Why look at Melrose?
- High-cost housing. Median home is $930k — expensive market.
- Stable market. Home values +2.7% year-over-year — neither overheated nor falling.
- Higher tax state. Top marginal income tax rate around 9.0% — factor into salary comparisons.
Where Melrose stands
At or near all-time high.
Home value trajectory · last 10 years
Zillow ZHVI · monthlyLifestyle scores
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 · monthlyHome value vs rent · indexed to 100
Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)Rent vs buy
At a 27.2 price-to-rent ratio, renting beats buying in Melrose for most shorter stays. The premium you pay to own would take many years of saved rent to recover, and that's before maintenance, taxes, and what your down payment could earn elsewhere.
How the momentum score breaks down
methodology →About Melrose (Wikipedia)
Melrose is a city located in the Greater Boston metropolitan area in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Its population as of the 2020 census was 29,817. It is a suburb located approximately seven miles north of Boston. It is situated in the center of the triangle created by Interstates 93, 95 and U.S. Route 1.
Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.
Local safety & alerts
No active National Weather Service alerts for Middlesex County right now.
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.
Neighborhoods of Melrose
7 tracked · ranked by median home valueRun the numbers for Melrose
Massachusetts context
Schools
Melrose is served by 8 public schools enrolling about 3,748 students, with a student-teacher ratio of 14.3:1 — about the same as the US average of ~15:1. Public-school facts are from the NCES Common Core of Data; check ratings and attendance boundaries by exact address below.
Ratings, districts & boundaries:
Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.
Climate & natural-disaster risk
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
Find rentals & listings
Open current Melrose listings on the major real-estate sites.
Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.
Local news & community
Latest news in Melrose
3 from local press- 2 injured in Melrose house fireLOCALWCVB2d ago
- Arrests, Driving Violations, And Harassment: Melrose Police LogLOCALPatch5d ago
- Arrests, Burglaries, And Vandalism: Melrose Police LogLOCALPatch1w ago
- 2 people taken to hospital after fire in MelroseNBC Boston2d ago
- ‘Frantzdy Pierrot Day’ declared in Mass. in honor of Haitian World Cup star who grew up in MelroseWHDH1d ago
- Mass. celebrates Melrose High alum playing for Haiti in World CupAxios1d ago
What locals are saying
- SHOULD I OPEN MY RESTAURANT AT MELROSE AVE – LA ? r/melrose
- Vote! r/melrose
- Anyone know what's up with the D'Amici's closing? r/melrose
- An interesting title r/melrose
- Population Chart r/melrose
Updated 2026-05-28 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Filtered for Melrose-specific coverage. Headlines link to original sources.
Local economy & environment
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.
Find more cities like Melrose
Open the matchmaker pre-filled to match Melrose’s price band, region, and size — refine to taste.
Find more like Melrose →Cities similar to Melrose
Explore other places with comparable momentum or affordability.
Cost-of-ownership at the median
Snapshot assumes a $150k single earner buying at the median home. Your real numbers depend on bracket, deductions, school district, and HOA. Use the affordability calculator and net-pay calculator for your specific case.
Schools & crime context
School quality is district-by-district and varies dramatically within a city. Check GreatSchools or your state DOE rankings for specific schools before deciding. City-level school data coming soon.
Massachusetts: 316 violent crimes per 100K residents (state avg, FBI UCR). Neighborhood-level rates can vary 10× within one city — research specific areas via CrimeGrade or local police data.
Compare to where you live now
Set your current city once and we’ll show the cost delta on every city profile.
Jobs & hiring
In Melrose, unemployment is low at 3.7%, and hiring momentum has been steady. The strongest local sectors are tech, healthcare and remote-friendly roles.
Search current openings: