Brookline, Massachusetts Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Brookline, MA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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A+
Health Top grade
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A+
Income Top grade
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A+
Education Top grade
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Brookline | Massachusetts Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 63,198 | 7,031,620 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 9254.0 | 666.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.86% | 0.53% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 35.3 | 39.0 | 37.3 |
| Households | 27,549 | 2,777,931 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Brookline grew by 11.7% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 63,198 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Brookline is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 26.4% of residents. That is 4.9 points above Massachusetts as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 16,692 26.4% +4.9 pts
- Millennials 29–44 14,511 23.0% +1.0 pts
- Gen X 45–60 11,251 17.8% -3.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 9,511 15.1% -2.2 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Massachusetts, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 54.3% of the people living in Brookline and men 45.7%.
- Women 54.3% Massachusetts 51.2%
- Men 45.7% Massachusetts 48.8%
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Economy
Brookline has a the economy index of A+, which means it is exceptionally prosperous.
| Metric | Brookline | Massachusetts Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $143,651 | $104,336 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.32% | 4.91% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.6% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Brookline is about 38% higher than in Massachusetts.
Housing
| Metric | Brookline | Massachusetts Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $1,239,921 | $494,523 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $2,834 | $1,761 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 46.8% | 62.5% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Brookline is about 36.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $2,834 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Brookline spend about 54 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 225 hours, about 9.4 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Brookline | Massachusetts Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 27.0 | 25.6 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 53.9 | 51.1 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 225 | 213 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,965 | $6,603 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 30.1% | 18.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 25,989 | 14,741 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,197 | 2,164 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Brookline is 27 minutes, longer than the 26 minutes in Massachusetts.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Brookline has a education index of A+, which means it is exceptionally educated.
| Metric | Brookline | Massachusetts Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 80.5% | 42.7% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.24 | 2.44 | 2.53 |
Health
Brookline has a health index of A+, which means it is exceptionally healthy.
| Metric | Brookline | Massachusetts Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 82.5 | 80.5 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 6.6% | 11.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 7.6% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
Brookline, MA Compared With Nearby Cities
Brookline, MA is the 4th largest of the 6 cities compared here, 63,198 residents against a local median of 81,027. The measure that sets Brookline, MA apart most is median home price: $1,239,921, 18% above the local median of $1,053,396.
The cities themselves spread $1,617,455 on median home price, so Brookline, MA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Brookline, MA has the 2nd highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brookline, MA | 63,198 | $143,651 #3/6 | $1,239,921 #2/6 | 27.0 min #4/6 |
| Cambridge, MA | 117,266 | $131,513 | $678,104 | 23.7 min |
| Watertown, MA | 35,594 | $126,987 | $1,053,396 | 26.2 min |
| Newton, MA | 88,909 | $190,683 | $1,092,024 | 25.1 min |
| Somerville, MA | 81,027 | $132,942 | $545,588 | 31.2 min |
| Belmont, MA | 27,165 | $187,422 | $2,163,043 | 30.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Brookline, Massachusetts.
How big is Brookline, Massachusetts by population?
About 63,198 people live in Brookline, Massachusetts, in 27,549 households of 2.2 people on average. The median age is 35.3, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 2 years.
Is Brookline, Massachusetts urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Brookline, Massachusetts has 9,254 people per square mile, a density typical of a city. That is about 107 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Brookline, Massachusetts?
The median home costs 8.6 times the median household income ($1,239,921 against $143,651), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $2,834 a month takes about 24% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Brookline, Massachusetts?
Unemployment in Brookline, Massachusetts is only 3.6%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
How educated are people in Brookline, Massachusetts?
80.5% of adults in Brookline, Massachusetts hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 8 in 10), well above the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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