Best PlacesSouth Dorchester, Boston, MA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around South Dorchester, Boston, 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.
South Dorchester, Boston ranks 2,833rd of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on clean air by a wide margin, and childcare costs are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in South Dorchester, Boston
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.
South Dorchester, Boston's strengths and weaknesses
Where South Dorchester, Boston ranks high
- Air qualityBetter than 90% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than 90% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 85% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than 83% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than 76% of neighborhoods
Where South Dorchester, Boston ranks low
- Cheap childcare$2,304 a month, better than only 2% of neighborhoods
- Short commute34.4 minutes each way, better than only 7% of neighborhoods
- School gradeD−, better than only 8% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than only 17% of neighborhoods
- Nice weatherabout 70 pleasant days a year, better than only 26% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in South Dorchester, Boston
A household needs to earn about $172,000 a year to comfortably buy the median South Dorchester, Boston home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $95,291, 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 South Dorchester, Boston's effective rate of 0.61%, 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 South Dorchester, Boston
South Dorchester, Boston's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for South Dorchester, Boston.
Who works in South Dorchester, Boston, and how
Work in South Dorchester, Boston centers on health care & social and hospitality & food. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 55%
- Work from home 14%
- Transit, walk, or bike 30%
Life in South Dorchester, Boston
South Dorchester, Boston has more parkland per resident than 69% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 12 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of South Dorchester, Boston and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in South Dorchester, Boston, month by month
South Dorchester, Boston 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 South Dorchester, Boston
General Edward Lawrence Logan International sits about 6 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 South Dorchester, Boston
Schools across South Dorchester, Boston average a D−, better than 8% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- GloverA · 70% proficient
- Cunningham SchoolA · 64% proficient
- Murphy K-8 SchoolC+ · 39% proficient
Top middle schools
- Charles S Pierce MiddleA− · 54% proficient
- Frederick Pilot Middle SchoolF · 5% proficient
Top high schools
- Milton HighA · 76% proficient
- North Quincy HighA · 71% proficient
- Burke High SchoolF · 10% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every South Dorchester, Boston school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
South Dorchester, Boston 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 South Dorchester, Boston against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who South Dorchester, Boston suits
Families
Schools land around the 8th percentile and crime safety beats 69%.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in South Dorchester, Boston
Is South Dorchester, Boston a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, South Dorchester, Boston ranks 2,833rd of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on clean air, transit, and walkability, and lowest on childcare costs and long commutes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is South Dorchester, Boston expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $676,079. The overall cost of living runs about 32% above the national average. Set against a $95,291 median income, cost of living beats 38% of neighborhoods.
Is South Dorchester, Boston safe?
Yes, South Dorchester, Boston is safer than 69% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $350 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in South Dorchester, Boston?
July highs average about 86 degrees, and January highs near 42 with lows near 25. That works out to about 70 pleasant days a year, more than 26% of neighborhoods.
Is South Dorchester, Boston good for families?
Schools beat 8% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 69%, and childcare runs $2,304 a month.
Compare South Dorchester, Boston with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to South Dorchester, Boston. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in South Dorchester, Boston 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.
South Dorchester, Boston detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for South Dorchester, Boston: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in South Dorchester, Boston: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of South Dorchester, Boston: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in South Dorchester, Boston: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
South Dorchester, Boston 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.