Housing in South Boston at a glance
- Population
- 40,904
- Housing units
- about 19,534
- Median value, owner-occupied homes
- $864,000Boston: $731,700 (+18%)
- Median gross rent
- $2,740 a monthBoston: $2,147 (+27%)
- Owner-occupied homes
- 45.3%Boston: 35.7%
- Homes built before 1980
- 65.4%
- Median year built
- 1947
South Boston is the top of Boston's rent range: renters pay $2,740, the highest in the city and well past the $2,147 in Boston as a whole. Owner estimates are high too, at $864,000, second in the ranking and over Boston's $731,700, and owners account for 45.3% of households, also second. What sets it apart is its housing age, since only 65.4% of homes predate 1980, the smallest share of any sector, and the typical house was built in 1947. East of the city's centre, it sits beside South End, where owner estimates reach $1,178,000, and Roxbury, where they are $633,000 and rents just $1,280. Fenway is nearer in value at $685,000, but only 10.4% of its households own, a very different profile.
Questions about South Boston
What is the median home value in South Boston, Boston?
$864,000 for owner-occupied homes, against $731,700 for Boston as a whole (Payotte estimate from Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year data for the census tracts within the official boundary). It is the owners' own estimate of their home's value, not a sale price.
What is the median rent in South Boston?
$2,740 a month in gross rent (rent plus utilities paid by the renter), against $2,147 in Boston (Payotte estimate from Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year data for the census tracts within the official boundary).
Do most people in South Boston own or rent?
Most rent: 45.3% of occupied homes are owner-occupied, against 35.7% in Boston (Payotte estimate from Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year data for the census tracts within the official boundary).
Data and method
Data as of: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (retrieved 2026-11-02).
Estimate from the 14 census tracts whose internal point lies within the official boundary: counts are summed, and each median is recomputed from the summed value, rent and year-built brackets (grouped median, linear interpolation). The gap with the city is measured with the same method on the whole city. Boundaries used: Boston Planning Department GIS, BPDA Neighborhoods (consulted 2026-11-02).
South Boston is one of the 10 most populous neighborhoods (of 23 in the planning department neighborhood dataset) of Boston: population 40,904 (Boston Population Estimates 2025, Neighborhood Level (City of Boston Planning Department Research Division, Analyze Boston)).
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, tables B01003, B25001, B25003, B25034, B25063, B25064, B25075, B25077; U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer files (census tract internal points). City figures: the same survey, published for Boston as a whole. Home values are owners' estimates, not sale prices.
Near South Boston
The closest sectors of Boston, by distance between population centres.
Other sectors of Boston
Five trades, one spot each
Payotte lists one professional per trade in South Boston. No one is listed yet: every spot is open.
- Real estate agentOpen spot
- Mortgage loan officerOpen spot
- Home inspectorOpen spot
- Real estate attorneyOpen spot
- AppraiserOpen spot
Work in one of these trades in South Boston? Ask for your spot.