City safety & data profile

WatertownMA

Watertown, MA is a 32K-resident city in Middlesex County with a median household income of $126,265.

Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Federal health, economic, and safety indicators for Watertown, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, CDC PLACES, and CMS Hospital Compare. Watertown has a population larger than 65% of the 4,640 U.S. cities Areazine tracks, and a median home value of $784,600.

Data updated 2026-07-19

32K
Population
Top 35%
By size
$126,265
Median income
$784,600
Median home
7.5%
Poverty rate

The read on Watertown

Watertown posts a median household income higher than 85% of U.S. cities Areazine tracks.

Top 15%
by median income, US cities

Where Watertown income ranks nationally

Median household income vs. every place Areazine profiles (place-level ACS)

$126,265 Top 15% higher than 85% of 3,889 places Areazine profiles

$0–$20,000: 0 places Areazine profiles (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 71 places Areazine profiles (2%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 788 places Areazine profiles (20%). Below this entry. $60,000–$80,000: 1,055 places Areazine profiles (27%). Below this entry. $80,000–$100,000: 768 places Areazine profiles (20%). Below this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 515 places Areazine profiles (13%). Below this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 308 places Areazine profiles (8%). This entry sits in this band. $140,000–$160,000: 171 places Areazine profiles (4%). Above this entry. $160,000–$180,000: 92 places Areazine profiles (2%). Above this entry. $180,000–$200,000: 47 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $200,000–$220,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $220,000–$240,000: 18 places Areazine profiles (0%). Above this entry. $240,000–$260,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. MA $0 $260,000 every profiled place, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more places Areazine profiles. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (place-level) · 2024 ACS 5-year

The quick read

Reading Watertown, MA beyond the headline numbers

Watertown sits inside Middlesex County, Massachusetts, at roughly 42.37°N, -71.18°W. Population 31,915, $126,265 median household income. Median home value $784,600, median rent $2,502. Poverty rate 7.5%, read against that income figure since two cities on the same median can differ underneath it.

Sources: U.S. Census ACS, CDC PLACES, CMS Hospital Compare, plus live alerts for Watertown from FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC. Comparison bars benchmark each metric against the national reference.

Population
31,915
Watertown
Median Income
$126,265
+86% vs avg
Median Home Value
$784,600
+245% vs avg
Median Age
39.4
years

10-Year Trends 2013–2024

County-level trend (Middlesex County) - Watertown's own historical series isn't separately published by the Census Bureau, so these year-over-year figures track the surrounding county, not the city alone.

20132024
Population
1.6M+8%
Median Income
$130,847+59%
Median Home Value
$727,800+83%
Poverty Rate
7.7%-5%
Unemployment
4.3%-41%

Economics

Economics indicators for Watertown, MA
IndicatorValue
Median Rent
$2,502/mo
Poverty Rate
7.5% -47% vs avg
Unemployment 5.3%
Bachelor's Degree+ 66.5%
Work From Home 29.1%
Public Transit 6.6%

Population

White 71.3%
African American 3.8%
Asian 11.7%
Two or More Ethnicities 7.2%

Frequently Asked Questions 4

What is the population of Watertown, MA? ▼
Watertown, MA has a population of 31,915 people, located in Middlesex County, Massachusetts.
What is the median household income in Watertown? ▼
The median household income in Watertown, MA is $126,265 per year, per the U.S. Census ACS. The poverty rate is 7.5%.
What is the median home value in Watertown? ▼
The median home value in Watertown, MA is $784,600. Median rent is $2,502/month.
What is the median age in Watertown? ▼
The median age in Watertown, MA is 39.4 years. 66.5% of residents have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Safety Context

Watertown, MA is located in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. With a population of 32K and a $126,265 median household income, Safety alerts for the Watertown area are monitored from federal and state agencies including FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC.

Safety Guides

How Product Recalls Work

CPSC, FDA & NHTSA recall process explained

Understanding Weather Alerts

Watch vs warning vs advisory explained

Earthquake Magnitude Explained

What the numbers mean & when to act
All safety guides →

Primary source data

EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data

Federal monitoring network, every measurement we report

AirNow - Massachusetts

Real-time AQI for every monitored Massachusetts location

National Weather Service

NOAA active watches, warnings, advisories

CDC Air Quality & Health

Health-impact reference for every AQI category

EPA NAAQS standards

National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the regulatory thresholds

Nearby Cities 8

Belmont, MA 25K Newtonville, MA 11K Brighton, MA 46K Newton, MA 89K Chestnut Hill, MA 24K Arlington, MA 43K Waltham, MA 63K Allston, MA 29K
All cities in Massachusetts → Compare Watertown vs Belmont → All comparisons → Browse all cities

Using Watertown's profile

Use this as a starting research checklist, not a verdict on whether to live here.

  • Check live recalls, weather and hazard alerts scoped to the Watertown area before relying on national headlines. Check your area
  • Read the poverty rate alongside the income figure, two places with the same median can have very different realities.
  • Compare Watertown against Massachusetts peers on any ranking lens. Explore Massachusetts

Population and economics (income, home value, poverty, education) are place-level U.S. Census ACS; health is CDC PLACES; hospital counts reflect facilities in and around the city.

Data Sources

All data on this page comes from official U.S. government sources. Population and economic data from the Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates, place geography). Health data from the CDC PLACES program (2023). Hospital ratings from CMS Hospital Compare (2024). Climate data from NOAA. Education data from NCES. Cost of living from Bureau of Economic Analysis. Crime statistics, where referenced on Areazine, originate from the FBI Crime Data Explorer. Housing market figures referenced on Areazine come from HUD Fair Market Rents. Census economics and population are at place geography; some health and hospital indicators are reported at the county level (Middlesex County) where that is the smallest published unit.

Every figure on Areazine is published directly from official U.S. government sources, no number is typed in by an editor. City demographic and health figures are compiled directly from U.S. Census, CDC, and CMS releases, updated quarterly within 30 days of upstream release. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.