Population
Waltham
64,723
Lafayette
30,471
Median Income
Waltham
$116,560
Lafayette
$110,431
Home Value
Waltham
$705,700
Lafayette
$647,600
Rent
Waltham
$2,232
Lafayette
$2,042
Crime Rate
Waltham
2.52
Lafayette
2.73
Cost of Living
Waltham
194.3
Lafayette
178.6
Avg Temp
Waltham
N/A
Lafayette
N/A
Unemployment
Waltham
3.5%
Lafayette
3.8%
How Similar Are Waltham & Lafayette?
Lafayette is Waltham's #8 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Waltham
64,723
Lafayette
30,471
Waltham (64,723) is about 2.1x larger than Lafayette (30,471).
Violent Crime
Waltham
2.52
Lafayette
2.73
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 8% difference.
Property Crime
Waltham
6.99
Lafayette
26.81
Lafayette's property crime is significantly higher than Waltham's — 74% difference.
Political Leaning
Waltham
29.0%
Lafayette
20.8%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Waltham has a stronger Democratic lean (28% difference).
Unemployment
Waltham
3.5%
Lafayette
3.8%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 8% difference.
Median Income
Waltham
$116,560
Lafayette
$110,431
Both cities have similar median income — just a 5% difference.
Home Values
Waltham
$705,700
Lafayette
$647,600
Both cities have similar home values — just a 8% difference.
Education
Waltham
38.4%
Lafayette
47.1%
Lafayette has a 18% higher education than Waltham.
Demographics
Waltham
62.2%
Lafayette
79.3%
Lafayette has a 22% higher demographics than Waltham.
Cost of Living
Waltham
194.3
Lafayette
178.6
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 8% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Waltham and Lafayette share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Waltham
0
Lafayette
Lafayette leads in 6 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Lafayette leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDLafayette has a fair market rent (2br) of $2,124 vs $2,941 in Waltham (38% lower). Lafayette has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,795 vs $2,476 in Waltham (38% lower). Lafayette scores 251.7 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 282.5 in Waltham.
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 — Lafayette leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSLafayette has a vacancy rate of 2.0% compared to 4.4% in Waltham. Lafayette has a median property tax of $3,066 vs $4,783 in Waltham (56% lower). Lafayette has a single-family homes of 72.4% compared to 44.6% in Waltham.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Lafayette leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSWaltham: 39,588 vs Lafayette: 18,172 for labor force. Lafayette has a poverty rate of 6.1% compared to 8.6% in Waltham. Lafayette has a work from home of 27.7% compared to 20.0% in Waltham.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Waltham leads
Source: FBI UCRWaltham has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 1.25 compared to 4.89 in Lafayette. Waltham has a property crime rate (per 1k) of 6.99 compared to 26.81 in Lafayette. Waltham has a larceny rate (per 1k) of 5.19 compared to 19.51 in Lafayette.
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 — Lafayette leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauLafayette has a bachelor's degree or higher of 47.1% compared to 38.4% in Waltham. Lafayette has a high school diploma or higher of 55.0% compared to 51.2% in Waltham.
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 ACSWaltham has a population of 64,723, about 2.1x the size of Lafayette (30,471). Waltham skews younger with a median age of 35.1 vs 39.4.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Waltham
Lafayette
Healthcare — Lafayette leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareLafayette: 4.3 vs Waltham: 4.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Lafayette leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSWaltham has a public transit of 5.4% compared to 2.0% in Lafayette. Lafayette has a work from home of 27.7% compared to 20.0% in Waltham. Lafayette: 17 min vs Waltham: 20 min for mean commute time.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Waltham, MA
Compare Waltham 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.