In short
The median value of owner-occupied homes is $607,400 in Massachusetts and $722,800 in the city of Boston, against $360,600 nationwide (Census ACS 2024). On the FHFA index, Massachusetts prices up 3.6% and Boston-area prices up 4.6% from Q2 2025 to Q2 2026.
The latest one-year ACS estimates cover 2024. The Census Bureau’s schedule, updated October 13, 2026, lists the 2025 one-year estimates for release on October 29, 2026, so the figures below will change at that point.
What it costs: median value in 2024
| Area | Median value, 2024 | Margin of error (90%) |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $360,600 | ±$618 |
| Massachusetts | $607,400 | ±$3,979 |
| Boston–Cambridge–Newton, MA-NH metro area | $681,100 | ±$4,127 |
| Suffolk County | $708,600 | ±$16,066 |
| City of Boston | $722,800 | ±$17,355 |
Source: Census ACS 2024, table B25077; owners’ own estimates, not sale prices.
Three points stand out:
- The Massachusetts median is $246,800 above the national median.
- The city of Boston sits $115,400 above the Massachusetts median and $41,700 above the Boston–Cambridge–Newton metro median.
- The city figure carries a margin of error of ±$17,355, so Boston’s true median is very likely between about $705,400 and $740,200.
How prices have moved: the FHFA index
FHFA publishes purchase-only indexes for metro divisions; the one that contains the city of Boston is “Boston, MA (MSAD)”.
| Area | 1-year change (Q2 2025 to Q2 2026) | 5-year change (Q2 2021 to Q2 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| United States | +2.1% | +33.4% |
| Massachusetts | +3.6% | +35.0% |
| Boston, MA metro division | +4.6% | +32.4% |
Source: FHFA HPI, purchase-only, Q2 2026 (release of August 25, 2026); changes by Payotte.
Massachusetts prices rose faster than the national index over the past year (3.6% against 2.1%) and slightly faster over five years (35.0% against 33.4%). The Boston metro division gained more than the state over one year, but a little less over five.
A worked example
Take a Boston-area home worth $500,000 in the second quarter of 2021. Tracking the Boston metro division index exactly, it would have been worth about $662,000 in the second quarter of 2026 (+32.4%), including a gain of roughly $29,000 over the last year (+4.6%). A single home can differ widely from the index.
How to use these figures when buying
Closing costs come on top: our Massachusetts closing costs guide covers who pays what, and buying a home in Boston applies these numbers to the city. At these price levels, help with the down payment matters: see the Massachusetts first-time buyer programs.
Method and dataset
ACS median value. ACS 1-Year 2024, table B25077. Geographies: United States (0100000US), Massachusetts (0400000US25), Boston–Cambridge–Newton, MA-NH metro area (310M700US14460), Suffolk County (0500000US25025), Boston city (1600000US2507000). Read through the data.census.gov API on October 13, 2026.
FHFA index. FHFA HPI (purchase-only, seasonally adjusted), state series (Massachusetts), metro series (Boston, MA metro division, code 14454) and U.S. series. Index values used: Massachusetts 465.62 (Q2 2025), 357.57 (Q2 2021) and 482.57 (Q2 2026); Boston metro division 495.35, 391.26 and 518.05; United States 426.58, 326.58 and 435.69.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median home value in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts’s 2024 ACS median home value is $607,400 (±$3,979), against $360,600 for the nation: owners’ own estimates, not sale prices.
What is the median home value in Boston?
For the city of Boston, the 2024 ACS median value is $722,800 (±$17,355). Suffolk County is at $708,600 and the Boston–Cambridge–Newton metro area at $681,100.
Are Massachusetts home prices going up or down?
FHFA’s purchase-only index shows Massachusetts prices rose 3.6% over the year to Q2 2026, and the Boston metro division rose 4.6%. Over five years, they rose 35.0% and 32.4%.
How Massachusetts compares with the other States
At $607,400, Massachusetts ranks 3rd of the 50 States for median home value, in the top ten and 68% above the national $360,600.
The States closest in median value are Washington ($602,200) and Colorado ($574,600). The range runs from $170,800 in West Virginia to $875,900 in Hawaii; Massachusetts is $267,900 above the middle of that ranking (Wyoming).
On the FHFA index, Massachusetts prices rose 3.6% over the year to the second quarter of 2026, which places the State 16th of 50, 1.5 points ahead of the national +2.1%. Over five years the gain is +35% (32nd of 50; nation +33.4%).
Level and direction point the same way: Massachusetts is among the dearest States and among those where prices rose fastest this year.
Over five years, Massachusetts's +35% annualises to +6.2% a year (nation +5.9%). The latest year (+3.6%) is 2.6 points under that average, a slower pace than the five-year average.
Boston, the main city, has a median of $722,800, 6th of the 49 main cities Payotte covers. That is 19% above the Massachusetts median, a premium that ranks 16th of 49.
The one-year FHFA change runs from -1.2% in New Mexico to +8.3% in Alaska. Massachusetts (+3.6%) is 4.7 points below the top and 4.8 above the bottom; Idaho (+3.6%) and New York (+3.5%) are the nearest to it.
For scale, 20% of the Massachusetts median is $121,480, against $72,120 at the national median.
Compare with the other states: Median home price by state.
More Massachusetts guides
- Closing costs in Massachusetts: what buyers and sellers pay
- Massachusetts transfer tax: the deeds excise, rate and payer
- Massachusetts property tax: how Boston's bill is figured
- Seller disclosure requirements in Massachusetts
- Do you need a real estate attorney to close in Massachusetts?
- Foreclosure process in Massachusetts: notices and timeline
- First-time home buyer programs in Massachusetts and Boston
- How to verify a real estate license in Massachusetts
Sources
- Census Bureau, ACS 1-Year 2024, table B25077 (consulted October 13, 2026)
- Census Bureau, 2025 ACS release schedule (consulted October 13, 2026)
- FHFA news release, August 25, 2026 (consulted October 13, 2026)
- FHFA HPI datasets (quarterly, purchase-only) (consulted October 13, 2026)