Population
Waltham
64,723
Petaluma
59,321
Median Income
Waltham
$116,560
Petaluma
$109,823
Home Value
Waltham
$705,700
Petaluma
$834,900
Rent
Waltham
$2,232
Petaluma
$2,379
Crime Rate
Waltham
2.52
Petaluma
2.72
Cost of Living
Waltham
194.3
Petaluma
205.6
Avg Temp
Waltham
N/A
Petaluma
N/A
Unemployment
Waltham
3.5%
Petaluma
4.5%
How Similar Are Waltham & Petaluma?
Petaluma is Waltham's #13 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Waltham
64,723
Petaluma
59,321
Both cities have similar populations — Waltham at 64,723 and Petaluma at 59,321.
Violent Crime
Waltham
2.52
Petaluma
2.72
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 7% difference.
Property Crime
Waltham
6.99
Petaluma
11.73
Petaluma has a 40% higher property crime than Waltham.
Political Leaning
Waltham
29.0%
Petaluma
25.2%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Waltham has a stronger Democratic lean (13% difference).
Unemployment
Waltham
3.5%
Petaluma
4.5%
Petaluma has a 22% higher unemployment than Waltham.
Median Income
Waltham
$116,560
Petaluma
$109,823
Both cities have similar median income — just a 6% difference.
Home Values
Waltham
$705,700
Petaluma
$834,900
Petaluma has a 15% higher home values than Waltham.
Education
Waltham
38.4%
Petaluma
32.5%
Waltham has a 16% higher education than Petaluma.
Demographics
Waltham
62.2%
Petaluma
71.6%
Petaluma has a 13% higher demographics than Waltham.
Cost of Living
Waltham
194.3
Petaluma
205.6
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 5% difference.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Waltham and Petaluma share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Waltham
0
Petaluma
Waltham leads in 5 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Waltham leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDPetaluma has a fair market rent (1br) of $2,155 vs $2,476 in Waltham (15% lower). Waltham scores 282.5 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 317.2 in Petaluma. Waltham scores 124.5 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 134.4 in Petaluma.
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 — Petaluma leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSPetaluma has a vacancy rate of 2.8% compared to 4.4% in Waltham. Petaluma has a single-family homes of 75.6% compared to 44.6% in Waltham. Petaluma has a owner-occupied of 63.9% compared to 48.8% in Waltham.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Waltham leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSPetaluma has a poverty rate of 6.2% compared to 8.6% in Waltham. Waltham: 39,588 vs Petaluma: 31,868 for labor force. Waltham has a unemployment rate of 3.5% compared to 4.5% in Petaluma.
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 property crime clearance of 19.2% compared to 10.3% in Petaluma. Waltham has a violent crime clearance of 81.2% compared to 45.9% in Petaluma. Waltham has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.23 compared to 0.44 in Petaluma.
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 — Waltham leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauWaltham has a bachelor's degree or higher of 38.4% compared to 32.5% in Petaluma. Waltham has a high school diploma or higher of 51.2% compared to 45.7% in Petaluma.
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 1.1x the size of Petaluma (59,321). Waltham skews younger with a median age of 35.1 vs 45.0.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Waltham
Petaluma
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareWaltham: 4.0 vs Petaluma: 3.2 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Petaluma: 5 vs Waltham: 4 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Waltham leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSWaltham has a public transit of 5.4% compared to 1.5% in Petaluma. Waltham has a bicycle of 0.7% compared to 0.4% in Petaluma. Waltham: 20 min vs Petaluma: 25 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.