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Data on this report is based on areas within the legal city boundary, outlined in black on the map. Any additional neighborhoods shown on the map are associated with the city by name and are included for reference only.

Arlington, MA
Real Estate & Demographic Data






Arlington profile


Living in Arlington



Arlington is a medium-sized town located in the state of Massachusetts. With a population of 45,522 people and nine associated neighborhoods, Arlington is the 30th largest community in Massachusetts. Arlington has a large stock of pre-World War II architecture, making it one of the older and more historic towns in the country.

Arlington home prices are not only among the most expensive in Massachusetts, but Arlington real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.

Also of interest is that Arlington has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

And if you like science, one thing you'll find is that Arlington has lots of scientists living in town - whether they be life scientists, physical scientists (like astronomers), or social scientists (like geographers!). So, if you're scientific-minded, you might like it here too.

Of important note, Arlington is also a town of artists. Arlington has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Arlington’s character.

A relatively large number of people in Arlington telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 26.29% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

In addition, Arlington is home to many people who could be described as "urban sophisticates". Urban sophisticates are people who are both educated and wealthy, and thus tend to be older, richer, and more established than young professionals. "Urban sophisticates" is not just about being educated and well-off financially: it is a point of view and state of mind, one that you might call 'urbaneness'. But such people can and do regularly live in small towns, suburbs and rural areas, as well as in big cities. They read, support the arts and high-end shops, and love travel.

One downside of living in Arlington, however, is that residents on average have to contend with a long commute, spending on average 33.17 minutes every day commuting to work. It is, however, a pedestrian-friendly town. Many of its neighborhoods are dense enough and have amenities close enough together that people find it feasible to get around on foot. In addition, local public transit is widely used. For those who would prefer to avoid driving entirely and leave their car at home, it may be an option to use the transit instead.

Although the majority of commuting trips in the town are by private automobile, Arlington is somewhat unusual for a town of its size for having a substantial number of people who use public transportation. For a lot of people, the subway helps to get to and from their jobs every morning, which benefits everyone in the Arlington area by reducing both traffic and air pollution.

If knowledge is power, Arlington is a pretty powerful place. 74.37% of the adults in Arlington have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns.

The per capita income in Arlington in 2022 was $77,043, which is wealthy relative to Massachusetts and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $308,172 for a family of four.

Arlington is a very ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Arlington home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Arlington residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Arlington include Irish, Italian, English, German, and Polish.

In addition, Arlington has a lot of people living here who were born outside of the US (18.48%).

The most common language spoken in Arlington is English. Other important languages spoken here include Chinese and Spanish.