Best PlacesArea IV, Cambridge, MA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Area IV, Cambridge, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The coast is close, and the measures below put a number on how close. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Area IV, Cambridge ranks 696th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on biking by a wide margin, and childcare costs are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in Area IV, Cambridge
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.
Area IV, Cambridge's strengths and weaknesses
Where Area IV, Cambridge ranks high
- BikingBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than 91% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than 91% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than 90% of neighborhoods
Where Area IV, Cambridge ranks low
- Cheap childcare$1,897 a month, better than only 9% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than only 18% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than only 24% of neighborhoods
- Nice weatherabout 70 pleasant days a year, better than only 25% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 34% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Area IV, Cambridge
A household needs to earn about $243,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Area IV, Cambridge home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $117,478, 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 Area IV, Cambridge's effective rate of 0.71%, 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 Area IV, Cambridge
Area IV, Cambridge runs younger than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Area IV, Cambridge.
Who works in Area IV, Cambridge, and how
Work in Area IV, Cambridge centers on education and professional & technical. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 18%
- Work from home 28%
- Transit, walk, or bike 54%
Life in Area IV, Cambridge
Area IV, Cambridge has more restaurants and bars per resident than 85% of neighborhoods and more late-night spots per resident than 77% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 10 minutes away. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Area IV, Cambridge and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Area IV, Cambridge, month by month
Area IV, Cambridge sees roughly 70 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 86 degrees. January highs sit near 42, with lows near 25. The comfortable stretch runs May through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 32° | 25° |
| April | 60° | 49° | 40° |
| July | 86° | 75° | 67° |
| October | 67° | 57° | 49° |
Flying in and out of Area IV, Cambridge
General Edward Lawrence Logan International sits about 5 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 Area IV, Cambridge
Schools across Area IV, Cambridge average a B+, better than 79% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Amigos SchoolB+ · 51% proficient
- CambridgeportB · 45% proficient
- Fletcher/maynard AcademyC · 34% proficient
Top middle schools
- Putnam Avenue Upper SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
Top high schools
- Cambridge Rindge And LatinA− · 65% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Area IV, Cambridge school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Area IV, Cambridge 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 Area IV, Cambridge against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Area IV, Cambridge
Is Area IV, Cambridge a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Area IV, Cambridge ranks 696th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on biking, walkability, and cell coverage, and lowest on childcare costs and internet speeds. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Area IV, Cambridge expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $942,934. The overall cost of living runs about 65% above the national average. Set against a $117,478 median income, cost of living beats 41% of neighborhoods.
Is Area IV, Cambridge safe?
Yes, Area IV, Cambridge is safer than 61% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $384 per resident a year.
Compare Area IV, Cambridge with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Area IV, Cambridge. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Area IV, Cambridge 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.
Area IV, Cambridge detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Area IV, Cambridge: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Area IV, Cambridge: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Area IV, Cambridge: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Area IV, Cambridge: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Area IV, Cambridge 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.