Best Cities for Young Professionals in Massachusetts

High incomes, educated peers, transit access and an under-35 demographic.

Retirees Remote Workers Families Young Professionals Affordability All Rankings →
All United States  ·  Massachusetts

How We Score

Each metric is normalized 0-100 across U.S. cities, then weighted and summed. Cities missing any metric are excluded.

Income · 20% Educated Peers · 15% Young Demographic · 15% Jobs · 15% Transit · 10% Safety · 10% Broadband · 15%

Top 12 Young Professionals Cities in Massachusetts

Ranked by composite score across 7 weighted metrics.

#1
Score 82.2
Wellesley, MA
29,906 residents
Income $250,001
Educated Peers 87.1%
Young Demographic 38 yrs
#2
Score 81
Sharon, MA
6,022 residents
Income $183,239
Educated Peers 83.4%
Young Demographic 40 yrs
#3
Score 79.8
Hingham, MA
5,343 residents
Income $222,696
Educated Peers 79.6%
Young Demographic 42 yrs
#4
Score 77.7
Brookline, MA
62,822 residents
Income $140,631
Educated Peers 85.0%
Young Demographic 35 yrs
#5
Score 77.3
Lexington, MA
34,085 residents
Income $219,402
Educated Peers 85.0%
Young Demographic 47 yrs
#6
Score 77
Winchester, MA
22,862 residents
Income $218,176
Educated Peers 78.4%
Young Demographic 43 yrs
#7
Score 75.5
Needham, MA
32,059 residents
Income $212,241
Educated Peers 80.8%
Young Demographic 43 yrs
#8
Score 75.4
Newton, MA
88,504 residents
Income $184,989
Educated Peers 80.7%
Young Demographic 42 yrs
#9
Score 74.1
Belmont, MA
27,009 residents
Income $178,188
Educated Peers 80.2%
Young Demographic 42 yrs
#10
Score 73.7
Boxford, MA
2,325 residents
Income $238,375
Educated Peers 72.0%
Young Demographic 49 yrs
#11
Score 73.2
Milton, MA
28,481 residents
Income $178,053
Educated Peers 70.4%
Young Demographic 40 yrs
#12
Score 72.9
Cambridge, MA
117,794 residents
Income $126,469
Educated Peers 80.2%
Young Demographic 31 yrs

Full Ranking, Massachusetts

Top 50 cities. Click any city to see its full profile.

1 Wellesley MA 82.2
2 Sharon MA 81
3 Hingham MA 79.8
4 Brookline MA 77.7
5 Lexington MA 77.3
6 Winchester MA 77
7 Needham MA 75.5
8 Newton MA 75.4
9 Belmont MA 74.1
10 Boxford MA 73.7
11 Milton MA 73.2
12 Cambridge MA 72.9
13 Somerville MA 72.1
14 Dover MA 71.3
15 Arlington MA 70.8
16 Medfield MA 70
17 Marblehead MA 69.1
18 Topsfield MA 68.3
19 Reading MA 67.8
20 Lynnfield MA 66.6
21 Melrose MA 65.7
22 Essex MA 65.4
23 Williamstown MA 65.2
24 Northborough MA 64.7
25 Swampscott MA 64.7
26 Medford MA 64.6
27 Wilmington MA 62.4
28 Waltham MA 61.5
29 Duxbury MA 61.3
30 Burlington MA 61.3
31 Newburyport MA 61
32 Boston MA 60.8
33 Walpole MA 60.7
34 Longmeadow MA 60.7
35 Wakefield MA 60.7
36 Malden MA 60.6
37 Norwood MA 60.2
38 Scituate MA 59.2
39 Stoneham MA 58.8
40 Quincy MA 58.6
41 Sturbridge MA 58.5
42 Beverly MA 58.2
43 Maynard MA 57.9
44 Andover MA 57.7
45 Dedham MA 57.6
46 Lunenburg MA 57.3
47 Ipswich MA 56.5
48 Nantucket MA 56.3
49 Hull MA 55.8
50 Westborough MA 55.6

Wellesley, MA tops the list with a composite score of 82.2 out of 100, followed by Sharon and Hingham. MA dominates the top 12 with 12 cities, reflecting strong performance across the weighted metrics for young professionals.

Rankings combine 7 independent metrics: Income, Educated Peers, Young Demographic, Jobs, Transit, Safety, Broadband. Cities are weighted to reflect what matters most to young professionals, and any city missing one or more metrics is excluded to avoid artificially inflated rankings.

Explore Other Best Cities Rankings

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Related Single-Metric Rankings

Highest Income → Most Educated → Youngest Cities →