50fit
Roxbury
$1K median rent
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.
Family streetsWalk 50Safety 16
Boston/West Roxbury
50fit
West Roxbury
Official planning neighborhood: West Roxbury
Data vintage. ACS 2024 5-year · BPD Oct 2025 – Sep 2026 · OSM Sep 2026 · updated Sep 2026
The most house-like official neighborhood in this Boston set. Centre Street, lawns, and a drive to almost every night that is not a pizza. Weight family and safety.
centre street west roxbury
Best in Boston for familiesWalkable BostonUnder $2,500 rent
Why this score
Safety
84
24 violent · 261 property · 9.1 per 1k (Oct 2025 – Sep 2026)+34 vs city set
Schools
93
Rating 8.0 / 10 nearby+45 vs city set
Walk
19
OSM: 6 groceries · 1 cafes · 191 transit · 19 parks-8 vs city set
Cost
100
$1,941 ACS median vs your rent budget+7 vs city set
Vibe
2
OSM: 1 cafes · 17 restaurants · 0 bars · 19 parks-31 vs city set
Commute to work
From West Roxbury, a typical weekday is 34 min to Downtown, 38 min to Seaport, 28 min to Longwood. Not live traffic.
Longwood is the fastest of these three job centers from here.
Downtown
34 min
Downtown Crossing, Financial District · +18 min vs the city-set median
Seaport
38 min
Innovation District, the waterfront · +19 min vs the city-set median
Longwood
28 min
Hospitals, medical offices · +10 min vs the city-set median · fastest of these three
Minutes are baked from neighborhood geography to three job centers — not Google, not this hour’s traffic.
Cost of living
The ACS median rent is $1,941 — every occupied rental mixed together, not the 1-bed in the window.
That is 19% of median household income — under the 30% HUD line. A household at this area’s median income ($125K) could “afford” about $3,113 a month at 30% of pay.
39% of households rent. Median home value is $749,475.
ACS median rent
$1,941
30% income budget
$3,113
Rent / income
19%
Median home
$749,475
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Boston city. Up 65% since 2014. West Roxbury is 10% 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. The dashed mark is this area’s ACS 2024 median.
HUD treats 30% of income as the cost-burden line. We do not split ACS rent into 1-bed vs 2-bed. Method.
Within a walk
Within a short walk of this official planning neighborhood: 6 groceries, 1 cafe, 19 parks, and 191 transit stops.
A grocery run on foot is possible; some trips will still need a ride. Parks are close — 19 mapped parks in that radius. Transit is dense (191 stops or stations).
1 cafes and 17 restaurants sit in the same radius.
OpenStreetMap, 800 meters. Not a Walk Score license. More groceries than 4 of the other 19 areas in this city.
Population
31,557
Median age
42.6
Median income
$125K
Renters
39%
Bachelor+
64%
Violent / 1k
0.8
Property / 1k
8.3
ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024) · 9 census tracts · BPD Oct 2025 – Sep 2026 · OSM 2026-09-10
Family streets
Crime is BPD Part I reports per 1,000 ACS residents — not a judgment of who lives here. Home and rent figures are ACS medians, not live MLS. Read the method.
On the ground
What it is like to live here, beyond the scores.
The most house-like official neighborhood in this Boston set. Centre Street, lawns, and a drive to almost every night that is not a pizza. Part I is among the lowest here. Weight family and safety.
You will own a car. The Needham Line helps some blocks. Roslindale is the village next door. Hyde Park is the southern neighbor. JP is the porch-and-T version of west-of-downtown if the lawn was not the point.
Compiled from Zillow neighborhood guides, 5280 Magazine, Chicago and San Francisco resident guides, Mpls With Love, Eastside LA reporting, Seattle Times coverage, Boston planning-neighborhood writing, and local writing, 2025–2026. Editorial — not part of the fit score.
On Reddit
Public posts from r/boston that mention this neighborhood. Not Nextdoor, not people on this block, and not part of the fit score.
No r/boston posts in this snapshot mentioned West Roxbury.
Last 90 days, snapshot 2026-09-01. Method.
Common questions
Straight answers from the numbers on this page.
Is West Roxbury safe?
West Roxbury sits on the quieter side of this Boston map (safety 84 vs city 50). BPD logged 0.8 violent and 8.3 property incidents per 1,000 residents — 9.1 combined. Visitors count in those numbers. This is not a judgment of who lives here.
What is rent in West Roxbury?
ACS median rent is $1,941 — studios through large apartments mixed together. About 39% of households rent. Median home value is $749,475. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is West Roxbury walkable?
Walk is 19 here vs 27 for the Boston set — you will likely drive or ride for a weekly shop. Inside 800 meters: 6 groceries, 1 cafes, 191 transit stops, 19 parks. Not a Walk Score license.
Is West Roxbury good for families?
The scores lean family relative to this city set. Nearby school rating is 8.0 / 10. Median age is 42.6. That rating is not your assigned campus.
How long is the commute from West Roxbury?
34 typical weekday minutes to Downtown. Not the app on your phone this hour. Other job centers are further down this page.
How many people live in West Roxbury?
About 31,557 people. Median income $125K. 64% have a bachelor's or higher.
What neighborhoods are next to West Roxbury?
Roslindale, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain sit closest on this map. If you are choosing between two official planning neighborhoods, start with West Roxbury vs Roslindale.
Next door
Adjacent on the map, ranked with your weights.
West Roxbury vs RoslindaleWest Roxbury vs Hyde ParkWest Roxbury vs Jamaica Plain
46fit
Jamaica Plain
$2K median rent
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.
Family streetsWaterfrontWalk 23Safety 37
43fit
Roslindale
$2K median rent
Rozzie Square is the village. The Arnold Arboretum is the park you share with JP. More house than South End, less trip than West Roxbury.
Family streetsWalk 5Safety 100
42fit
Hyde Park
$2K median rent
The southern edge. More house than brick, more car than T. Readville and the river are the quieter searches. Downtown is a trip, not a walk.
Family streetsWalk 20Safety 63
28fit
Mattapan
$2K median rent
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.
Family streetsWalk 0Safety 53