Population
Boston
663,972
Durham
288,465
Median Income
Boston
$94,755
Durham
$79,234
Home Value
Boston
$710,400
Durham
$355,300
Rent
Boston
$2,093
Durham
$1,412
Crime Rate
Boston
6.28
Durham
6.21
Cost of Living
Boston
180.6
Durham
133.1
Avg Temp
Boston
50°F
Durham
N/A
Unemployment
Boston
6.0%
Durham
4.2%
How Similar Are Boston & Durham?
Durham is Boston's #13 most similar city
3 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Boston
663,972
Durham
288,465
Boston (663,972) is about 2.3x larger than Durham (288,465).
Violent Crime
Boston
6.28
Durham
6.21
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 1% difference.
Property Crime
Boston
20.22
Durham
38.00
Durham has a 47% higher property crime than Boston.
Political Leaning
Boston
22.4%
Durham
18.2%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Boston has a stronger Democratic lean (19% difference).
Unemployment
Boston
6.0%
Durham
4.2%
Boston has a 31% higher unemployment than Durham.
Median Income
Boston
$94,755
Durham
$79,234
Boston has a 16% higher median income than Durham.
Home Values
Boston
$710,400
Durham
$355,300
Boston has a 50% higher home values than Durham.
Education
Boston
38.0%
Durham
38.2%
Both cities have similar education — just a 1% difference.
Demographics
Boston
47.8%
Durham
44.0%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 8% difference.
Cost of Living
Boston
180.6
Durham
133.1
Boston has a 26% higher cost of living than Durham.
3 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Boston and Durham differ in most key areas.
At a Glance
0
Boston
0
Durham
Durham leads in 3 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Durham leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDDurham has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,711 vs $2,941 in Boston (72% lower). Durham scores 164.2 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 272.1 in Boston. Durham has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,507 vs $2,476 in Boston (64% lower).
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Durham leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBoston has a median home value of $710,400 vs $355,300 in Durham (100% higher). Durham has a single-family homes of 61.6% compared to 18.2% in Boston. Durham has a median rent of $1,412 vs $2,093 in Boston (48% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Boston leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBoston: 403,888 vs Durham: 163,490 for labor force. Durham has a unemployment rate of 4.2% compared to 6.0% in Boston. Durham has a poverty rate of 12.2% compared to 16.9% in Boston.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Boston leads
Source: FBI UCRBoston has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.04 compared to 0.12 in Durham. Boston has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 1.78 compared to 4.50 in Durham. Boston has a property crime rate (per 1k) of 20.22 compared to 38.00 in Durham.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauBoston has a high school diploma or higher of 50.8% compared to 48.7% in Durham.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBoston has a population of 663,972, about 2.3x the size of Durham (288,465). Boston skews younger with a median age of 33.2 vs 34.8.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Boston
Durham
Healthcare — Durham leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareDurham: 4.5 vs Boston: 3.7 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBoston has a public transit of 24.0% compared to 2.2% in Durham. Boston has a bicycle of 2.1% compared to 0.5% in Durham. Durham has a drive alone of 65.2% compared to 34.1% in Boston.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Boston, MA
Compare Boston against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.