Best Places02186, MA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 02186, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
02186 ranks 482nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on high incomes by a wide margin, and childcare costs are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 02186
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
02186's strengths and weaknesses
Where 02186 ranks high
- Household income$193,017 median, better than 99% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 94% of zip codes
Where 02186 ranks low
- Cheap childcare$2,403 a month, better than only 1% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 62 pleasant days a year, better than only 11% of zip codes
- Short commute31.2 minutes each way, better than only 23% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 27% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 02186
A household needs to earn about $267,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 02186 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $193,017, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 02186's effective rate of 0.94%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 02186
02186's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 02186.
Who works in 02186, and how
Work in 02186 centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 58%
- Work from home 30%
- Transit, walk, or bike 12%
Life in 02186
02186 has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most zip codes and more parkland per resident than 89% of zip codes. The coast is about 16 minutes away. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 02186 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 02186, month by month
02186 sees roughly 62 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 88 degrees. January highs sit near 43, with lows near 22. The comfortable stretch runs May through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 32° | 22° |
| April | 63° | 50° | 38° |
| July | 88° | 75° | 62° |
| October | 69° | 56° | 42° |
Flying in and out of 02186
General Edward Lawrence Logan International sits about 8 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 21.1 million passengers in 2025, with 199 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 02186
Schools across 02186 average an A, better than 90% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- GloverA · 70% proficient
- CollicotA · 66% proficient
- Cunningham SchoolA · 64% proficient
Top middle schools
- Charles S Pierce MiddleA− · 54% proficient
- Randolph Community MiddleC · 31% proficient
- South West Middle SchoolC− · 27% proficient
Top high schools
- Milton HighA · 76% proficient
- Braintree HighA · 68% proficient
- Boston Community Leadership AcademyD+ · 25% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 02186 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
02186 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 02186 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 02186 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 95% of zip codes and 30% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 02186
Is 02186 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 02186 ranks 482nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on high incomes, an educated workforce, and health care access, and lowest on childcare costs and noise. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 02186 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $1,002,715. The overall cost of living runs about 41% above the national average. Set against a $193,017 median income, cost of living beats 95% of zip codes.
Is 02186 safe?
Yes, 02186 is safer than 82% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $211 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 02186?
July highs average about 88 degrees, and January highs near 43 with lows near 22. That works out to about 62 pleasant days a year, more than 11% of zip codes.
Is 02186 good for families?
Schools beat 90% of zip codes, crime safety beats 82%, and childcare runs $2,403 a month.
Compare 02186 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 02186. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 02186 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
02186 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 02186: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 02186: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 02186: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 02186: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
02186 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.