Framingham, MA — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

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Middlesex County · Boston-Cambridge-Newton · population 73,361

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Framingham, MA
Image: Wikipedia · Framingham, Massachusetts
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
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59
Stable
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Framingham stands

At or near all-time high.

Median home $671,407
1-year -0.1%
5-yr CAGR +5.0%
vs 5-yr peak -0.4%
Population +0.3%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2026-02$671k$345k$464k$582k$701k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
40/100
Car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
22/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
67/100
Strong remote-work fit
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$2,326/mo$1,772$2,185$2,598202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent127123100120202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 24.1
Lean rent

At a 24.1 price-to-rent ratio, the math is starting to lean toward renting in Framingham. Owner-occupier ROI requires longer holds and the assumption that prices keep appreciating roughly at the rate of rent.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
50 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
65 · w22%
Distance from peak
88 · w18%
Population growth
52 · w16%
Rent YoY
26 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
69 · w10%
Long thesis

Framingham has held up across the cycle: home values at $671,407 with +5.0% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Framingham's rents are softening (-3.9% YoY) while home values stall (-0.1%). When rents fall, the cap-rate math gets ugly for investors and the 'rent vs buy' equation tilts toward renting — neither helps prices.

About Framingham

Framingham is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, with an estimated population of 73,361. It anchors the Boston-Cambridge-Newton metro area. The median home value in Framingham is $671,407 as of 2026-04, down 0.1% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +5.0% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Framingham average $2,326 per month, down 3.9% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 59 of 100 (Stable). Conditions are neither hot nor cold, so the local fit matters more than market timing.

▲ Bull case

●Held the highs: currently -0.4% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.
○The data is the data: Framingham has at least 5 years of Zillow tracking, full Census identification, and is included in the 2-criteria momentum score on this page.

▼ Bear case

○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Framingham (Wikipedia)

Framingham is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. Incorporated in 1700, it is located in Middlesex County and the MetroWest subregion of the Greater Boston metropolitan area. The city proper covers 25 square miles (65 km2) with a population of 72,362 in 2020, making it the 14th most populous municipality in Massachusetts. Residents voted in favor of adopting a charter to transition from a representative town meeting system to a mayor–council government in April 2017, and the municipality transitioned to city status on January 1, 2018. Before it transitioned, it had been the largest town by population in Massachusetts.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

City facts

MayorCharles Sisitsky
Area26.50 sq mi
Elevation165 ft
Settled1650
Density2889.39/sq mi

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Playbook

Buyer

Lifestyle fit matters more than market timing in a Stable market. Take your time on the home and neighborhood; the macro trend isn't urgent. Negotiate normally.

Seller

Price competitively from day one or risk a 60+ day listing. Staging, photography, and presentation matter more in Stable markets than in Hot ones.

Investor

Stable cap rates, no big appreciation story to lean on. Underwrite this as a pure cash-flow play — the math has to work on rent alone.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Middlesex County right now.

NWS active alerts (MA)Massachusetts Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Middlesex County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Cities like Framingham

Marlborough, MA63 · RisingLynn, MA65 · RisingSalem, MA64 · RisingPeabody, MA61 · Stable

Run the numbers for Framingham

ToolCan I afford Framingham?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Framingham rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Framingham to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolFramingham cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
35° / 21°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
81° / 64°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
200
~55% of year
Annual precip
48″ rain
43″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Moderate
Tornado
Low
Wildfire
Very low
Earthquake
Very low
Flood
Moderate

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Boston-Cambridge-Newton area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Framingham listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
70%
Humid climate
Median household income
$96,500
Massachusetts state median
Top industries (state-level)
TechBiotechEducation/Healthcare

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

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