 min | 10 min |
| Commute to Seaport | 22 min | 14 min |
| Commute to Longwood | 8 min | 12 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Mission Hill | South End |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 90% | 63% |
| Median age | 27.2 | 38.9 |
| Median income | $65K | $129K |
| Part I per 1k | 11.6 | 30.1 |
| Groceries / 800m | 5 | 7 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 73 | 74 |
| Parks / 800m | 42 | 52 |
| 311 last 14 days | — | — |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Boston city. Up 65% since 2014. Mission is 17% below the 2024 city median. S End is 6% 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 Mission Hill if the quieter map matters more than the scene and the rent gap is the point. Safety is 68 vs 11. ACS median rent is $1,785 vs $2,274. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick South End if the school rating nearby is the point and you want the cafes and the night. Schools score 71 vs 21. Vibe is 25 vs 12. 10 vs 16 minutes to Downtown. Read both pages before you decide.
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
South End
SoWa, brownstones, and a grid that walks. Tremont and Washington are the strips. Quieter than Back Bay’s shopping, denser than JP.
$2,274 median rent · safety 11 · walk 6
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Mission Hill or South End?
Mission Hill is the lower ACS median: $1,785 vs $2,274. About 90% rent in Mission Hill vs 63% in South End. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Mission Hill more walkable than South End?
South End wins the errand count (walk 0 vs 6). Groceries inside 800 meters: 5 vs 7. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Mission Hill or South End?
Mission Hill is the calmer Part I read (68 vs 11). Combined rate 11.6 vs 30.1 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Mission Hill or South End?
South End leads the school axis (71 vs 21). Nearby rating is 7.4 / 10 vs 6.0 / 10. Median age 38.9 vs 27.2. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
16 minutes from Mission Hill to Downtown, 10 from South End. South End is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official planning neighborhood that is not Mission Hill or South End: 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.
Scores are relative among official Boston planning neighborhoods with the same editorial weights. Read the method.