Boston/Compare
North End vs South End
North End and South End are two official planning neighborhoods in Boston. North End is the calmer Part I map (95 vs 11). North End wins the errand count. South End has the lower ACS median ($2,274).
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 | North End | South End |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 95 | 11 |
| Schools | 57 | 71 |
| Walk | 25 | 6 |
| Cost fit | 92 | 100 |
| Vibe | 54 | 25 |
| Median rent | $2,728 | $2,274 |
| Median home | $777,320 | $1,182,045 |
| Population | 9,436 | 29,435 |
| Commute to Downtown | 8 min | 10 min |
| Commute to Seaport | 12 min | 14 min |
| Commute to Longwood | 22 min | 12 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | North End | South End |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 78% | 63% |
| Median age | 30.7 | 38.9 |
| Median income | $115K | $129K |
| Part I per 1k | 7.0 | 30.1 |
| Groceries / 800m | 11 | 7 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 93 | 74 |
| Parks / 800m | 86 | 52 |
| 311 last 14 days | — | — |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Boston city. Up 65% since 2014. N End is 27% above 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 North End if the quieter map matters more than the scene and you want the cafes and the night. Safety is 95 vs 11. Vibe is 54 vs 25. Walk is 25 vs 6. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick South End if the rent gap is the point and the school rating nearby is the point. ACS median rent is $2,274 vs $2,728. Schools score 71 vs 57. Read both pages before you decide.
North End
Hanover Street is the postcard. The alleys are where people actually live. You will hear the tourists. You will also walk to a grocery if you picked the right block.
$2,728 median rent · safety 95 · walk 25
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, North End or South End?
South End is the lower ACS median: $2,728 vs $2,274. About 63% rent in South End vs 78% in North End. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is North End more walkable than South End?
North End wins the errand count (walk 25 vs 6). Groceries inside 800 meters: 11 vs 7. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, North End or South End?
North End is the calmer Part I read (95 vs 11). Combined rate 7.0 vs 30.1 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, North End or South End?
South End leads the school axis (71 vs 57). Nearby rating is 7.4 / 10 vs 7.0 / 10. Median age 38.9 vs 30.7. North End has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
8 minutes from North End to Downtown, 10 from South End. North End is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official planning neighborhood that is not North End or South End: 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.
Scores are relative among official Boston planning neighborhoods with the same editorial weights. Read the method.